American Multi-Platinum hip-hop duo 95 South is from Jacksonville, Florida. It was formed in 1993 as a Miami bass group with Artice “AB” Bartley, Carlos “Daddy Black” Spencer, and Jay “Ski” McGowan and named after Interstate 95, which travels through Jacksonville. With personnel changes 95 South soon comprised Mike Mike (Michael Phillips) and Daddy B n hip hop group from Jacksonville, Florida.
Their debut album Quad City Knock peaked at no. 71 on Billboard 200 in 1993 included the vocals of the female member Keisha (K-nock), a rapper from Atlanta, Georgia. She is heard prominently on the songs “K-nock in da House/We Got da Bass” and “Da Kinda Bass.” However, their hit single “Whoot, There It Is” from the album, went to no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Also included in the album is “Hump Wit’ It,” which peaked at no. 83 R&B. The full-length Quad City Knock reached Billboard’s Top 20 R&B Album chart.
There was much “palava” (confusion) about this hit as to which came first, the 95 South track “Whoot! There It Is” or “Whoomp! There It Is” by the Atlanta group, Tag Team. In 1994, the duo released “Do the Booty Hop” from Quad City Knock. It reached no. 117 R&B. Then, in 1995, 95 South came out with another album, One Mo’ ‘Gen, that peaked at no. 158 on the Billboard 200. However, there was not too much attention given to this work. The noticeable single in the collection was “Rodeo,” which reached No. 77 on the Billboard Hot 100. Also, that year, 95 South and 69 Boyz, also from Jacksonville, went on a 44-city joint tour beginning at the Quad City Bass Fest at the Orlando, where 95 South was the headline act performing “Whoot, There It Is.”
“Heiny Heiny” from One Mo’ ‘Gen reached no. 87 R&B in 1996. Four years later, in 2000, the duo presented its third album Tightwork 3000, which included the singles “Tightwork” and “Wet-n-Wild,” neither of which charted. The group did not record any more music for 16 years until 2016 when they released several compositions, including the singles “Ridin’ in My Chevy” and “After Party.”
95 South was considered a one-hit wonder because it was never able to duplicate the success of their 1993 hit, “Whoot, there it is.”
Otis D. Alexander, Library Director at Saint John Vianney College Seminary & Graduate School in Miami, Florida, has also directed academic and public libraries in the District of Columbia, Indiana, Texas, and Virginia. In addition, he has been a library manager in the Virgin Islands of the United States as well as in the Republic of Liberia. His research has appeared in Public Library Quarterly, Scribner’s Encyclopedia of American Lives, and Virginia Libraries journal. Alexander received the Bachelor of Arts and Master of Science degrees from the University of the District of Columbia and the Master of Library & Information Science degree from Ball State University. He earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree from International University and studied additionally at Harvard Graduate School of Education Leadership for Academic Librarians, Oberlin Conservatory of Music Voice Performance Pedagogy, and Atlanta University School of Library & Information Studies.
