Boo-Yaa Tribe - Raid

The Best Rap Singles of 1990: Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E.

Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E., a Samoan family band from Los Angeles, are fondly remembered for their memorable role in early West Coast hip-hop.

Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E.
“R.A.I.D.”/”Gettin’ Ridd of MC’s (4th & Broadway)

Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E. were a Samoan family band from Los Angeles that was as notorious for their imperious physical presence and onetime gangland affiliations as for their fresh breakdance routines and cameos in Hollywood fare like Entourage and The Italian Job. Boo-Yaa’s first single, “R.A.I.D.,” is a party jam that makes fanciful use of an interpolation from the Lakeside anthem of the same name. “We’re not here to play! We’re just here to spray!” chants Ganxta Rid, who passed away in 2019. Meanwhile, “Gettin’ Ridd of MC’s” finds Rid in battle mode as he raps, “Cold killin’/Like a villain/Never chillin’ that’s a New York slang/I’m an LA gangsta.” Whether due to poor promotion or an audience that wasn’t sure what to make of them, Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E. didn’t break out of the pop-rap scene. But they’re still fondly remembered for their memorable role in early West Coast hip-hop.

Read more: The 100 Best Rap Singles of 1990

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