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When former Ruffhouse Records leader Chris Schwartz launched his RuffNation Records in 1999, the first release he put out on RuffNation's Ruff Life label was by Outsidaz, a hardcore rap outfit from northern New Jersey. Outsidaz' first Ruff Life single, "The Rah Rah," was released in December 1999, followed by its six-song EP The Night Life in January 2000. But the origins of the group (whose members include <a href="spotify:artist:4OqgHlGnIFHukth5CY1Ejj">Young Zee</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:4xlnKEcLzFYoxRmAuxI2Yt">Pace Won</a>, Slang Ton, Yah Ya, Ax, D.U., Az-Izz, Leun One, NawShis, DJ Muhammed, and Denton) actually go back to the early '90s. At first, <a href="spotify:artist:4OqgHlGnIFHukth5CY1Ejj">Young Zee</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:6SKcemlWGgT8B4AF078Hqm">Pace</a> were rival MCs; <a href="spotify:artist:6SKcemlWGgT8B4AF078Hqm">Pace</a> had a group called PNS, while <a href="spotify:artist:4OqgHlGnIFHukth5CY1Ejj">Zee</a> headed the group Skitzo. When PNS and Skitzo had a lengthly microphone battle in Newark, NJ, in 1991, <a href="spotify:artist:4OqgHlGnIFHukth5CY1Ejj">Zee</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:6SKcemlWGgT8B4AF078Hqm">Pace</a> felt that neither group won the competition -- it was a tie -- and decided to unite into one group as Outsidaz. Around 1995, Outsidaz came to the attention of <a href="spotify:artist:2WKdxPFRD7IqZvlIAvhMgY">the Fugees</a>, who went on to employ them on their song "Cowboys." Eventually, the group signed with Ruffhouse/Columbia, but when Schwartz left Ruffhouse, they went with him and ended up on Ruff Life. ~ Alex Henderson, Rovi

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