Yo Howie...Hit Me...!!!
The English born Howard Thompson is a DJ, keyboard player, drum programmer, arranger and production whiz... The infamous Hitman Howie Tee was first part of an electro crew called CDIII way back in 1983 and they released the single Get Tough, I remember taping this from an old Uncut Funk Show on Radio Active 89 FM in the 80’s but had no idea that Howie Tee was behind it.
CDIII also released the singles Summer Jam and Success in 1984, I am not sure what part Howie played in this group, but I know that he never rhymed so he was probably the DJ and played keyboards. Next up Howie was doing some cuts and scratches for a track titled Roxanne’s Back Side which was from some group named UTFO and the B-Side off some single called Roxanne, Roxanne in 1984 which of course in turn gave Hip Hop The Roxanne Wars.
Around this time Howie helped produce Old School pioneers The Crash Crew’s 2-4-6-8 Here We Are in 1985.
UTFO:
(Kangol Kid, The Educated Rapper,Doc Ice and Mixmaster Ice)
The Crash Crew:
(DJ Daryll C ( R.I.P ), G Man , La Shubee , Barry Bistro , EK Mike C and Reggie Reg)
The same year that he did the cuts on The Real Roxanne’s Romeo and helped in the writing process and played keyboards for Full Force’s debut album after great success with the single Alice, I Want You Just For Me.
This was also this year that The Kangol Kid (UTFO) decided to form a production company with Howie Tee and they produced the seminal Whistle (DJ Silver Spinner Jazzy Jazz, Kool Doobie (a.k.a. KD) and Kraze) and their timeless hit (Nothing Serious) Just Buggin, although it was first released in 1985 (on Select Records)
Whistle: (Jazzy Jazz, Kool Doobie, DJ Silver Spinner, Kraze)
It was in 1986 when it really took off as did The Real Roxanne’s Bang Zoom Let’s Go, a record responsible for hundreds and hundreds of cuts throughout DJ battles and rap records over the years.
The Real Roxanne:http://www.discogs.com/artist/Real+Roxanne%2C+The
Howie was also heavily involved in the mixing and programming on the UTFO album Skeezer Pleezer and he did a remix for the track Split Personality and also scratched on Bad Self and The Rappin Lords from The Rappin Lords in 1986.
Howie and The Kangol Kid ended up producing the self titled Whistle LP together in 1986 and the Transformation album in 1988 to moderate success, Whistle tried to make it into the 90’s, but the Bad Habit 12” in 1990 didn’t sell too well and they tried again and had their 1992 track I Am remixed by The Trackmasterz.
During 1987 Howie and Chubb produced Seeborn and Puma’s They Call Me Puma, Little Shawn’s Heartbreak Hotel, E.S.P.’s Back Rappin, and Barbara’s Bedroom for Whistle.Chubb Rock:
1987 was also the debut of The Jamaican born but Brooklyn raised Big Man himself the mighty Chubb Rock, who first gave us Rock N Roll Dude in 1987 and followed with his debut album, Chubb Rock-"Chubb Rock Featuring Hitman Howie" Tee released in 198.
It had a dedication song to Howie from his cousin Chubb in the form of DJ Innovator (which was also the first to sample Gwen Mcrae’s Rocking Chair)
The album also got a lot of recognition from Caught Up (and the remix) and soon Howie and Chubb were in the studio working on the follow up album.
1989’s …"And The Winner Is", which was produced mostly by Howie but Chubb had co-production duties on a few tracks…"And The Winner Is" gave the Chubbster fans the classic Ya Bad Chubbs.
1988 saw Howie produce beats for The Real Roxanne (Respect, Look But Don't Touch Early Early, Her Bad Self and Don’t Even Feel It) and Chubb Rock produced and featured on "Gear" and produced most of her 1992 "Go Down (But Don't Bite It)" album.E.S.P. (Wild Thing and Get Up and Get Wid It, We Got It) and Izzy Ice and DJ Majesty’s Soulman…Izzy Ice and DJ Majesty later changed their name to Da King & I and released a dope album on Rowdy records in 1993.
After Chubb became a name people were talking about, Tee set about unleashing the kid that was "kinda young" but his "tongue spoke maturity" when he was only 16 and attending studio sessions after he would finish school at Erasmus Hall in Brooklyn, of course I am talking about the one and only Edward Archer aka Special Ed:
Howie gave Ed some much deserved success and his name in Hip-Hop history books by producing his first album 1989’s classic "Youngest In Charge" which spawned the timeless singles I Got It Made, Think About It, I'm The Magnificent and The Bush however for some of 1990’s "Legal" album (the cover was to cash in on his mass appeal with the Ladies), Special Ed himself was actually behind the boards for.
I'm The Magnificent (The Magnificent Remix) -Ya Wish Ya Could -5 Men And A Mic (ft Little Shawn, 40 Love, Akshun and Coolie Man) -See It Ya (with his brother Drew)
With Howie Tee supplying the ill beats and loops on...
Come On, Let's Move It and the remix The Mission and the remix ,Ya Not So Hot,Ready 2 Attack Livin' Like A Star and I’m Special Ed (co-production)
After the "Legal" album, Ed bought himself a "brand new car", "every other month" (ha ha) and didn’t return to the scene until 1995 with the good but slept on "Revelations" album and sadly Howie only produced Neva Go Back which was the first single and showed the ill chemistry they still had together.
So did the not very easy to obtain underground 12” in 1997 Think Twice (The B-Side On Some Next Shit was produced by Special Ed and featured Ed’s new but short lived crew the A.R.A.B.S.)
The same cannot be said with Ed’s disappointing "Still Got It Made" LP released in 2004, there were zero Howie Tee beats and only a couple of tracks that were worth checking for, this disappointed a lot of Ed fans and he hasn’t been heard from since, but with all of the comebacks these days and a Marley Marl and KRS ONE album ...anything is possible and we may get another Howie and Ed album in the future.
When The Hitman first bought his production skills into the 90’s he produced the Physical remix for eighties crew Rockmaster Scott & The Dynamic 3 (famous for the classics Request Line and The Roof is on Fire).
Three of Special Ed’s dope joints from the Legal album were given the remix treatment, Come On Let’s, Move It, The Mission and Think About It and Howie also produced for Father MC (remember him?).
Groove B Chill (who the film House Party was based on) hauled him in for the remix of Hip Hop Music on the Starting From Zero album and Howie was amongst production royalty like Pete Rock and Prince Paul (It's best not to ask about the album cover...ha ha)
Groove B Chill:
(DJ Belal, Groove and Chill (Daryl Mitchell)
Chubb Rock also released his biggest single in 1990, Treat Em Right and later followed with his dopest album and one of the best of that year...1991's The One, and Treat Em Right ended up on the Freddy's Dead soundtrack.
In 1991 he did a remix for Redhead Kingpin's It's A Love Thang (Word) and produced Heavy D & The Boyz I Can Make You Go Oooh and 3 tracks for E.S.P's oddly titled but fairly good "Valoompadoom Pink! Or Something Else Off The Wall" album.
NB: E.S.P. stood for their stage names...Elliot Ness, Mr Speed and Professor Paul
This was also the year when Color Me Badd's I Wanna Sex you Up became a Worldwide hit and was featured on the New Jack City soundtrack (*Howie didn't produce the track but he mixed it)
1992 saw Little Shawn release his debut album the smooth and fat "Voice In The Mirror", after the first single Hickeys On My Chest blew up and even had Biggie(RIP) quoting lyrics from it in Party and Bullshit (off Who's The Man soundtrack-1993)
Little Shawn
Howie also produced 2 tracks for an Old School vet making an averagely successful comeback on Hammer's Bust It label (I will let you guess who that was) and a track for smooth R&B favourite Al B Sure on his "Sexy Verses" album.
Between 1994 and 1999, Howie Tee produced and/or remixed for Emage, Quo, Color Me Badd, Madonna, Patra, Diana King, the awesome young Hip Hop-Reggae star Lil Vicious and he also produced the original version of the dope Little Indian-One Little Indian (1995).
The 00's have been very quiet for Howie though and I hope we get another Howie and Ed album and Chubb and Howie album.
Lil Vicious:
Respect Due Hitman Howie Tee
Jaz
Many, many thanks to Bottomlesspedro, Fritz and Bad Character for helping me track down some much wanted tracks and remixes and a special thanks to...
Jayquan
http://www.jayquan.com/chubbrock.htm
B-Boys.com
www.bboy.com
Werner Von Wallenrod's Humble, Little Hip Hop Site
CRDS Presents_The_Hitman_Howie_Tee_Files_Volume_1
http://www.sendspace.com/file/ncsfmt
1. special ed - come on lets move it (remix) (1990)
2. little shawn - clap ya hands (1992)
3. chubb rock - the night scene (1991)
4. special ed - the mission (remix) (1990)
5. seeborn and puma - they call me puma (1997)
6. vicious - the glock (1994)
7. special ed - think twice (1997)
8. chubb rock - treat 'em right (org 12" version) (1990)
9. little shawn-yes he did leave the stage (1991)
10. e.s.p. - one,two,an a (1991)
11.father mc - father's day (1990)
12.chubb rock featuring hitman howie tee - caught up (remix) (1988)
13-little shawn- hickeys on your chest (1992)
14-little indian-one little indian ft. the foreigner (1995)
15-vicious- him never do it (1994)
16-e.s.p.-we got it (1988)
17-the crash crew - 2-4-6-8 [here we are] (1985)
18-the real roxanne with hitman howie- tee bang zoom (let's go) (1986)
19-whistle- just buggin' (nothing serious) (1985)
20-the real roxanne with hitman howie-tee romeo-pt. 1 (1985)
21-chubb rock-the empire strikes back (remix) (1989)
The reason for this this post:
I feel that there is hardly any info out there about Howie and that is an injustice, just look at what he has done and who he has worked with...It would be all too easy to do massive posts about DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Diamond D, Large Professor, Showbiz etc...because most have already been done and kids know those names.
If you enjoy this post, then I will work on other slept on producers in the future.
Thanks All
Peace
Jaz
