In 1991, Belgium-Holland dance group 2 Unlimited dropped one of the most popular techno tracks in the history of the genre with the Eurodance single “Get Ready for This”. The single was released on their debut album Get Ready and is quite likely the bands most famous single in the United States - climbing as high as #38 on the Billboard Top 40, standing alone as the bands only Top 40 hit. Outside of the United States, however, 2 Unlimited’s fifth single “No Limit” soared higher in praise and popularity.
“Y’all ready for this?” stands out amongst all their lyrics, sampled from The D.O.C.’s hit single “It’s Funky Enough.”
“Get Ready for This” has become a mainstay at sporting events around the world and is considered one of the most frequently played songs. At Superbowl XLV, the Green Bay Packers came out of the tunnel to 2 Unlimited’s smash hit, while at one time NBA teams Orlando Magic and San Antonio Songs used the song for their starting lineup introductions. Michael Jordan’s brief movie career consisting of Space Jam also included the song in the soundtrack, in addition to the sports compilation Jock Jams, Volume 1.
The song can also be heard in the teeny bopper film Bring It On and television series Moesha. It’s status as a sports anthem grew to such great heights that is was parodied by Beavis and Buthead when Beavis questions if they are watching an American football game when the music video to song plays on the television.
The Eurodance act formed in 1991 as the brainchild project of Belgian producers Jean-Paul DeCoster and Phil Wilde and was fronted by a Dutch duo, rapper Ray Slijngaard and singer Anita Doth. Over a span of five years, 2 Unlimited experienced tremendous popularity worldwide scoring 16 chart hits, including “Get Ready for This,” "Twilight Zone," "No Limit" and "Tribal Dance." Over the course of their illustrious career they have sold more than 18 million records worldwide.
After 13 years, Slijngaard and Doth reunited and performed together in April 2009 at the “I Love the 90s” concert in Hasselt, Belgium. Most recently, in January 2010, they released a new single together titled “In Da Name Of Love” under the name of Ray & Anita. It has risen to become a top five hit in the Netherlands.
Byte Records (Belgium) signed the Eurodance group and were license to many other record labels including PWL Continental in the UK, run by Pete Waterman of Stock, Aitken & Waterman fame, most notably known for producing dozens of hits for Kylie Minogue and Rick Astley. Waterman intuitively decided that the duo was unsuitable for the UK market, which had seen an explosion of popularity in rave music, prompting him to remove most of the vocals from the track except for the line “Y’all ready for this?” “Get Ready for This” was an instant hit, peaking at number two in the charts and went on to become the twelfth best-selling single of 1991, worthy of a silver sales certificate. It would later reach number four in Belgium, 10 in the Netherlands, and number two in Australia. On the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart, “Get Ready for This” reached as high as number seven.
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