Lil' Dap

Half of the <a href="spotify:artist:6GEykX11lQqp92UVOQQCC7">DJ Premier</a>-produced golden age duo <a href="spotify:artist:48elQHSJ3DmffHQpf89jxX">Group Home</a>, Lil' Dap is an East Coast rapper closely affiliated with <a href="spotify:artist:5cMgGlA1xGyeAB2ctYlRdZ">Gang Starr</a>. Born James Heath, he made his recording debut in 1992 on the classic <a href="spotify:artist:5cMgGlA1xGyeAB2ctYlRdZ">Gang Starr</a> album Daily Operation (1992) on the song "I'm the Man." He was also featured on <a href="spotify:artist:5cMgGlA1xGyeAB2ctYlRdZ">Gang Starr</a>'s subsequent album, Hard to Earn (1994), on the song "Speak Ya Clout." Around this same time period, Lil' Dap made his recording debut as half of the duo <a href="spotify:artist:48elQHSJ3DmffHQpf89jxX">Group Home</a> on the Gang Starr Foundation Sampler (1993). Produced by <a href="spotify:artist:6GEykX11lQqp92UVOQQCC7">DJ Premier</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:6xyaria4AcxjRuJZLkWvMW">Guru</a> of <a href="spotify:artist:5cMgGlA1xGyeAB2ctYlRdZ">Gang Starr</a>, the three-track 12" release on Ill Kid Records features the <a href="spotify:artist:48elQHSJ3DmffHQpf89jxX">Group Home</a> song "So Called Friends" alongside songs by <a href="spotify:artist:6ypJ3NVboVCPrJNGynI7ZT">Dirty Rotten Scoundrels</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:30G8Jlp6mw5RTEEzMndIZL">Big Shug</a>. Also featuring Melachi the Nutcracker, <a href="spotify:artist:48elQHSJ3DmffHQpf89jxX">Group Home</a> released their debut single, "Supa Star," in 1994 on <a href="spotify:artist:5cMgGlA1xGyeAB2ctYlRdZ">Gang Starr</a>'s label, Payday; their full-length album debut, Livin' Proof, followed in 1995. Produced almost entirely by <a href="spotify:artist:6GEykX11lQqp92UVOQQCC7">DJ Premier</a>, Livin' Proof is a cult classic among <a href="spotify:artist:5cMgGlA1xGyeAB2ctYlRdZ">Gang Starr</a> aficionados. Unfortunately, four long years passed before <a href="spotify:artist:48elQHSJ3DmffHQpf89jxX">Group Home</a>'s follow-up album, A Tear for the Ghetto (1999), on which <a href="spotify:artist:6GEykX11lQqp92UVOQQCC7">DJ Premier</a> produced only one track, "The Legacy." Released this time on Replay Records, A Tear for the Ghetto wasn't as well received as Livin' Proof, more or less marking the end of <a href="spotify:artist:48elQHSJ3DmffHQpf89jxX">Group Home</a>'s recording career. In the years that followed, little was heard from Lil' Dap. Nearly a decade passed before he mounted a comeback with I-A-Dap (2008), his long-awaited full-length solo album debut. Released on Babygrande, I-A-Dap features production by <a href="spotify:artist:01nVIuD8YZsnFH6x6Cc9rX">Large Professor</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:4bwxkkA3AAwyymVwXjxz0F">Big Noyd</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:0eVyjRhzZKke2KFYTcDkeu">the Alchemist</a>. ~ Jason Birchmeier, Rovi