Newcleus originates in Brooklyn, NY, 1977. The group consisted of a collective of DJ's, who were known as Jam-On Productions. This ensamble included Ben "Cozmo D" Cenac, his cousin Monique Angevin and her brother Pete (all teenagers and still in high school).

Many of the members -- MCs as well as DJs -- came and went as the group played block parties all over the borough, and by 1979, the group centered around Cenac, his future wife Yvette "Lady E" Cook, Monique Angevin, and her future husband, Bob "Chilly B" Crafton. (The foursome named their group Newcleus as a result of the coming together of their families.)

By this time, Cenac had accumulated a large collection of electronic recording equipment, and the crew recorded a demo tape of material. With a large empty space left at the end of the tape, Newcleus recorded a favorite from their block parties, with each member's vocals sped up to resemble the Chipmunks.

The track, "Jam-On's Revenge," impressed producer Joe Webb more than the other Newcleus material, and it became the group's first single, released in 1983 on Mathew Records. A huge street success, the track became known unofficially as "the Wikki-Wikki-Wikki" song (after the chorus). It was re-released later that year on Sunnyview Records, had was renamed "Jam On Revenge (The Wikki-Wikki Song)."

Follow-up song, "Jam on It", did well on the charts. "Computer Age (Push the Button)" was a more mature single, with accomplished rapping and better synthesizer effects, and it also hit the R&B Top 40. The first Newcleus LP, Jam on Revenge, was a bit of a disappointment, and their second album, Space Is the Place, did even more poorly on its 1984 release.

Without a single as noteworthy as "Jam on Revenge" or "Computer Age," and with the arrival of Run-D.M.C.'s organic, rock-influenced approach to rap music, Newcleus faded fast. Even-still, the Cenacs and the Craftons continued to record sporadically until 1989, but didn't hit the R&B charts after 1986.

Although Newcleus never never regained the magic of the 12-inch "Jam on It," they remain in the true hip hopper's hall of fame for creating one of the most noteworthy jams during the beginning of the hip hop era.

At the height of their career, Newcleus went on tour with several other artists from Russell Simmons' Def Jam Records. The tour included: Whodini, Run DMC, The Fat Boys and Kurtis Blow. The acts went on a thirty city venue called "The New York City Fresh Fest" tour in 1985.

All in all, any GOOD hop hop DJ can tell you that Newcleus is definitely in their crate of "oldies but goodies".

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