U.T.F.O.

Formed
1983
in New York, NY [Brooklyn] 
Active Decades
19001020304050607080902000 
 
by Greg Prato
U.t.f.o. was a Brooklyn, NY-based rap group, comprised of The Kangol Kid, Doctor Ice, The Educated Rapper, and Mix Master Ice. The quartet first met as dancers for Whodini, before forming U.t.f.o. (which stood for "Untouchable Force Organization") in 1983. Early on, the group referred to themselves as "The Village People of Rap," due to the fact that each member possessed a specific image (Doctor Ice was the "Hip-Hop Physician," Educated Rapper was a college student who wore a suit and tie, Mix Master Ice assumed the persona of a ninja since he would "cut things up" on the turntables, and Kangol Kid got his name due to his affinity for always wearing Kangol-brand hats). Signing to the Select label in 1984, U.t.f.o. scored a massive hit single right of the bat with "Roxanne, Roxanne," which struck such a chord with the burgeoning rap scene that it spawned countless "response" songs by other artists, including "Roxanne's Revenge," "The Real Roxanne," "Roxanne You're Through," "Roxanne's Mother," "Roxanne's Brother," "Roxanne's Doctor," and perhaps strangest of all, "Roxanne's a Man" (in addition, several female rappers adopted the "Roxanne" name themselves, including Roxanne Shanté and The Real Roxanne).

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