Underwater Rimes

Album: released as a single (1988)
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Songfacts®:

  • With "Your Life's A Cartoon" as the flip side, this was the first Digital Underground single. It contains many of the elements that would become their hallmarks: spongy beats, a computerized female narration, and mischievous lyrics.

    The song is the creation of group leader Shock G, who made the beat and did most of the voices, including the digitized woman.
  • The song tells a story that takes place under sea, using various aquatic references. Shrimp, an octopus, and a mermaid all show up. Kip Addotta did something similar on his Dr. Demento classic, "Wet Dream."
  • You can detect a sample of the Beastie Boys song "Paul Revere" on this track. It also interpolates the 1973 Herbie Hancock song "Chameleon."
  • The closing rap is Shock G in character as MC Blowfish. He would later develop a much more popular alter-ego: Humpty Hump.

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