J.J. Fad

Origins

J.J. Fad came together in 1985 in Rialto, in California's Inland Empire. The original five-woman lineup was Juana Burns (MC J.B.), Dania Birks (Baby D), Anna Cash (Lady Anna), Fatima Shaheed (O.G. Rocker) and Juanita Lee (Crazy J), and the group's name was first built from the members' initials before being recast as "Just Jammin', Fresh And Def." Their first single, "Anotha Ho," was produced by Arabian Prince and released on the small Dream Team label in 1987, with an early version of "Supersonic" on the flip.

"Supersonic"

By 1988 the roster had shifted to Burns, Birks and Michelle Franklin (Sassy C), with DJ Train on the decks, and the group signed with Eazy-E's fledgling Ruthless Records as one of its first acts. They re-recorded "Supersonic" with production from Dr. Dre, DJ Yella and Arabian Prince, mixing rapid-fire, sing-song rhymes with a bright electro backdrop. The independent pressing reportedly moved around 400,000 copies before Ruthless and manager Jerry Heller secured a distribution deal with Atco.

The single climbed to No. 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 22 on the R&B chart, went gold, and earned a nomination at the 1989 Grammys for Best Rap Performance, making J.J. Fad the first all-female rap group nominated for a Grammy. The Supersonic album followed in July 1988 and peaked at No. 49 on the Billboard 200, giving Ruthless an early commercial win just as N.W.A was taking shape.

Later Career

The follow-up, Not Just a Fad, arrived in late 1990 but failed to catch on, and the group dissolved soon after. DJ Train died in 1994. Nearly two decades later, the core trio of Burns, Birks and Franklin began performing again on old school and freestyle concert bills, and they have remained active on the nostalgia circuit.

Legacy

"Supersonic" has had a long afterlife. MF Doom lifted the beatbox intro from its video in 2004, Fergie built "Fergalicious" around an interpolation of it in 2006, and the track has turned up in Dance Central 3 and a 2020 Sonic the Hedgehog movie trailer. When the 2015 film Straight Outta Compton left the group out of the Ruthless story, several outlets pointed out how much J.J. Fad's early success had helped pave the way for the label's biggest act.