Deceptikonz was formed in 1998 on the battle grounds of Manurewa, South Auckland, where to pass the time aspiring MC’s battled to see who was the dopest lyricist in the school yard. From those early encounters four MC’s emerged whose names would forever be etched on the psyche of NZ Hip Hop; MAREKO, SAVAGE, FRISKO & DEVOLO. The group's debut singles were on the underground album of 2001 Southside Story 2: International, with the tracks "Elimination" and "Beware". At the 2001 95bFM Music Awards, this album was nominated for best hip hop album of the year, and the Deceptikonz were nominated for Best New Group despite not having officially released a single. Band member Mareko was subsequently crowned Best MC in New Zealand after winning the National Battle for Supremacy contest. The Deceptikonz debut release was initially slated as the 6-track EP Verbal Abuse, but a decision was made to upgrade the EP to the full-length (13-track) album,Elimination. The production team for Elimination included DJ P-Money and John Chong-Nee of gold-selling group AKA Brown. All have since had successful solo careers that along the way strengthened the Deceptikonz brand. Aeroplane Music represents the master rights for the following releases on behalf of FMG: Deceptikonz - Elimination - 2002 Deceptikonz - Heavy Rotation - 2006 Deceptikonz - Evolution - 2011