Monday, August 31, 2020

Unsigned Hype: Dr. Seus

 


For its first foreign-born Unsigned Hype feature, the August 1993 edition of The Source magazine featured England-native and New York-bred Dr. Seus. Raised in the boroughs of the Bronx and Brooklyn, Seus found his home in Queens and established a friendship with high school classmates Mobb Deep (who appeared as the Poetical Prophets in Unsigned Hype's July 1991 release). Seus maintained his Mobb Deep affiliation through the recording of his demo tape; Prodigy makes a guest appearance on "Catchin' Bodies" and served as a producer alongside Kerwin "Sleek" Young (the former Bomb Squad affiliate who had produced four tracks on Mobb Deep's 1993 debut album Juvenile Hell). Seus' demo featured "slow and funky, hardcore, jazzy tracks" accompanied his "serious flow" and "laid-back drawn outt voice". Seus described his character on the microphone as being "Voodoo Magic" as he used a technique that sounded like two "separate minds rhyming with one style alternating back and forth". He presented "rugged realities" that were relatable to any kid from the streets.

Alas, Seus' content did not appeal to the kids of the record companies and he failed to sign a deal or put out a single. He also could not further secure the help of his friends Mobb Deep to make a guest appearance on any of their material and his output – or any sign of his existence – was over by the end of 1993.

The two named tracks from his demo tape  – "Dearly Beloved" and "Catchin' Bodies" – have found their way to release: the former through Young's 2015 production compilation album Beats, Breaks & Rhymes [1992-1995] Vol 1 and the latter on Vol 2. Another Seus track, titled "Clips", also appears on Vol 2. Seus and Prodigy display neat chemistry on "Catchin' Bodies" but Seus proved he was capable of holding his own on "Dearly Beloved" over Juvenile Hell-sounding production by Young. 

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