Whodini’s John “Ecstasy” Fletcher Dead At 56
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John “Ecstasy” Fletcher, co-founder of the pioneering hip-hop group Whodini, has died. Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson from the Roots announced Fletcher’s death with a tribute on Instagram today, writing, “One Love to Ecstasy of the Legendary #Whodini. This man was legendary and a pivotal member of one of the most legendary groups in hip hop. This is sad man.” Fletcher’s cause of death has not been revealed. He was 56.
Fletcher, known for wearing a Zorro hat, founded Whodini in Brooklyn with Jalil Hutchins and DJ Drew Carter, aka Grandmaster Dee. They were among the first rap acts to gain a national following, partially thanks to their rousing live show and their willingness to incorporate R&B sounds into rap, presaging the new jack swing movement. The group was centrally important to hip-hop’s spread across urban radio and the development of Jive Records as a commercial force.
Unspooling theatrical narratives over synth-powered beats, Whodini worked with influential figures from inside and outside rap. Recorded in Cologne, their self-titled 1983 debut album featured production by synth mastermind Thomas Dolby (notably on lead single “Magic’s Wand,” a tribute to influential hip-hop radio DJ Mr. Magic) and krautrock pioneer Conny Plank (who helmed the Halloween-themed “The Haunted House Of Rock”). They also often worked with hip-hop legend Larry Smith, a bassist who produced lots of early material by their peers Run-DMC.
With “”Friends”/”Five Minutes Of Funk,” the lead single from their 1984 album Escape, Whodini cracked the Billboard Hot 100 for the first and only time. “Friends” has since been sampled on tracks by Kanye West, 2Pac, Nas and Lauryn Hill. It’s one of many Whodini songs that has been repeatedly sampled by other artists in the pop and rap realms; Kesha’s “Tik Tok,” for instance, contains parts of 1984’s “Freaks Come Out At Night,” while Black Eyed Peas and Justin Timberlake’s “Where Is The Love” samples 1986’s “One Love.” Whodini songs were becoming the foundation for other artists’ hits as early as 1987, when Eazy-E’s “Boyz-N-The-Hood” sampled their provocative “I’m A Ho.”
Although never breaking through outside rap and R&B genres, Whodini continued to enjoy commercial success up through 1986’s Back In Black, participating in arena tours with acts like Run-DMC, the Fat Boys, and LL Cool J. They released three more albums in 1987, 1991, and 1996 and have intermittently toured ever since. In 2018 they received the Hip-Hop Icon Awards at the Black Music Honors in Nashville.
Below, hear Ecstasy in action on a number of Whodini hits.
