Freestyle Fellowship

A hugely influential four-man crew from Los Angeles, Freestyle Fellowship changed the game with their legendary, independently-released 1991 debut To Whom It May Concern. Considered by many as a bona fide hip-hop classic, it helped usher in the underground movement and sparked the solo careers of esteemed mic mangler Aceyalone. Comprising Acey, Self Jupiter, P.E.A.C.E., and Mikah 9, Freestyle Fellowship came up during the storied Good Vibe Cafe open mic era alongside other heavy-hitters like the Pharcyde and Jurassic 5. Their blend of sample-laden beats and wordy, decisively non-gangsta rhyme schemes paved the way for a new generation of super-emcees more concerned with tight lyricism than ultra-violent storytelling. The team signed to 4th & Broadway for their excellent 1993 follow-up Inner City Griots, and then went their seperate ways. Self Jupiter was doing time while the other three established solo careers and collaborated with various other acts. Freestyle Fellowship re-emerged eight years later, releasing their long-awaited third LP Temptations in 2001.