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The Long Island rap trio consisting of MCs <a href="spotify:artist:4Se7TFuKKQVCzttyri6bg3">Taste</a> and DL and DJ Six Seven, followed in the storied Strong Isle rap tradition of <a href="spotify:artist:3zpKjsMg2gw1St5WcWoUJN">EPMD</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:3PyWEKLWI0vHPmoNrIX0QE">Rakim</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:1Z8ODXyhEBi3WynYw0Rya6">De La Soul</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:5V2urhkwH9CIcojcYnvKRg">Leaders of the New School</a>. In 1994, the three-man group effected a smoothed-out East Coast timbre in stark contrast to the hardcore gangster rap blossoming on both coasts. Their initial single, "LI Groove," found a niche with basement hip-hop heads, and their debut album, Ism and Blues, followed on it's strength. Production on Ism, from the SD50s (one-time beatmakers for <a href="spotify:artist:6IjhOxJSTPh15KgFTSZ68K">Grand Puba</a>) and <a href="spotify:artist:1BBTSA7m7qYHwyK7QqG0Q5">Roc Raida</a>, was way above garden variety. The album combined laid-back grooves with the work of some talented musicians, providing the album with a quiet cool. MCs <a href="spotify:artist:4Se7TFuKKQVCzttyri6bg3">Taste</a> and DL brought skills to the table but inevitably fell victim to "blunts and bitches" content a bit much. The album rooted in jazz, R&B, and an old school hip-hop aesthetic caught a ripple of popularity with the non-mainstream hip-hop audience but, rather unfortunately, the threesome were never heard from again. ~ Michael Di Bella, Rovi

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