A biography of World Class Wreckin' Cru

The World Class Wrecking Crew were an American electro hop group from Compton, California. They were active in the mid 80s and went through a number of different members before disbanding in 1987. The band was the big break for the now world-famous rapper Dr. Dre. This article provides a biography of World Class Wreckin' Cru.

Starting out

The band was originally formed by the Eve After Dark nightclub owner and the established DJ Alonzo Williams and it took on the band name of 'The Wreckin' Cru.' They comprised of rappers Shakespeare, Dr Dre, Cli- N Tel, DJ Yella and of course, DJ Alonzo Williams. They were managed by Jerry Heller who also managed 'Egyptian Lover' and the 'Wreckin Cru' band name was used as they released their first song entitled 'Slice' which was produced by DJ Yella and Cli- N- Tel. In 1984, the band changed their name after the Olympic games came to Los Angeles in 1984, a year after the band formed. DJ Alonzo decided to change the name of the band to the 'World Class Wreckin' Cru.'

The World Class Wreckin Cru

The World Class Wreckin Cru achieved early success early on with a string of singles released including 'Sugary' and 'Juice' which blended a style of old school rap with the bands electro sounds. These singles were a part of the band's first two albums which were entitled, 'World Class' which came out in 1985 and 'Rapped in Romance' which was released in 1986. By this point, they had signed to the Kru-Cut record label that had been established by the band's founder DJ Alonzo Williams. In 1987, the group finally hit the big time and made it into the national charts with their song 'Turn off the Lights' which featured vocals by Michel'le.

The end of the Cru

Despite being a hit in 1987, the group soon split up as Dr. Dre and DJ Yella had left to join Eazy- E and Ice Cube as a part of the NWA. Following the collapse of the group, Alonzo Williams briefly tried to form another group under the band name of 'World Class Wreckin' Kru'. However, this project was unsuccessful and this group finally ended up splitting for good in 1994 though a greatest hits album was released in 2000.