Total Pack

In its original 1990 incarnation, Total Pack was a NY underground hip-hop duo from Hollis, Queens that consisted of CeStyle (real name Corey Banks, aka Corey Drumz) and Kamal B Wize (real name Fred Beasley Jr.), who had moved to Hollis from Tennessee. Performing around the northeast US in the early 1990’s, their widest exposure came from live performances on radio programs such as Stretch & Bobbito (WKCR) and Wildman Steve (WBAU) and label showcases such as the 1993 Greek Fest at Jones Beach. The group used the moniker Total Pack Crew when performing as a foursome, with Legacy (aka A Fect) and Self-Lord (Mark Preme). Underground tapes of these radio performances are known to exist. In early 1993, Total Pack (CeStyle and Wize) was signed to a promising ten-album deal with Columbia Records. This deal came on the heels of a feature in The Source magazine’s “Unsigned Hype” column, as well as a performance for the birthday of Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito at NYC’s famed CBGB’s venue. However, creative difficulties led to the group being dropped from the label before any music was released. One song recorded officially during that period, “Dead Man’s Theory”, was a popular NYC bootleg tape in 1993, based on radio performances of the song. Leader CeStyle later reincarnated under the Total Pack name, without Wize, for a 1994 deal with Wild Pitch Records. Hiring producer Charlie Marotta, a connection from CeStyle’s association with the Hit Squad (2), CeStyle recorded several tracks. Two of those songs were released by Wild Pitch on a label-feature cassette called Wild Pitch Blends. Unfortunately, a Total Pack album for Wild Pitch never materialized. Some of the material from this period was released in 2014 by Chopped Herring Records, as the [m677239] (that 2014 release was under the CeStyle name). After Total Pack, Banks organized a group called The Korp, releasing tracks circa 1998 through Dolo Records (affiliated with Stretch Armstrong). Banks later changed his performing name to Corey Drumz, operating primarily as a solo act and releasing music digitally.