Das EFX probably flew a bit too close to the sun when they first made a splash in 1992, because their impact was strong enough to continue to resonate in pop culture now (see Zach Galifianakis quoting their chorus from Ice Cube’s “Check Yo Self” in the recent movie Due Date) but not strong enough to carry a stable recording career. Their flamboyant brand of rapid-fire flow came out of nowhere when the giants of hip-hop at the time were still working the same blunt syllable patterns verse after verse.
Their debut album Dead Serious, largely self-produced under the watchful eyes of EPMD (who helped the group come up after seeing them perform), contains a lot early '90s East Coast rap staples: grimy loops, percussive scratching, and plenty of echo on the vocals. But their flows were undoubtedly something new, slithering around the beats and confusing suburban parents everywhere who heard “Mic Checka” or “They Want EFX” banging through their teenagers’ bedroom walls. Put it this way: if Bill Cosby had been born late enough to be a rapper in the '90s, he would have been part of Das EFX’s crew, because the group and the Cos share the kinetic joy of making the English language sound pretty strange.
Das EFX
Saturday, July 16
7 p.m.
Underground Live
1515 Pease St., Houston
Tickets $15
