Large and in Charge is a 1989 comedy rap album by Arsenio Hall, released under the name of his "portly rapping alter ego"[1] Chunky A. It is his only release under this name.
| Large and in Charge | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Studio album by Chunky A | |
| Released | 1989 |
| Genre | Comedy rap |
| Label | MCA Records |
| Producer | Arsenio Hall Attala Zane Giles |
Background
editArsenio Hall began hosting The Arsenio Hall Show in 1989, and that same year, recorded and released the Large and in Charge album as Chunky A. Chunky A was marketed humorously as Hall's overweight younger brother[2] who had been a roadie for Barry Manilow.[3] Hall wrote the album and was a co-producer.[4] The album was a minor hit, reaching #71 on the Billboard 200, and one single, "Owwww!", charted, reaching #77 on the Billboard Hot 100.[5] "Owwww!"'s music video featured Hall in a fatsuit wearing a necklace chain with a large golden "A" on it.[6] "Sorry" was also released as a single, but did not chart. The album included the tracks "Ho Is Lazy" (a parody of Fine Young Cannibals' "She Drives Me Crazy") and "Dope, the Big Lie" (an anti-drug song featuring Paula Abdul, Wil Wheaton, and Ice-T).[7]
Contemporaneous reviews of the album were mixed. The Orlando Sentinel remarked, "Although he's occasionally mildly funny, Chunk's rhymes are less def than deficient - and less dope than dopey."[7] The Los Angeles Times gave the album three stars out of five, describing the album as "a raunchy, frequently hilarious album that's part rap--reflecting influences by the Fat Boys and Heavy D--and part funk, done in the talk-singing style of George Clinton and Cameo's Larry Blackmon."[4]
Track listing
edit- "Owwww!"
- "Large and in Charge"
- "Stank Breath"
- "Ho Is Lazy"
- "Sorry"
- "I Command You to Dance"
- "Very High Key"
- "Dipstick"
- "Dope, the Big Lie"
References
edit- ^ Chunky A biography at Allmusic
- ^ 7 Things You Might Not Know About Arsenio Hall. Mental Floss, March 5, 2021.
- ^ "Chunky Profile". Jet, November 27, 1989, p. 63.
- ^ a b Dennis Hunt, Rap / Funk Raunch by Arsenio's Little 'Bro' : ARSENIO HALL "Arsenio Hall Presents Chunky A--Large & in Charge." MCA ***. Los Angeles Times, November 26, 1989.
- ^ "Chunky A (Arsenio Hall)". in Bob Leszczak, From Small Screen to Vinyl: A Guide to Television Stars Who Made Records, 1950-2000. Rowman & Littlefield, 2015, pp. 63-64.
- ^ "As the bulky rapper dances around, he risks being bludgeoned by the giant gold "A" on his necklace. His body shifts around like it's, well, padding. And it is ...". "Chunky A". Newsweek, Vol. 114, 1989, p. 79.
- ^ a b Parry Gettleman, "Chunky A: Large and In Charge". Orlando Sentinel, January 5, 1990.