World Class Wreckin' Cru was an American electro group, during the 1980s in the Los Angeles area, that contributed to rap's development. Two of its members, Dr. Dre and DJ Yella, attained greater fame as members of N.W.A, which pioneered gangsta rap. A song by the Cru had also featured R&B singer Michel'le.

Early career

World Class Wreckin' Cru debuted in the nightclub Eve After Dark, owned by Alonzo Williams, an early West Coast DJ very popular in the Los Angeles area. In the 1970s, Williams had begun producing dance songs under the name Disco Construction, named after funk group Brass Construction. At his songs' popularity, Williams arranged nightclub performances. Initially directing its music program was Detroit-born Andre "Unknown DJ" Manuel (who would later join Comptons Most Wanted), who was influenced by East Coast sounds, like Soulsonic Force, Orbit, and Scorpio.

As the 1980s opened, electronic funk arrived, sampling drum beats and borrowing from old-school rap. Disco Construction created a subgroup, the Wreckin' Cru, which was the Lonzos' roadies. Later, this honorific prefix World Class signified a recording group. Lonzo hired two local DJs—Antoine "Yella" Carraby and Andre "Dr. Dre" Young—who became the original "Mix Masters" for Los Angeles radio station KDAY. The Wreckin' Cru performed in various shows elsewhere in Los Angeles, including shows promoted by Lonzo as well as opening for New Edition.

Success and break up

Alonzo Williams created the label "Kru-cut" which began releasing The Wreckin' Cru music through the mid-1980s with very minimal resources through Macola Records, a local independent record manufacturing and distributing company. The Cru released the single "Slice", followed by "Surgery". By 1985 Kru-Cut had produced World Class’ debut album, World Class. The success of their early releases led to a major record deal with CBS/Epic Records.

  • Rapped in Romance (Epic/CBS, 1986)

Singles

  • "Slice" (Kru-Cut, 1984)
  • "Surgery" (Kru-Cut, 1985)
  • "Juice" (Kru-Cut, 1985)
  • "House Calls/Cabbage Patch" (Kru-Cut, 1987)
  • "Turn Off the Lights" (Kru-Cut, 1987)

Compilations

  • The Best of the World Class Wreckin' Cru (Kru-Cut, 1987)
  • Turn Off the Lights (Before The Attitude) (S.O.H., 1991)
  • Dr. Dre vs. World Class Wreckin' Crew (Street Dance, 2005)

References

  • Audio interview with Lonzo at SoundCloud