Urban Dance Squad - Deeper Shade Of Soul

What this video is

Released in 1990 by Dutch rap-rock band Urban Dance Squad on Arista Records, 'Deeper Shade of Soul' arrived at a pivotal crossover moment when hip-hop cadences, funk guitar, and rock energy were converging in the US and European underground. The track samples Ray Barretto's 1968 Latin soul recording, layering a transatlantic and trans-genre lineage into a single that would reach #21 on the Billboard Hot 100 by…

Why it matters

A landmark early document of the rap-rock and funk-metal crossover genre that would define the early 1990s. Urban Dance Squad predated and arguably helped pave the way for acts like Rage Against the Machine and the commercial explosion of rap-rock. The video's raw, location-based aesthetic and…

The director

American filmmaker, photographer, and music video director. Graduated with a film degree from Loyola Marymount University. Began career making surf, skate, and ski films. Became a defining director of the MTV generation, known for award-winning videos for…