Thrill Da Playa

The driving force behind one of the South's leading party rap groups, 69 Boyz, Thrill da Playa spun off a less successful solo career during the late '90s while still keeping the Boyz going strong. Born Van Bryant, the rapper/producer grew up in Jacksonville, FL, and spent a little time overseas in the Army. Upon returning from Germany, where he had been stationed, Thrill hooked up with producer C.C. Lemonhead, who knew Bryant from his days of high-school football (where the artist originally earned his nickname). Thrill contributed to Lemonhead's solo album, Bass to Another Level (1993); and the producer best-known for 95 South's "Whoot (There It Is)" returned the favor, overseeing the debut 69 Boyz album, 199Quad (1994), and its enormously successful club hit, "Tootsee Roll." The song made an impact across the States, infiltrating even the pop mainstream as a novelty hit. The follow-up album, The Wait Is Over (1998), took several years to prepare, and by the time it did drop, the fervor over "Tootsee Roll" had subsided. Following The Wait Is Over, Thrill began his solo career with The Best of Home Bass (1999), which compiled some of his previous work for the underground label. After another 69 Boyz album, 2069 (2000), Thrill issued a pair of solo releases, Dunks N D's (2001) and The Return of the Big Bronco (2001).