BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY : AFRICAN AMERICAN " BASE HEAD " ARE A MIDDLE CLASS KID FROM MARYLAND AND RECORDED THE BULK OF BASE HEADS 1992 DEBUT : GOES INTO THE " HALL OF BLACK GENIUS "Y

                             BLACK              SOCIAL           HISTOY                                                                                                                                                                                                       Base head is the creation of Michael Ivey, a middle-class suburban kid from Maryland. Ivey recorded the bulk of Base head's 1992 debut, Plays With Toys, on a four-track at home with various friends. Combining laid-back, stoned hip-hop rhythm tracks, pop hooks, drawled raps, and pseudo-folky guitar, the record received glowing reviews in alternative publications and was played frequently on college radio. Ivey assembled a touring band and used them on parts of Base head's 1993 follow-up, Not in Kansas Any more. The critical reception was mixed and the record didn't receive much airplay or sales. The following year IveyBase head's Faith followed in 1996.

 assembled the alternative hip-hop collection B.Y.O.B., which featured several of his own contributions;