INI (hip hop group)
Encyclopedia
INI was a hip hop
group composed of Rob-O, Grap Luva
, I Love H.I.M., Marco Polo (not to be confused with the hip-hop producer of the same name), and DJ Boodakhan.
The group started working on their debut album together with producer Pete Rock
in the mid-90s, and signed a deal with Rock's newfound imprint Soul Brother Records through Elektra
. The record company eventually shelved the album, releasing only one 12" single in 1996.[ Allmusic single] The track "Fakin' Jax", produced and featuring Pete Rock, became a minor underground hit. The album eventually became one of the most bootlegged
unreleased albums in hip-hop's history,http://www.discogs.com/INI-Center-Of-Attention/master/67052 but in 2003 it saw an official release it was included on Lost & Found: Hip Hop Underground Soul Classics
, a double LP of Pete Rock
's mid-1990s production work, originally canceled by Elektra Records
.http://www.discogs.com/Pete-Rock-InI-Deda-Lost-And-Found/release/1601420
Despite the fact that Pete Rock is not an official member of the group, it is synonymous with his name, as he produced almost every track of Center of Attention, and Grap Luva is his younger brother. Rock also had verses on two of the songs albums with additional ad-libs and background vocals on basically every track.
After Center of Attention got shelved the group members went their separate ways, while only two of them stayed on the music scene to pursue solo careers. Grap Luva released a few limited 12" singles in the new millennium, as well as appearing and producing on various albums and singles from artists such as DJ Spinna
, J-Live
, Pete Rock
, Lone Catalysts and Marley Marl
.http://www.discogs.com/Pete-Rock-InI-Deda-Lost-And-Found/release/1601420 Rob-O released many singles through an imprint called St. Nick Entertainment and in 2006 he came out with a debut album called "Rhyme Pro", a mix of the older 12" singles with a few new songs sprinkled throughout.http://www.discogs.com/artist/Rob+O
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
group composed of Rob-O, Grap Luva
Grap Luva
Gregory Phillips better known by his stage name Grap Luva is a hip-hop producer and rapper primarily active during the 1990s as a member of the group INI His first appearance was as a guest...
, I Love H.I.M., Marco Polo (not to be confused with the hip-hop producer of the same name), and DJ Boodakhan.
The group started working on their debut album together with producer Pete Rock
Pete Rock
Peter Phillips , better known by his stage name Pete Rock, is an American record producer, DJ and rapper. He rose to prominence in the early 1990s as one half of the critically acclaimed group Pete Rock & CL Smooth...
in the mid-90s, and signed a deal with Rock's newfound imprint Soul Brother Records through Elektra
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
. The record company eventually shelved the album, releasing only one 12" single in 1996.[ Allmusic single] The track "Fakin' Jax", produced and featuring Pete Rock, became a minor underground hit. The album eventually became one of the most bootlegged
Bootleg recording
A bootleg recording is an audio or video recording of a performance that was not officially released by the artist or under other legal authority. The process of making and distributing such recordings is known as bootlegging...
unreleased albums in hip-hop's history,http://www.discogs.com/INI-Center-Of-Attention/master/67052 but in 2003 it saw an official release it was included on Lost & Found: Hip Hop Underground Soul Classics
Lost & Found: Hip Hop Underground Soul Classics
Lost & Found: Hip Hop Underground Soul Classics is a double-disc album featuring previously shelved albums Center of Attention by INI and The Original Baby Pa by Deda...
, a double LP of Pete Rock
Pete Rock
Peter Phillips , better known by his stage name Pete Rock, is an American record producer, DJ and rapper. He rose to prominence in the early 1990s as one half of the critically acclaimed group Pete Rock & CL Smooth...
's mid-1990s production work, originally canceled by Elektra Records
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
.http://www.discogs.com/Pete-Rock-InI-Deda-Lost-And-Found/release/1601420
Despite the fact that Pete Rock is not an official member of the group, it is synonymous with his name, as he produced almost every track of Center of Attention, and Grap Luva is his younger brother. Rock also had verses on two of the songs albums with additional ad-libs and background vocals on basically every track.
After Center of Attention got shelved the group members went their separate ways, while only two of them stayed on the music scene to pursue solo careers. Grap Luva released a few limited 12" singles in the new millennium, as well as appearing and producing on various albums and singles from artists such as DJ Spinna
DJ Spinna
DJ Spinna is an American hip hop music artist and producer, who, according to Allmusic.com, has "remained strictly an underground artist despite his astonishing talent."-Biography:...
, J-Live
J-Live
J-Live is an MC, DJ, and producer from New York.-Early career and The Best Part:...
, Pete Rock
Pete Rock
Peter Phillips , better known by his stage name Pete Rock, is an American record producer, DJ and rapper. He rose to prominence in the early 1990s as one half of the critically acclaimed group Pete Rock & CL Smooth...
, Lone Catalysts and Marley Marl
Marley Marl
Marlon Williams , better known as Marley Marl, is an American DJ and record producer, who is considered one of the most important and influential hip-hop producers in the history of hip hop.-Biography:...
.http://www.discogs.com/Pete-Rock-InI-Deda-Lost-And-Found/release/1601420 Rob-O released many singles through an imprint called St. Nick Entertainment and in 2006 he came out with a debut album called "Rhyme Pro", a mix of the older 12" singles with a few new songs sprinkled throughout.http://www.discogs.com/artist/Rob+O