Whodini

Whodini is a hip hop group that consists of vocalist and main lyricist Jalil Hutchins; co-vocalist John Fletcher, aka Ecstasy and turntable artist DJ Drew Carter, aka Grandmaster Dee. Whodini was among the first hip hop groups to cultivate a high-profile national following for hip hop music.

In 1983, the group released the self titled album, Whodini, and its first single "Haunted House of Rock". Thomas Dolby helped produce another of its singles, "Magic’s Wand".

In 1984, the group released Escape, which included "Five Minutes of Funk", "Freaks Come Out at Night", the instrumental "Featuring Grand Master Dee", "Big Mouth", and the relationship-driven "Friends". These songs were groundbreaking in hip hop culture as they told a unique story from the urban perspective.

In 1986, the group released Back in Black and featured "Funky Beat", “I’m a Ho”, “Fugitive” and "Last Night (I Had a Long Talk With...)"

From 1982 to 1986, the group toured with Run-D.M.C., LL Cool J, the Fat Boys, and other prominent hip hop, R&B and funk bands. The group was involved in the first Fresh Fest tour.

In 1987, the group released Open Sesame, with the the song "Now That Whodini's Inside the Joint". They would release the single “Anyway I Gotta Swing It” for the A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child movie soundtrack.

The group released Bag-A-Trix in 1991, and, in mid-1994, the group scored a hit single with "It All Comes Down to the Money", which was co-produced by Public Enemy DJ Terminator X on his album Super Bad.

In 1996, the group released the album Six which produced one single, "Keep Running Back". Since the Six album, the group has not released any new music, but its older songs have been featured in many various old school compilations. Three greatest-hits collections have been released: The Jive Collection, Vol. 1 in 1995, Rap Attack in 2003, and Funky Beat: The Best of Whodini in 2006, which featured the seven-minute "Whodini Mega Mix", which was a medley of some of the biggest hits.

Whodini still tours occasionally.