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Swing Mob
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== Swing Mob and formation of Da Bassment Cru == In the early 1990s, DeVante Swing decided to assemble a large crew of rappers, singers, instrumentalists and producer to sign to his Swing Mob label and collaborate with. He auditioned many local groups and acts. The performers met in Swing's basement studio in [[Rochester, New York|Rochester]], a location that inspired the moniker "Da Bassment Cru" (also a pun on [[Bass (sound)#Music shows and dances|bass]]). The group brainstormed and recorded music together in Swing's studio, ultimately aiming to produce a [[VHS]] compilation project that could market the group members to [[record label]]s. Acts who were recruited into Da Bassment Cru included [[Jodeci]], the R&B groups Fayze (later renamed to [[4 All the Sistas Around da World|Sista]]) which was a group [[Missy Elliott]] was in, [[Playa (band)|Playa]], the rap duo [[Timbaland & Magoo]], R&B group Sugah which members included famous singer [[Tweet (singer)|Tweet]], rock artist [[Baazar Royale]], solo underground rappers Mr.Brendal & Accion, solo female rapper Reeboc and singer [[Ginuwine]]. Swing Mob also recruited [[record producer]]s and [[audio engineer]]s such as [[Jimmy Douglass]] and [[Stevie J]]. During this time, Swing also met [[School of the Arts (Rochester, New York)|Rochester School Of The Arts]] graduate Renee Anderson through Paul Boutte, a prominent figure in the Rochester gospel scene, producer Reginald Moore and Dave Schumaker. Anderson was a member of Colorz, a local R&B girl group at the time. Moore played Anderson's demo for Swing backstage during an appearance on ''[[The Tonight Show with Jay Leno]]'', and Swing then flew back to Rochester to meet Anderson, agreeing to produce an album for her.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-12-26 |title=The show, the afterparty, da bassment |url=https://www.585mag.com/the-show-the-afterparty-da-bassment/ |access-date=2023-06-27 |website=(585) magazine |language=en-US}}</ref> From 1993 to 1995, the collective crew released multiple collaborative EPs, though many of these were commercially unsuccessful. In 1994, Sista released its sole album, ''[[4 All the Sistas Around da World]]'';<ref>{{Cite web |last=Abraham |first=Mya |date=2021-09-25 |title=Missy Elliott Celebrates Her Introduction As An Artist In '90s Girl Group, Sista |url=https://www.vibe.com/music/music-news/missy-elliott-sista-album-anniversary-1234629814/ |access-date=2022-08-23 |website=VIBE.com |language=en-US}}</ref> this album received positive reviews but was shelved due to a lack of commercial success. Swing Mob members also featured on film soundtracks during this period, with their music appearing in titles such as ''[[Above the Rim (soundtrack)|Above the Rim]]'' and ''[[Dangerous Minds (soundtrack)|Dangerous Minds]]''.<ref name="YKIGS">{{Cite web |last=YKIGS |date=2021-01-28 |title=The Story of DeVante Swing's Da Bassment As Told By the Artists Who Were There - YouKnowIGotSoul.com |url=https://youknowigotsoul.com/the-story-of-devante-swings-da-bassment-as-told-by-the-artists-who-were-there |access-date=2022-08-23 |website=YouKnowIGotSoul.com {{!}} New R&B Music, Songs, Podcast, Interviews |language=en-US}}</ref> The Swing Mob label dissolved in 1995. Artists such as [[Missy Elliott]] (who had been a member of Sista) [[Timbaland & Magoo]], and Ginuwine had begun to leave the group and pursue musical careers elsewhere, and other artists from the collective stated that they felt Swing was underpromoting or mismanaging them.<ref name="YKIGS" /> [[Smoke E. Digglera]] of Playa has stated that artists were forced to choose whether they wanted to sign directly to [[Def Jam]] or through Swing Mob instead, weakening some acts' loyalty to the Swing Mob brand.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Smoke of Playa: An Insider's View of Swing Mob - R&B Haven |url=https://www.rnbhaven.com/music-articles/20 |access-date=2022-08-23 |website=www.rnbhaven.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Bowser |first=Edward |date=2012-11-05 |title=What Ever Happened to: Playa |url=http://www.soulinstereo.com/2012/11/what-ever-happened-to-playa.html |access-date=2022-08-23 |website=Soul In Stereo |language=en-US}}</ref> Since the disbandment of the collective, Swing has also been accused of [[physical abuse|physically abusive]] behavior toward his artists. Stevie J has described an incident in which Swing purportedly entered the studio with his entourage and began slapping the artists, a situation which devolved into an all-out brawl.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-09-14 |title=Missy Bravely Tells Why She Never 'Felt Pretty' In Devante Swing's '90s Girl Group |url=https://www.iloveoldschoolmusic.com/missy-bravely-tells-why-she-never-felt-pretty-in-devante-swings-90s-girl-group/ |access-date=2022-08-23 |website=I Love Old School Music |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-09-14 |title=Stevie J Recalls Brutal Brawl with K-Ci After Devante Smacked Missy Elliot [VIDEO] |url=https://eurweb.com/2019/09/14/stevie-j-recalls-brutal-brawl-with-k-ci-after-devante-smacked-missy-elliot-video/ |access-date=2022-08-23 |website=EURweb |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-04-18 |title=Missy Boldly Admits Why She Never 'Felt Pretty' In Devante Swing's 90s Girl Group |url=https://www.iloveoldschoolmusic.com/missy-boldly-admits-why-she-never-felt-pretty-in-devante-swings-jodeci-90s-girl-group/ |access-date=2022-08-23 |website=I Love Old School Music |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Balogun |first=Oyin |date=2019-09-08 |title=Stevie J Revealed Details about K-Ci Altercation after Devante Swing Allegedly Hit Missy Elliott |url=https://news.amomama.com/169810-stevie-j-details-alleged-fight-k-ci-deva.html |access-date=2022-08-23 |website=news.amomama.com |language=en}}</ref>
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