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ILL CREW UNIVERSAL
aka: ICU; Intensive Care Unit of Hip-Hop
(August 2, 1996 - Present)
ICU Biography:
The idea of Ill Crew Universal was first conceived around 1984. As a youth growing up in New Jersey, ICU was simply a dream dreamt by our founder, Dabri. After over 10 years of wanting, dreaming, and planning for the coming of a unified Hip-Hop nation, it was time to put everything into action; and by 1996 the organization known as ICU, Ill Crew Universal came into existence and hit the Hip-Hop world like a thunderous storm. ICU, originally named "Worldwide Underground Hip-Hop Organization," first started the summer of 1995. While the name may have summed up what we were attempting to do, the name itself wasn't quite what it could have been.
August 2nd, 1996, ICU first opened its doors to new members from around the world. ICU was the first Hip-Hop organization to utilize the Internet to gather members from all corners of the globe. We quickly became known throughout the Hip-Hop world. We gained the interest of fans, artists, and industry heads alike. Everyone wanted to find out what ICU was about. While this had many positive results for ICU, it also brought forth a lot of followers, and straight up imitators. ICU kept its doors opened and our goal remained unchanged; the unification of the Hip-Hop culture.
Since our beginning we have earned the status of being one of the most focused Hip-Hop organizations in the world. ICU produced 7 compilations, received nationwide acclaim and was copied and imitated by some of the biggest in Hip-Hop. ICU gained lots of exposure from media attention, including appearances on MTV, Vibe, The Source, Billboard, Rap Sheet, among others, but we received most of our recognition from our own promotion on the streets and on the Internet.
When ICU started getting everything together, things moved much more quickly than expected. We started by passing out pamphlets on the streets of Los Angeles, California and put a web site up shortly after. We decided a website would be a great way to start accepting members so that the crew would have been the first Hip-Hop organization with no particular geographical origin.
Since the founder of ICU spent the first 13 years of his life in New Jersey and the last 12 years over in Los Angeles, he did not want ICU to be involved in this wack media-hyped coastal war. At the time, "east vs. west" was the topic of the day when it came to Hip-Hop. ICU quickly helped to squash these negative images of Hip-Hop. We brought forth unity among many artists, fans and continued to preach our message of unity.
Because of its fast growing pace around the world, ICU quickly became the fastest growing organization in the history of Hip-Hop. After ICU gained momentum, it grew at an alarming rate. It started growing so fast that by the end of August 1996, we had over 100 members; this was all in less than 1 month, before the internet was what it is today. As membership increased, we became more and busier working on many ICU projects. ICU staff began spending hours on-line, and on the phone, just answering the questions of new ICU members.
After about 1 month, ICU produced its first compilation. The goal of our compilations was to do a something original, with artists from all over the world. This way, all artists in ICU, no matter where they live, can gain recognition and exposure. Though our first compilation was completed with a very limited budget, it received lots of exposure and was distributed throughout the world. We also released an ICU "Bonus" compilation that same year which was free and was a chance for artists to record something without any studio mastering requirements.
Our goals with the compilations were simple. We made and distribute each compilation until they sold out. We had each artist on the compilation promote it and sell it, and we used the money to make more releases. Since ICU came out with a new compilation frequently, the releases didn't last too long. In fact, a few months after ICU 1 came out; ICU 2 was released and sold out in less then a month! From there several other compilations came out, each better than the previous one, demonstrating our growth and strength as an organization.
October of 96, many members of ICU attended the annual Rap Sheet Hip-Hop Caucus. By this time we had over 500 members, and had our first compilation completed. We even got some Hip-Hop veterans and new comers such as Guru, Xzibit, Money B of Digital Underground and E-Swift of the Alkaholiks to get involved with ICU. We gained lots of attention that year at Rap Sheet and began building even more momentum.
After we reached over a thousand members within only 5 months we knew that the momentum would continue and we were secure in knowing that we would for ever be a major part of Hip-Hop. By 1999, ICU was the strongest and most recognized force in Hip-Hop with membership reaching over 50,000! At that time, the leaders of ICU decided on halting membership and felt as though the job that ICU setout to do was almost complete. We went on an indefinite hiatus until the right time to bring our message of unity back. ICU has remained unchanged, unaffected, and unpolluted by the trends or fads that the industry creates. ICU has remained, and will remain true to the Hip-Hop culture.
We plan to bring back that vibe that Hip-Hop is missing once again. When ICU began, we brought the culture of Hip-Hop back together. We made a DJ a household name once again, and brought Graffiti back to the forefront. In recent years Hip-Hop has slowly lost its vibe once again. There are still some people out there who have "the vibe" but it seems only a few actually have it. Most people involved in Hip-Hop probably don't even know what the "vibe" is. The Vibe is what initiated us to start ICU. It's the feeling that what you're doing is important, your feelings, and your thoughts, your efforts expressed in your lyrics, music or other forms of art. It is so much more than the individual elements. The vibe is the driving force. If you don't know what we mean when we say "vibe," think about the feeling you get when listen to certain artists which seem to have a way to "tune-in" to your thoughts.
ICU has started the birth of a nation all built upon something that turns our music, our inspiration and our interest into something much more valuable. Hip-Hop keeps many of us going, and ICU's contribution to this world is Hip-Hop's first medical unit. ICU is the Intensive Care Unit; whose goal is to bring that vibe back into Hip-Hop and to make it a predominant part of the culture once again. ICU is here, and will continue to be here to preserve our culture we love and know as Hip-Hop.
Updated: 05/20/2005
Source: http://www.illcrew.org |
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