NEWARK -- One of the members of Newark-based hip-hop trio Lords of the Underground is throwing his hat into city politics.
Dupre "Do It All" Kelly on Thursday announced his plans to run for Councilman-At-Large in next year's May election.
"It's neighborhoods like this that I'm running for," Kelly told at least two dozen supporters gathered outside his childhood home in Newark's West Ward. "Most of us have given up the power of the ballot. I'm running because I want to encourage my neighbors to take back that power."
Kelly is the CEO of 211 Media Group, a Newark-based media production and event planning company. He also co-founded 211 Community Impact, a nonprofit targeting youth that tackles issues of gun violence, mental health and literacy. Lords of the Underground won BET's best rap group of the year in 1993 and are known for songs like "Chief Rocka" and "Tic Toc."
"In this community, we haven't always made the best choices," Kelly said, standing at a podium set up in front of a light blue multi-family home on 19th Street. "But when people love their city, they can change it."
All nine city council seats are up in next year's May election -- as is Mayor Ras Baraka's term -- but the city clerk's office said candidate petitions won't be available until January. That means no one can officially qualify to run until next year. Lords of the UndergroundOriginNewark, New JerseyGenresHip hopYears active1990–presentLabelsPendulum Records, Jersey Kidz RecordsMembersDoItAll
Mr. Funke
DJ Lord Jazz
The Lords of the Underground (L.O.T.U.G.) is a hip-hop trio based in Newark, New Jersey. MCs Mr. Funke and DoItAll Dupré met DJ Lord Jazz (a native of Cleveland) when all three were undergraduates at Shaw University. Fellow New Jersey rapper Redman served as one of the groups early DJ's.
The group released their debut album, Here Come the Lords on March 9, 1993 with production handled by Marley Marland K-Def. The album peaked at 66 on the Billboard 200 and featured five charting singles, including the group's signature song, "Chief Rocka".
The group released their second album, Keepers of the Funk the following year on November 1, 1994. Keepers of the Funk peaked at 47 on the Billboard 200 and featured three charting singles, the most successful of which was "Tic Toc". As stated in a 2013 interview, the group had never disbanded.
They reunited for a third album with 1999's Resurrection. Released via Queen Latifah's Jersey Kidz imprint, was so small-scale a release that few realized it had been recorded. The Lords returned again in 2007 for a fourth album entitled House of Lords, but like Resurrection, it failed to reach the Billboard charts.
The Lords are best remembered in connection with the golden age of hip hop. As such, when Nas decided in 2007 to do a remix of his song "Where Are They Now?", which asked of the fates of several long-forgotten golden age rappers, the Lords were among those requested to appear. DoItAll Dupré performed eight bars on the track.
DoItAll appeared briefly in the final scene of the final episode of The Sopranos credited as Du Kelly, as one of a series of potentially ominous figures entering the diner. He also appeared on other TV shows; Law & Order as Two Tone, on Oz the HBO series, and on the Christmas episode of 30 Rock on NBC (2008). He has also been in independent movies such as Somewhere in the City with Bai Ling, Rhyme & Reason, and with Treach of Naughty By Nature. He has also starred in an off Broadway play entitled Diss, Diss, & Diss, Dat.
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