The She Rockers were a female
hip hop group from
London, featuring Donna 'She Roc' McConnell, Antonia 'MC Aurra' Jolly, Dupe Fagbesa and Alison Clarkson (who later found fame as
Betty Boo).
Career
She Rockers' first release - as a trio of McConnell, Fagbesa and Clarkson - was a track on the ''Known 2 Be Down'' compilation of UK hip hop artists from West London. "Give It A Rest", the band's only single as a trio, followed on the
Music of Life
Music of Life is a British independent hip hop and dance music label formed in 1986 by two influential DJ remixers Froggy and Simon Harris, managed by Chris France. Following several successful productions, one of which reached No. 3 in th ...
label, and was
produced
Producer or producers may refer to:
Occupations
*Producer (agriculture), a farm operator
*A stakeholder of economic production
*Film producer, supervises the making of films
**Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...
by
Public Enemy's
Professor Griff after the She Rockers performed an impromptu
rap to Public Enemy at their local
McDonald's in
Shepherd's Bush
Shepherd's Bush is a district of West London, England, within the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham west of Charing Cross, and identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Plan.
Although primarily residential in character, i ...
,
London;
She Rockers also supported Public Enemy in the
US. They later toured with
De La Soul
De La Soul () is an American hip hop trio formed in 1988 in the Amityville area of Long Island, New York. They are best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative ...
.
Clarkson and Fagbesa departed from the group in 1989, and founding member McConnell then joined forces with original band member Antonia Jolly (Aurra), and landed a
recording contract
A recording contract (commonly called a record contract or record deal) is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist (or group), where the artist makes a record (or series of records) for the label to sell and promote. Artists ...
with
Jive Records
Jive Records was an American independent record label founded by Clive Calder in 1981 as a subsidiary to the Zomba Group. In the US, the label had offices in New York City and Chicago. Jive was best known for its successes with hip hop, R&B, an ...
, releasing several singles including "Jam It Jam", and an
album, ''Rockers from London'' (Jive, 1990). ''Rockers From London'' showcased a move towards the contemporary
hip house style, was part written and produced by
Todd Terry and featured productions by
Technotronic and
Double Trouble. "Jam It Jam" reached #58 in the
UK Singles Chart in January 1990.
In addition to She Rockers, MC Aurra recorded with
Rhythm King artists
Bomb The Bass and
Merlin
Merlin ( cy, Myrddin, kw, Marzhin, br, Merzhin) is a mythical figure prominently featured in the legend of King Arthur and best known as a mage, with several other main roles. His usual depiction, based on an amalgamation of historic and le ...
, Aurra and Clarkson - as Hit and Run - released a single on Rap Sonic records and Clarkson featured on
Beatmasters
The Beatmasters are an English electronic music group who gained success in the UK in the late 1980s with four top 20 hit singles. They then went on to produce and remix records for many other artists. The group's string of chart hit singles ...
single "Hey DJ/I Can't Dance To That Music You're Playing" before leaving for a successful solo career, which led Music Of Life to release a
Simon Harris remix of "Give It A Rest" billed as She Rockers Featuring Betty Boo.
Discography
Albums
* ''Rockers from London'' (Jive, 1990)
Singles
Selected compilation appearances
*"First Impressions" on ''Known 2 Be Down'' (Positive Beat, 1987)
*"Give It A Rest" on ''Hard As Hell Vol. 3'' (Music Of Life, 1988)
References
{{Authority control
English girl groups
English hip hop groups
Women hip hop groups
British hip hop girl groups
British musical trios
Musical groups from London
Black_British_women_rappers
Jive Records artists
Rhythm King artists
Hip house music groups