Whodini’s “Five Minutes Of Funk” was recorded for their 1984 sophomore album, Escape. They were inspired by The Isley Brothers’ rock output, but when they couldn’t find a Minimoog synthesizer, Run DMC’s “Rock Box” pushed them in the direction of an R&B sound. Jalil and Ecstasy rapped to a general crowd about their emcee skills and talked seduction to the ladies. Larry Smith produced the album, and his suggestion to use the Fender bass and a pitchy synthesizer was atypical of most hip-hop records at the time. Smith was instructed by the label to make Whodini’s album sound like Run DMC, but he did not see that for them because their image was more mature and kids were no longer the only ones listening to rap music.
“Five Minutes Of Funk” was a hit on the radio and in the clubs, and it, along with “Freaks Come Out At Night,” also on Escape, were Whodini’s biggest songs. Escape was recorded in 16 days at Battery Studios in London, and Smith’s sound choices are the reason Escape has been credited as an influence on New Jack Swing. Escape was the first hip-hop album to enter the top 40 of Billboard’s Top Pop Albums chart. The trio from Brooklyn already made history with their debut single, “Magic’s Wand,” which was the first rap song to have a video. Escape along with Run DMC’s Raising Hell, signaled that rap was the future of pop music and not a fad. John “Ecstasy” Fletcher passed in 2020, leaving behind Jalil and Grandmaster Dee to represent Whodini’s legacy. Steve XLG announced in May 2024 plans to do a docuseries on Whodini, JJ Fad, and Kool Rock-Ski of the Fat Boys.
