Lighter Shade of Brown

A Lighter Shade of Brown (LSOB) is an American hip hop duo from Riverside, California. The duo consisted of rappers Robert "Don't Try To Xerox (DTTX)" Ramirez (September 26, 1969 – July 13, 2016) and Robert "One Dope Mexican (ODM)" Gutierrez (born August 22, 1969). They are best known for their 1990 hit single "On a Sunday Afternoon" which had success in the U.S. and New Zealand. LSOB was formed in 1987 by Robert Gutierrez who went by the stage name "One Dope Mexican" and Robert Bobby Ramirez who went by the stage name "Don't Try To Xerox". They recorded demos and landed a record deal soon after with small independent label Pump. Their debut album, 1990's Brown and Proud, brought the group their lone Top 40 single in the U.S. with "On A Sunday Afternoon," which contained samples of The Young Rascals' 1967 hit "Groovin' " and Tommy James and the Shondells' 1969 hit "Crystal Blue Persuasion", and peaked at #39 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song also went to #1 for 2 weeks in New Zealand. The duo provided songs for Latino-market movies such as Mi Vida Loca and I Like It Like That following the release of their second LP, 1992's Hip Hop Locos, which failed to chart. The success of "Sunday Afternoon" nonetheless resulted in Mercury Records signing the group and releasing their third disc, Layin' in the Cut, in 1994. The record did not sell as well as was hoped, peaking at #184 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. LSOB went on a temporary hiatus, returning in 1997 on indie with Greenside Records. Their self-titled fourth album featured guest appearances from Rappin' 4-Tay and Dwayne Wiggins of Tony! Toni! Toné!. 1999 marked the last of their releases, including a greatest hits album and a non-charting single, "Sunny Day." That year, Gutierrez became a DJ at San Bernardino radio station KGGI and Bobby carried on touring as LSOB and working on new music. In 2011 LSOB collaborated with Serio on the song I'll Never Forget which also features MC Magic from the album Gansterism Part 3 released on April 20, 2011. A decade later, on October 18, 2011, the album It's A Wrap was released through Illuminated Entertainment Group. The album was produced by Playalitical. Ramirez is the only one out of the group that raps on it, as sort of a one-man Lighter Shade of Brown. The album's radio single "Call Me Over" was produced by Fingazz and featured Playalitical and Zig Zag of the NB Ridaz. A music video was also filmed and released for the song. On July 18, 2016, group member Robert Ramirez died in the Las Vegas area after being in a coma for 11 days. He had collapsed due to what his family described as a combination of alcohol abuse and heatstroke. Greatest Hits (1999) "DTTX Died From Desert Heat". TMZ. July 18, 2016. Biography, Allmusic.com "Serio". discogs. Retrieved March 3, 2024. "'A Lighter Shade of Brown' Rapper DTTX dead at 46". TMZ. July 18, 2016. Archived from the original on August 5, 2016. Billboard, Allmusic.com "A Lighter Shade of Brown ARIA chart history, received from ARIA in May 2024". ARIA. Retrieved July 12, 2024 – via Imgur.com. N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart. "A Lighter Shade of Brown - US Hot 100 Chart". billboard.com. Retrieved July 6, 2014. "A Lighter Shade of Brown - US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart". billboard.com. Retrieved July 6, 2014. "A Lighter Shade of Brown - US Dance Club Songs Chart". billboard.com. Retrieved July 6, 2014. Australian (ARIA) peaks: "Hey DJ": "Discography A Lighter Shade Of Brown". australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved June 24, 2019. "Spill the Rhyme": Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 165. "L.S.O.B. IN NEW ZEALAND CHARTS". charts.nz. Hung Medien. Retrieved January 17, 2014. "A Lighter Shade of Brown - Dutch Chart". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved July 6, 2014. "The Official Charts Company - A Lighter Shade of Brown". The Official Charts Company. July 6, 2014. "A Lighter Shade of Brown - US Hot 100 Chart". billboard.com. Retrieved July 5, 2020.