Remember The Edge? No, not the guitarist from U2, the Hip-Hop group from the golden era. Information on The Edge is scant, as far as I can deduce, the group consisted of rappers P-Lyve (or Pee-Lyve) and Ken-Du and their name was taken from the Edgemere Housing Project in Far Rockaway, Queens. Originally known as Double Edge, the group released their one and only single in 1994 titled “Do Ya Dirt”, it is however the B-side that I fondly remember.

I distinctly remember The Edge’s single “Who’s Dat Chick” which began playing as I tuned in to pirate radio one summer night (which I just happened to be recording onto cassette). The song never played on radio ever again but I listened to that tape for years, enjoying the song but without knowing who was responsible for it. It was only until the internet became widespread and reached my family home that I finally discovered who made this song.

Released before Akinyele’s “Put It In Your Mouth”, “Who’s Dat Chick?” was a forerunner when it came to pushing the envelope of sexually explicit Hip-Hop. The song had so many misogynistically hilarious lines that almost the entire track is a quotable. With clever one-liners such as “The next time I come over it’ll be on your chest”, the song was teeming with sex, sexism, and comedic lyricism. This was also one of many 90s East Coast Hip-Hop joints which sampled “Walk On By” by Isaac Hayes (alongside the likes of Notorious B.I.G. & Madstyle) and by utilising Kook G Rap’s line “Soon I see some thighs and my eyes open wide quick” (from “Ill Street Blues”) on the hook, it instantly stood out when I first heard it. Every time I play this song today, it transports me back to that hot concrete, sultry night in the mid-90s.

The Edge released their vinyl single in 1994 on Represent Records (which by the way was the only thing the label dropped). The single of course had an A-side that I didn’t hear until a decade later titled “Do Ya Dirt”. This was also a great track, it featured a crime-based narrative but the chorus warned any potential street-kid doing stick-ups that revenge and retribution will bring them karma. The chorus (“Do ya dirt but while you’re doing it remember what goes around back around it comes, do ya dirt and when it’s done remember that what goes around comes back around”) is both memorable and catchy and a few years back a music video for the song surfaced on YouTube…

Both tracks were produced by UK producer Dominic Owen (who I think is from Nottingham). “Who’s Dat Chick?” was also co-produced by Fabian Hamilton who made tracks for the likes of PMD, A+, and Special Ed. The pair did a brilliant job especially with the B-side joint and alongside The Edge’s witticism, the duo’s production made this a classic Hip-Hop song.

It’s so frustrating that a major label didn’t sign The Edge, they obviously had the lyrical skills to make it to the big time. Apparently, the sticker on their vinyl single had two quotes; one by Gang Starr’s DJ Premier who called the A-side “one of this summer’s hottest tracks” and the other by Brooklyn legend Special Ed telling people to “watch out for this group to blow up in the 90’s “. Unfortunately, the duo didn’t blow up despite having…

The Edge.