A dozen years ago this week, spring break was turning Daytona Beach, Florida, into a massive, drunken collegiate orgy with a beachfront address, pretty much the same way it's doing now. But one thing that's different each year is the music, and in 1991 the hottest pop act to hit the sunny shore was C+C Music Factory.

Freedom Williams and Zelma Davis may have been the most visible players in the dance outfit, but the real stars of the group were Factory foremen David Cole and Robert Clivilles — two NYC DJs who got their start doing dance mixes for Natalie Cole and Janet Jackson. In constructing a Music Factory modeled after the U.K.'s Soul II Soul, Cole + Clivilles scored a top 10 album, 1990's Gonna Make You Sweat, and three hit singles: "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)," "Here We Go, Let's Rock & Roll" and "Things That Make You Go Hmmmm ..."

But the Music Factory was about more than just making people sweat. It was also meant to serve as a launching pad for new performers like Brooklyn rapper Williams, who two years earlier had been working as an assistant engineer for Clivilles and Cole.

"Well, David used to always tell me I had a deep voice. ... 'Yo, you know you got a deep voice. You rap?' But you never come out and be cocky — 'Hey, I'm a rapper. I'm a this, I'm a that.' My whole intention, I make no mistake about it, was to become a rap artist."

But while C+C were doing wonders for Williams, former Weather Girls singer Martha Wash was feeling left out to dry. Though her vocals were prominently featured on "Gonna Make You Sweat," the video focused on the younger, more svelte Davis. Wash sued, claiming she wasn't properly credited or compensated for her contributions, and the matter was settled out of court. The ordeal left Davis feeling the need to prove that she was more than just a pretty face.

"I see people looking at me [during shows] so they can tell if I'm singing or not, and it just makes me work more," she said. "Before [performances] now, I go on and I sing a little thing to make them know I'm singing. I'm not to bothered with it, 'cause if I couldn't sing I wouldn't be in this project."

Hmmmm ...

One band not likely to be found getting sand in its amps at spring break is Sonic Youth, who 12 years ago were on tour with Neil Young. The experimental New Yorkers had been making noise for a decade, but many of Young's fans were unfamiliar with the Goo rockers' alternate tunings and feedback symphonies.

"Playing in front of like 20,000 people who don't know who you are, for the most part they think you're really just, like, you're in the wrong place, and they just want you off the stage," guitarist Thurston Moore said.

"We're playing to this audience that has no idea where we're coming from," guitarist Lee Ranaldo added. "Even after we're done they have no idea where we're coming from."

They wouldn't be enduring the blank stares if it weren't for the chance to work with Young.

"We're longtime fans of his," Ranaldo said, "and it was basically the opportunity to meet him that made us ... well, if we're on the tour for two months we'll probably get to talk to him a little bit."

Meanwhile, back in Sonic Youth's hometown, Sting was staging one of his rainforest benefits 12 years ago this week. The Carnegie Hall shindig featured Elton John, legendary Brazilian singer Caetano Veloso and Carlos Jobim, known for the '60s bossa nova hit "The Girl From Ipanema."

"Our job really is ... to draw attention to things, and we're not politicians," Sting explained. "We can't make executive decisions about what happens, but we can draw the attention of the media to certain things."

"The whole thing about the human race is ... we can't be self-centered on own our lives," John said. "This is important. It's not only important to the people [in Brazil,] it's important for [the world's] attention to be brought to this."

Sting's benefit raised more than $250,000, not counting the royalty fees incurred when Puffy "sampled" the ceremony.

For more "This Week In ...", check out the This Week In Archive.

• C+C Music Factory
• Sonic Youth
• Neil Young
• Sting

The speed metal band Anthrax had just released their Attack of the Killer B's album, which includes the group's version of Public Enemy's rap classic "Bring the Noise" (with a guest shot from PE themselves). The two groups got together to shoot a video for the track in Chicago, where Anthrax had stopped off on the Clash of the Titans Tour (which also featured Megadeth, Slayer and opener Alice in Chains). MTV News dropped by the video set to see how this bridging of the rap/thrash gap was going.

Anthrax's Scott Ian: I just had an idea in my head for a long time to do something with Public Enemy. They're my favorite band. I just figured that if we came up with our own music, Anthrax music, and then used Chuck's rhymes over it, it could be the best of both worlds.

Chuck D: Everything is rock, and rap is more rock and roll than a lot of music that considers itself rock and roll. This is actually a group that dared to bring something that was always looked upon as being a small type of thing and just saying, "Yo, I'ma bring it to our audience whether they like it or not."

The Red Hot Chili Peppers were at work on their album Blood Sugar Sex Magik this week in 1991. For their follow-up to 1989's Mother's Milk, the band recorded in an old Los Angeles house — which the guys insisted was haunted.

John Frusciante, guitarist: This is our wonderful, wonderful place where we've been living recording beautiful music that makes me very, very, very happy.

Flea, bassist: We had these psychics that came up here and at one point they said that they saw a lady in black walking in the back and that she was a ghost.

Anthony Kiedis, singer: Now we've got Chad, John, Flea and Anthony in the band for the same two records in a row and we're really sort of solidified together a solid unit.

Flea: Behind my back I have all the secrets we've been using to make this great record. I've got here multi-vitamins, my producer Rick Rubin, "Raging Bull" Robert De Niro, my little friend (holds up a Barbie doll). I love her.

Frusciante: Instead of getting the high-tech 98-track board, we have this old funky stuff that probably Frank Sinatra recorded on or something and it just sounds better.

Kiedis: The songs, we could never describe what they sound like. Some of them sound like getting an alien wrapped around your face. Some of them sound like the Marx Brothers having an orgy with Ziegfield Follies girls.

Dance music act C&C Music Factory were about to hit the road on the Club MTV Tour. MTV News crossed paths with the group's Freedom Williams, Zelma Davis, David Cole (who died in 1995 of complications resulting from spinal meningitis) and Robert Clivilles while they were shooting the video for "Things That Make You Go Hmmm."

David Cole: The song title was inspired by "The Arsenio Hall Show."

Robert Clivilles: One day we were watching Arsenio, this was when he first started. We're watching him, he always came up with these things that makes you go "hmm" and I thought it was pretty funny. There's three or four individual stories. They're all funny. They're all about love relationships and hopefully we'll make America laugh.

And hopefully make you go "hmmm."

For more "This Week In ...", check out the This Week In Archive

• Public Enemy
• Anthrax
• Red Hot Chili Peppers
• C+C Music Factory

The Backstreet Boys will be joined by Lisa Lisa, the C&C Music Factory, Vanilla Ice (yes, that's right) and other Florida-based acts for a concert this weekend that will benefit tornado-ravaged residents of that state.

The concert, dubbed "Orlando Bands Together" will be staged in the parking lot of the Hard Rock Cafe in Orlando on Sunday with tickets going for $10. Proceeds from the show will benefit the Red Cross Relief Fund and other efforts aimed at aiding residents of central Florida who have recently seen tornadoes ravage their homes.

No Mercy, 69 Boyz, 'N Sync, Lyte Funkie Ones, Innosense, Take 5, C-Note, Trey-D and 95 South will also be on hand for the event, which will be hosted by the Backstreet Boys.

The current line-up of C&C Music Factory was not specified. One of the group's founding members, David Cole, died in 1995 of complications resulting from spinal meningitis.

Concert organizers are also hoping to offer a cybercast of the event (at www.liveconcerts.com), and stage an online auction as well that will aid the relief effort.

• Backstreet Boys
• C+C Music Factory
• Lisa Lisa
• Vanilla Ice