Natas

Along with group leader Esham's numerous '90s solo albums, Natas' work during this same decade trailblazed a path through uncharted territory, defining a dark style of hardcore rap characterized by decadent motifs and heavy metal-like aggression. Taking considerable influence from Niggaz4life-era NWA, the Detroit, MI, trio consisting of Esham, Mastamind, and TNT came hard on their 1992 debut album, Life After Death, to the point where their anger-exuding music alienated all but a small cult audience fascinated with their anarchic disposition and their self-termed style of "acid rap." On this album they rapped about the most disturbing and shocking themes imaginable, capturing the darkest corners of their burnt-out city's most horrible ghettos with their lyrics in an attempt to be as hardcore as possible. To further the impact of these lyrics, Esham self-produced the album, laying down gritty beats and making effective use of rock samples to give the album a harsher tone. Successive albums found the trio improving their rapping and their production, as they slowly matured, moving progressively away from mere exploitation. By the end of the '90s, their music had considerably evolved in terms of not only lyrical content and delivery but also in terms of production, resulting in an innovative realization of their original intent that finally blossomed on WWW.Com (Wicket World Wide). Before forming Natas, group leader Esham had already established himself as a solo artist, debuting at the end of the '80s with Boomin' Words From Hell, followed by a few EPs. At this time, Esham was a student at Osborne High School in Detroit, where he eventually crossed paths with Mastamind in the tenth grade. After listening to a three-song demo tape given to him by Mastamind, Esham decided...