Zion I is a Hip Hop duo from Oakland, California. The duo consists of producer Amp Live and emcee Zion. DJ Khalid Aalim was a member for their debut album, but later split with the group. The two are highly respected underground artists, famous for Amp's live instrumentation production and Zion's poetic, positive and socially conscious lyrics. Zion I debuted in 1998 with an EP titled Starship, and their debut single "Inner Light". They have released three studio albums, 2000's Mind Over Matter, 2003's Deep Water Slang V2.0 and 2005's True & Livin'.
The Grouch was a founding member of the Living Legends crew, a loose collective of MCs and DJs from the Bay Area, Japan, and Europe. The Living Legends eschewed the gangsta posing that dominated the hip-hop community, especially on the West Coast, in favor of clear-eyed raps about real-life issues. They coupled this with a grassroots approach to the music business, choosing to self-release and market their prodigious output. After forming the Legends crew with Oakland's Mystik Journeymen, Grouch released Don't Talk to Me, his first album, on the Living Legends' label. It would mark the beginning of an incredibly prolific recording schedule that would also find the Grouch doing his own production work. In 1996, he released Nothing Changes on cassette only; it was later remastered and issued on CD. Success Is Destiny and Fuck the Dumb appeared in 1997 and 1998; various singles and EP releases rounded out the decade. It was also around this time that the Legends crew moved its base of operations from Oakland to Los Angeles, where a portion of its membership -- Murs, Scarub, and Eligh -- had originally resided before moving to the Bay Area. In 2000, the Grouch and Eligh issued G & E Music; that same year They Don't Have This arrived, which was widely regarded as the best work of the Grouch's career. Crusader for Justice followed in 2002. It featured instrumental contributions from the Grouch's father, Stu Blank, who played organ and guitar. (Blank, a renowned Bay Area musician, passed away soon after the recording sessions after a battle with skin cancer.) In February of 2003, the Servin' Justice DVD was released, featuring music videos, live footage, and interviews with the Grouch and members of the Living Legends crew. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide
Classified
Proclaimed as Halifax’s leading rap voice, Classified continues to mark his
territory in the Canadian rap scene with every album. His latest release, “Boy-
Cott-In The Industry,” is a reflection of his relentless affair with hip-hop.
Starting his education early, Classified began his formal rhyming career
performing creative high school rap acts in hip-hop’s quiet days of the early 90s.
In the coming years, Classified’s passion for hip-hop developed, leading to the
start of his production label, HalfLife Records and his first full-length release,
“Times Up” in 1995. The album was received with unprecedented enthusiasm by
Halifax’s underdeveloped music scene and established Classified’s name in the
local hip-hop arena.
In collaboration with DJ Jorun, Classified produced and rhymed on two
independent releases in 1996, entitled “One Shot” and “What Happened.” His
talent, work ethic and determination to succeed in the music business was
acknowledged by other local artists interested in pursuing careers of their own.
Classified soon found himself producing tracks for Halifax artists including Kaspa,
Nathan Cruise, Ground Squad and others.
In 1997 Classified released his first CD entitled “Information.” Two years in the
making, the album opened many doors for Classified and led to opening spots for
noted American and Canadian musicians including 112, Saukrates, Maestro,
Rascalz, Choclair and Swollen Members. The release of “Information” prompted
Classified’s first record release, “Touch of Class.” The single received much
critical praise and was nominated for Urban Recording of the Year at the East
Coast Music Awards in 2000.
Not wasting any time, Classified released his seventh album, “Unpredictable.”
The album was distributed to selected locations across Canada and received
nationwide acclaim and international recognition. In addition to his newfound
national reputation, Classified obtained his first MuchMusic VideoFACT grant,
leading to the production of his first music video. That year, Classified achieved
one of his career’s most noteworthy accomplishments and was nominated for
Rap Recording of the Year and Rap Video of the Year by the Urban Music
Association of Canada.
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