Biography
Treacherous Three ranks among the earliest rap collectives to commit their work to vinyl. The ensemble laid down material for the leading old-school imprints Enjoy and Sugar Hill while devising a quicker rapping technique known as speed rapping that shaped the subsequent direction of hip-hop. Three Harlem high-school companions—Kool Moe Dee (Mohandas Dewese), L.A. Sunshine (Lamar Hill), and DJ Easy Lee (Theodore Moy'e)—formed the core, later incorporating former Bronx MC Special K (Kevin Keaton) to complete the lineup. Performances began in 1978. When the members learned that their acquaintance Spoonie Gee, fresh from his initial single, intended to record again for Bobby Robinson’s Enjoy label, they rehearsed intensively for months, with Kool Moe Dee devoting extra attention to his speed raps. The resulting “The New Rap Language” appeared as the B-side of Spoonie Gee’s 1980 single “Love Rap.” That track raised the bar for every active rapper and directly prompted two Enjoy landmarks, “The Body Rock” and “At the Party,” the latter drawing slight inspiration from Grandmaster Flash’s “Birthday Party.”
By 1981 the group had shifted to Sugar Hill in the wake of fellow Enjoy act Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five. The singles “Feel the Heart Beat” and “Whip It” became signature rap party anthems, buoyed by Sugar Hill’s studio band of bassist Doug Wimbish, guitarist Skip McDonald, and drummer Keith LeBlanc. One extended live performance shared with Funky Four Plus One surfaced on the 12-inch Live Convention ’81 released by Disco Wax. The trio reached the screen in 1984’s Beat Street, performing “Xmas Rap” during Doug E. Fresh’s first appearance, yet dissolved soon afterward. Kool Moe Dee initially enrolled in college before launching a successful solo career in 1986; Special K issued his own solo single in 1987, while DJ Easy Lee undertook occasional production work. Treacherous Three reconvened in 1993 to record their debut album, Old School Flava.
By 1981 the group had shifted to Sugar Hill in the wake of fellow Enjoy act Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five. The singles “Feel the Heart Beat” and “Whip It” became signature rap party anthems, buoyed by Sugar Hill’s studio band of bassist Doug Wimbish, guitarist Skip McDonald, and drummer Keith LeBlanc. One extended live performance shared with Funky Four Plus One surfaced on the 12-inch Live Convention ’81 released by Disco Wax. The trio reached the screen in 1984’s Beat Street, performing “Xmas Rap” during Doug E. Fresh’s first appearance, yet dissolved soon afterward. Kool Moe Dee initially enrolled in college before launching a successful solo career in 1986; Special K issued his own solo single in 1987, while DJ Easy Lee undertook occasional production work. Treacherous Three reconvened in 1993 to record their debut album, Old School Flava.