Group Home

As members of the Gang Starr Foundation, Group Home had some high-profile help getting put on. With their legendary 1995 debut Livin' Proof, the Brooklyn duo of Melachi the Nutcracker and Lil' Dap took the underground hip-hop community by storm. Rich, intricate production by Premier set the tone by fusing his signature drums with tinkling pianos and chopped-up, jazz-heavy samples. Although their lyrics have been criticized as simple, Melachi and Dap's message remains clear: they speak for all struggling artists trying to escape a low-budget environment, creeping out of the ghetto with the mic in hand. They've proven that fitting as many fancy words as possible into a track is not as important as choosing your words wisely. Cuts such as "Supa Star" and "Suspended In Time" remain crowd-hyping classics around the globe. Group Home have dropped a few singles over the years, and in 1999 released their double album follow-up A Tear For the Ghetto.