The debut album of Digital Underground released in 1988.

According to Digital legends, back in 1987 Humphrey (Humpty Hump) suffered severe facial burns in a freak kitchen accident. He was forced to continue his rapping career with the addition of a false nose. Instead of hiding the event surreptitiously, however, Humphrey chose a joke nose, leading to much merriment and a series of tribute records.

The staple of the majority of DU's music consists of Parliament and P-Funk samples.

Sex Packets was a loosely contrived concept album about Humpty and Shock G being dealers of a drug (Sex Packets) which caused the recipient to have wet dreams. Their latest album was released in 1999, entitled Who Got The Gravy?

Sex Packets

-Digital Undergound

Released 1990 on Tommy Boy Records (TBCD 1026)

Production credits include:

The track listing for the CD:

  1. The Humpty Dance
    The cut is the seminal party hit.
  2. The Way We Swing
    This is the defining sound of jazzy swing meets hiphop
  3. Rhymin' on the Funk
    Cookie-cutter Parliment samples lay down the background for this one. (A funny self-parody of this appears on their E.P. Release)
  4. The New Jazz (one)
    (Instrumental showing off Piano Man's skills with DJ's Fuze and Chopmaster J at the turntables)
  5. Underwater Rimes
    Maybe the greatest track on the album. Shock-G lays out some great, fun lines in a style that would influence the hiphop sound of the '90s. You can definetly hear the east coast upbringing on this one.
  6. Gutfest '89
    An amusing cut that "takes place live" at an annual Sex Festival
  7. The Danger Zone
    An Anti-Crack-Use 'advisory' typical of the early '90s. You'll see similar tracks on many of the albums at the time, for example Young M.C.'s Just Say No.
  8. Freaks of the Industry
    An explicit yet light-hearted Sex Rhyme (to use Ice-T's term for it).
    Let's say you're freakin, the furniture's squeakin, she's tweekin', sayin that's she's weak-in the knees... Inch for Inch and pound for pound, you're taxin' it and waxin' it and workin' it around/ until the booty starts makin' that clappin' sound...
  9. Doowutchyalike
    The follow-up single to The Humpty Dance. The album version is extended to, "give you more of what you like."
  10. Packet Prelude
    A 'freaky' instrumental lead-in.
  11. Sex Packets
    A slowed down, funked up, extended track outlining the Sex Packets concept.
    It's like a pill: you can either chew it up/ or like an alkha-seltzer, dissolve it in a cup. Now peep this; see the girl on the cover? You black out and she becomes your lover!
  12. Street Scene
    Skit demonstrating the Packet Deal. The Danger Zone plays from a stereo in the background, self commentary? I believe so.
  13. Packet Man
    Taking the Sex Packets meme and running with it. This track is one of the best. Great lyrics in an east coast style.
  14. Packet Reprise
    And finally, an instrumental to close out the record.

Tracks that appear on the Cassette Tape but not on the CD (when does that ever happen?!):

  • Hip-Hop Doll
    The composition of this track is great with a funky, jazzy flavor, like much of the sounds from the Underground. The lyrics tell a story, the style is eloquent and fun. I'm suprised this track didn't appear on the CD while The Danger Done survived the cut.
  • Sounds of the Underground
    A hardcore, hard hitting track. DU shows the west coast influence in the production but the lyrics are intricate. Its omissiom from the CD shocks me. This is a sound that the non-vinyl, non-tape masses could have really connected with.

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