Awesome Dré

Awesome Dré & The Hardcore Committee are probably the first Detroit-based rap group to be signed to a major label in 1989 releasing You Can't Hold Me Back on Priority Records. Even with the singles "You Can't Hold Me Back" and "Frankly Speaking", the album reached #52 on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop charts before Awesome Dré faded into obscurity. However, his short-lived legacy put Motown on the map, which had previously only been known for R&B and techno/house, and it would be a precursor for other rap acts that would come forth years later.