''Sex Packets'' is the debut studio album by American

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

group

Digital Underground Digital Underground is an American alternative hip hop group from Oakland, California. Its lineup grows with each album and tour. Digital Underground's leader and mainstay was Gregory "Shock G" Jacobs (also known as Humpty Hump). Shock G forme ...

, released on .

Album background

The album is a

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...

about "G.S.R.A." (Genetic Suppression Relief Antidotes), a pharmaceutical substance that is produced in the form of a large glowing pill about the size of a quarter, which comes in a condom-sized package and is allegedly developed by the government to provide its intended users such as

astronauts An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a List of human spaceflight programs, human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member of a spa ...

with a satisfying sexual experience in situations where the normal attainment of such experiences would be counter-productive to the mission at hand.

Release and reception

The album was released in the spring of 1990 following the success of its two lead-off singles: " Doowutchyalike", a moderate club hit, followed by "

The Humpty Dance "The Humpty Dance" is a song by the American hip-hop group Digital Underground from their debut album ''Sex Packets''. Released as the second single from the album in January 1990, it reached No. 11 on the pop chart, No. 7 on the R&B chart, and N ...

", which reached No. 11 on the pop chart, No. 7 on the R&B chart, and No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' Rap Singles chart. ''Sex Packets'' was released to positive reviews and eventually achieved

platinum Platinum is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a density, dense, malleable, ductility, ductile, highly unreactive, precious metal, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name origina ...

sales. ''

Newsday ''Newsday'' is a daily newspaper in the United States primarily serving Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI" ...

'' noted that "as the romantic—and in the end, middlebrow—self-consciousness of the artist seeps into hip-hop, Digital Underground turns it on its head, shuffling the goofy indistinguishably with the avant-garde." ''

The Source The Source may refer to: Film and television * ''The Source'' (1918 film), 1918 American drama directed by George Melford * ''The Source'' (1999 film), a 1999 documentary film about the Beat generation * ''The Source'' (2002 film), a 2002 scienc ...

'' praised the album's experimental fusion of musical styles, with Digital Underground incorporating

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

piano and

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...

elements into their hip-hop production. The reviewer highlighted tracks like "Doowhutchyalike" as a "unique whimsical party jam" and noted how "The Humpty Dance" gained widespread appeal among dance floor audiences. The review also commended the group's production approach of combining live drums and turntables. The album was re-issued on February 8, 2005, by

Rhino Entertainment Rhino Entertainment Company (formerly Rhino Records Inc.) is an American specialty record label and production company founded in 1978. It is currently the catalog division for Warner Music Group. Its current CEO is Mark Pinkus. History Founded ...

Legacy

In 1998, the album was selected as one of ''The Source''s "100 Best Rap Albums". It is included in the book ''

1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die ''1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die'' is a musical reference book first published in 2005 by Universe Publishing. Part of the ''1001 Before You Die'' series, it compiles writings and information on albums chosen by a panel of music criti ...

''. The album is broken down track-by-track by Digital Underground in Brian Coleman's book '' Check the Technique''. In 2022, ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' placed it at number 114 on their list of the "200 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time".

Track listing

CD

LP

Cassette

The cassette version of the album has 3 extra tracks, plus an extended version of "Gutfest '89"

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

External links

''Sex Packets''
(

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) at

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(streamed copy where licensed)
''Sex Packets (US Release)''
(

) at

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(streamed copy where licensed) {{Authority control 1990 debut albums Digital Underground albums Tommy Boy Records albums 1990s concept albums