NICE & SMOOTH

Nice & Smooth are an East Coast hip hop duo from New York that consists of Greg Nice (Greg Mays) and Smooth B (Daryl Barnes). Greg Nice broke into the music scene as a beat boxer for Hip Hop Legend T-La Rock. While Smooth B honed his skills at local talent shows, blending lyrics with harmonies. Nice & Smooth came together thru an introduction by a mutual friend in 1985. They put out their first single independently in1986 before they signed to Sleeping Bags Record and later DEF JAM. Their first indie single featured "Skill Trade" and "Dope on a Rope". The duo released four albums from the late 1980s to the mid 1990s. Their first collaborate appearance was on the song, "Pimpin Ain't Easy" by Big Daddy Kane on his album, It's a Big Daddy Thing in 1989.The group notably collaborated with New Kids On The Block and went on to smash stages from Madison Square Garden to the Meadowlands Arena. In 1991 the group was featured on 3rd Base's Gold Album Derelicts of Dialect on the song "Microphone Techniques". Mary J Blige featured Greg Nice on her first platinum single "You Remind Me" in 1991. Smooth B wrote rhymes for Bobby Brown that appeared on his debut album King of Stage and second album Don't Be Cruel. Greg Nice was also featured on C+C Music Factory's platinum selling single "Do you wanna get funky", furthering the group reach in the pop arena. Nice & Smooth's biggest radio fame came from "Sometimes I Rhyme Slow...," from the group's second album, Ain't a Damn Thing Changed, released in 1991. The song was a moderately somber rhyme with introspective lines about poverty, AIDS, and drugs that was set to the guitar loop from Tracy Chapman's hit "Fast Car." In the summer of 1992, the music video received heavy rotation on MTV. "Hip-Hop Junkies," which featured a sample from The Partridge Family's "I Think I Love You" was also a hit, and it was once performed live on Keenan Ivory Wayans’ comedy/variety TV show, In Living Color. The group has also appeared on Soul Train and where the first live Hip Hop Performers featured on MTV. The duo was also featured in Andre Harrell's first film Strictly Business this was Halle Berry's break out role. The duo is known for its humorous rhymes and catchy hooks. They often appeared as guest emcees on albums by the Beatnuts, Gang Starr, and Tony Touch among many others. Another notable song by the group is "Funky for You", off of their self-titled debut album. As a single it was released in 1990 and contained the following lyrics: Hey, yo, Dizzy Gillespie plays the sax! Me myself, I love to max! Red-Bone booties, I'm out to wax! Stick-up kids is out to tax! The line "stick up kids is out to tax" was later sampled by hip-hop group Gang Starr. Tupac Shakur intended to sign Greg Nice to his Makaveli label and even recorded tracks with the Greg for the One Nation album. Trugoy from De La Soul paid homage to Nice & Smooth by using each member's rhyming style in verses on the song “Simply Havin'” from De La Soul's AOI: Bionix album. In 2005, he released a single titled "Game Over," which was produced by DJ Premier. In 2010 Greg Nice found his self translating his mixture of uproarious rhymes and call-n-response routines unto a whole new generation of music lovers with his solo debut, Popcycle. In 2011 the group , who have been touring for the last 25+ years, came together to release a throwback video for the hip hop classic "No Delayin". The video has garnered a whopping 100,000 views and inspired the group to release their next single 2 Stepp in the same fashion. They may be Hip Hop Legends but Nice & Smooth will always be the peoples favorites based on the entertainment value and the integrity of the group. "One of the best shows I've ever seen, DWYCK is one of the best Hip Hop songs! " fan in London.