The Long Island rap trio consisting of MCs Taste and DL and DJ Six Seven, followed in the storied Strong Isle rap tradition of EPMD, Rakim, De La Soul, and Leaders of the New School. In 1994, the three-man group effected a smoothed-out East Coast timbre in stark contrast to the hardcore gangster rap blossoming on both coasts. Their initial single, "LI Groove," found a niche with basement hip-hop heads, and their debut album, Ism and Blues, followed on it's strength. Production on Ism, from the SD50s (one-time beatmakers for Grand Puba) and Roc Raida, was way above garden variety. The album combined laid-back grooves with the work of some talented musicians, providing the album with a quiet cool. MCs Taste and DL brought skills to the table but inevitably fell victim to "blunts and bitches" content a bit much. The album rooted in jazz, R&B, and an old school hip-hop aesthetic caught a ripple of popularity with the non-mainstream hip-hop audience but, rather unfortunately, the threesome were never heard from again. ~ Michael Di Bella, Rovi