Living Legends

Infobox musical artist
Name = Living Legends


Img_capt =
Img_size =
Landscape =
Background = group_or_band
Alias =
Origin = Oakland, California, Los Angeles, California
Genre = Hip Hop
Years_active = 1996 – Present
Label =
Associated_acts =
URL =
Current_members = Sunspot Jonz
Luckyiam.PSC
The Grouch
MURS
Scarub
Eligh
Aesop
Bicasso
Past_members =
Associated_acts = 3 Melancholy Gypsys, Elusive, Mystik Journeymen, CMA, G&E
Notable_instruments = The Living Legends crew is a group of eight West Coast Underground hip hop artists based in southern and northern California.

Background

The Living Legends started with Sunspot Jonz (BFAP) and Luckyiam.PSC, from their group Mystik Journeymen, in the early 1990s. In 1994, they began to develop a large fan base from hosting the "Underground Survivors" shows (which were in the style of house parties) in East Oakland. They combined with the 3 Melancholy Gypsy's(3MG's), consisting of Eligh, MURS, and Scarub, and solo artists The Grouch, Aesop, and Bicasso.The Living Legends, a loose collective of MCs and DJs from the Oakland/San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Japan, and Europe, are unique for both their down-to-earth songs and approach to the music business. Following in the footsteps of California artists like Too Short who made a name selling tapes out of car trunks, the Legends also chose to stay independent from record labels. They took the street hustling mentality even further with world tours, an in-depth website, tireless self-promotion, and an organized business plan, which made their slogan "Control Destiny" ring very true. Living Legends served as an inspiration for other Bay Area heavyweight crews like Hieroglyphics and Hobo Junction, who along with hip-hoppers nationwide in the late '90s decided they could live off without major labels.Mystik Journeymen, a duo composed of BFAP (later rechristened Sunspot Jonz) and PSC (later Luckyiam), formed in 1992 and became legendary for their underground tapes and parties in East Oakland. The founding nucleus of the Living Legends, the two met the Grouch in 1995 and soon after embarked on the first of a long series of self-funded tours abroad, this time only to Europe. Upon their return, they met up with a trio called 3MG or Three Melancholy Gypsies (MURS, Eligh, and Scarub) who had broken off from their Los Angeles-based group Log Cabin and reunited in Oakland. The sextet officially formed Living Legends in 1996 (along with Aesop, Elusive, and Bizarro) and gained national renown with appearances on 1997's Beats and Lyrics compilation and 1998's Rules of the Game. As the internet and their website /www.LLcrew.com developed, the Legends were able to reach a huge new audience worldwide.As their fame grew, the Legends tirelessly visited Europe, Asia, and Australia, a total of eight world tours in two years. Their membership also grew to international proportions after they linked up with Japan's Arata and DJ Quietstorm and Belgium's Krewcial. While home in California, they released a continuous stream of albums and tapes through their imprints Outhouse Records and Revenge Entertainment, produced their own magazine, Unsigned and Hella Broke, and put annual Broke Ass Summer Jams. In 1999, Living Legends moved their base of operations to Los Angeles and added Basik as another member.

Discography

ingle Releases

*She Wants Me" (2008)
* Down For Nothing" (2005)
* Blast Your Radio" (2004)
* Awakening" (2004)
* Damn It Feels Good" (2004)
* Gotta Question For Ya" (2001)

Album Releases

* UHB IV: Stop & Retaliate (1999)
* The Underworld (2000)
* Angelz Wit Dirty Faces (2000)
* Almost Famous (2001)
* Crappy Old Shit (2003)
* Creative Differences (2004)
* Classic (2005)
* Legendary Music: Volume 1 (2006)
* Almost Famous: Re-Release (2007)
* The Gathering (April 8, 2008)

Charts & Awards

* "Creative Differences", #28 on Billboard Top Independent Albums (2004)

* "Classic", #38 on Billboard Top Independent Albums (2005)

External links

* [http://www.legendarymusic.net/ Official site]
*amg|id = 11:yez1z8ba2yvj|label = Living Legends
* [http://www.popmatters.com/music/reviews/l/livinglegends-classic.shtml Popmatters.com review of "Classic"]
* [http://www.breakthruradio.com/index.php?b=artist.php?id=133 BreakThru Radio Artist of The Week- Luckyiam]
* [http://www.myspace.com/livinglegends Official MySpace page]
* [http://www.myspace.com/murs Murs Official MySpace page]
* [http://www.myspace.com/bicasso Official Bicasso page]
* [http://myspace.com/scarubiscool Official Scarub MySpace page]
* [http://www.myspace.com/luckyiampsc Official LuckyIam MySpace page]
* [http://www.myspace.com/8615280 Official Aesop MySpace page]
* [http://legendarymusic.net/crew/eligh/index.html Eligh Official Biography]
* [http://www.myspace.com/12059138 Official Sunspot Jonz MySpace page]
* [http://myspace.com/thegrouch Official Grouch MySpace page]
* [http://www.cream.cz/?rozhovor=the-grouch-cali-agents-don-t-want-it&preview=1 The Grouch discusses his new album Show You The World]
* [http://www.dailymusicguide.com/Reviews/living_legends_the_gathering_album_review_07082008_2205.aspx The Gathering review]
* [http://monsterfresh.com/2008/08/19/simple-man-interview-w-the-grouch/ Interview with The Grouch] on MonsterFresh.com