Mark James "Slave" Williams (born 1971) and Otis Frizzell (born 1971) are a New Zealand duo known as hip hop MCs and television and radio presenters. Together they are known for their musical work in the 1990s as MC OJ & Rhythm Slave and Joint Force, and their radio and television work in later years. As well as their work as a duo, each is known for his own achievements. Otis Frizzell, son of pop-artist

Dick Frizzell Richard John Frizzell (born 1943) is a New Zealand artist known for his pop art paintings and prints. His work often features Kiwiana iconography combined with motifs from Māori art traditions, such as the tiki and tā moko. He is based i ...

, is a graffiti artist, sometimes working under the name Opto. With his wife Sarah Frizzell, he also runs an acclaimed taco truck in Auckland. As MC Slave, Mark Williams produces and MCs with Wellington group

Fat Freddy's Drop Fat Freddy's Drop is a New Zealand seven-piece band from Wellington, whose musical style has been characterised as any combination of dub, reggae, soul, jazz, rhythm and blues, and techno. Originally a jam band formed in the late 1990s by mus ...

MC OJ & Rhythm Slave

The duo's first creative collaboration was as hip hop duo MC OJ & Rhythm Slave, best known for their 1990 single "That's The Way (Positivity)", based around a sample from "

That's the Way (I Like It) "That's the Way (I Like It)" is a song by American disco and funk band KC and the Sunshine Band from their self-titled second studio album (1975). The single became the band's second No. 1 hit in the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and it is one of the ...

" by

KC and the Sunshine Band KC and the Sunshine Band is an American disco and funk band that was founded in 1973 in Hialeah, Florida. Their best-known songs include the hits " Get Down Tonight", " That's the Way (I Like It)", "⁠ (Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty", ...

. The pair met at Selwyn College in the late '80s and started performing together, playing at house parties and getting minor gigs. They were signed to Murray Cammick's Southside Records and released their first single, "That's The Way (Positivity)" in 1990, reaching #12 in the charts. Further singles included "Money Worries" with guest vocals from Push Push frontman

Mikey Havoc Mikey Havoc (born c.1970), also known colloquially as Havoc (real name Michael Roberts) is a New Zealand media personality. Havoc was a DJ for 95bFM for nearly 25 years over three periods, most recently 2017–2019. Radio Roberts first becam ...

; and safe sex anthem "Body Rhymes (Protect Yourself)" with guest vocals from

Teremoana Rapley Tere Veronica Rapley (born 1973), generally known as Teremoana Rapley, describes herself as a 'Black Moana Sovereign Storyteller'. Many consider her a hugely influential New Zealand hip-hop artist, musician, television presenter and television ...

of Moana and the Moahunters.

Joint Force

In the mid 1990s, Mark and Otis teamed up with DJ and producer DLT of Upper Hutt Posse and formed the hip hop group Joint Force. They released the ''One Inch Punch'' EP in 1995 on

BMG BMG may refer to: Organizations Music publishing companies * Bertelsmann Music Group, a 1987–2008 division of Bertelsmann that was purchased by Sony on October 1, 2008 ** Sony BMG, a 2004–2008 joint venture of Bertelsmann and Sony that was pur ...

records. The trio (along with director Josh Frizzell) also made an ambitious two-part video for their single "Static", that was nominated for Best Music Video at the 1996

New Zealand Music Awards The Aotearoa Music Awards (previously called the New Zealand Music Awards), conferred annually by Recorded Music NZ, honour outstanding artistic and technical achievements in the recording industry. The awards are among the most significant that ...

. With the track remixed by Mario Caldato, Jr., "Static (part 1)" was based around a stylish,

Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American filmmaker, actor, and author. His films are characterized by graphic violence, extended dialogue often featuring much profanity, and references to popular culture. His work has ...

-inspired crime drama, with little focus on the song itself. "Static (part 2)" was a basic video of the trio performing the song in a dark studio. This was the duo's last project as hip hop performers, though the pair remained active in the New Zealand hip hop community. Slave produced the 1998 compilation album ''Aotearoa Hip Hop Vol 1'' and was a regular host of the Aotearoa hip hop summit.

Radio

In 1994, Slave was approached by bFM radio station manager Graeme Hill to put together a weekly hip hop show, along with DJ Sir-Vere, Bass and DLT. This became the long-running ''True School Hip Hop Show''. Together Mark and Otis were the long-running hosts of their radio show ''Slave and Otis'', the Wednesday Drive show on bFM. In 2004 the duo moved to host the breakfast show on Auckland station Base FM.

''Mo' Show''

From 2001 to 2003, Mark and Otis starred in their own TV series, ''Mo' Show'' on TV2. Inspired by

hip hop culture Hip-hop culture is an art movement that emerged in New York City, in the borough of The Bronx; Primarily within the black community. Hip Hop as an art form and culture has been heavily influenced by both male and female artists. It is charac ...

, the duo travelled around the world with digital cameras, exploring places and meeting interesting and creative people, including celebrities. The series was nominated for Best Entertainment Series at the 2002 New Zealand Television Awards, and won in the same category at the

2003 awards 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious and cultural significance in many societies ...

Other work

At the

2014 New Zealand Music Awards The 2014 New Zealand Music Awards was the 49th holding of the annual ceremony featuring awards for musical recording artists based in or originating from New Zealand. It took place on 20 November 2014 at Vector Arena in Auckland. The awards sho ...

, Slave and Otis presented the Legacy Award to funk-rock group

Supergroove Supergroove is a New Zealand funk rock music group. Their debut album '' Traction'' was released in 1994. The group disbanded in 1997 but reformed in 2007. History The band was founded on New Year's Eve 1989/1990, having previously been name ...

Discography

Albums as MC OJ & Rhythm Slave

Singles as MC OJ & Rhythm Slave

EPs as Joint Force

Singles as Joint Force

Awards

, - , rowspan="2" , 1992 , MC OJ & Rhythm Slave - ''What Can We Say?'' , 1992 NZ Music Awards - Album of the Year , , - ,

- ''What Can We Say?'' , 1992 NZ Music Awards - Best Cover , , - , rowspan="3" , 1996 , Otis Frizzell , 1996 NZ Music Awards - Most Promising Male Vocalist , , - , Joint Force , 1996 NZ Music Awards - Most Promising Group , , - , M Noonan and J Frizzell - "Static (Part 1)" , 1996 NZ Music Awards - Best Video , , - , 2002 , ''Mo' Show'' , 2002 NZ Television Awards - Best Entertainment Series , , - , 2003 , ''Mo' Show'' , 2003 NZ Television Awards - Best Entertainment Series , , - , 2009 , Otis Frizzell - '' Dr Boondigga and the Big BW'' , 2009 NZ Music Awards - Best Cover ,

External links

MC OJ and Rhythm Slave profile at Audio Culture

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Otis, Slave and New Zealand radio presenters New Zealand television presenters New Zealand hip-hop groups People educated at Selwyn College, Auckland