People Under the Stairs

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This article is about the band. For the film, see The People Under the Stairs.
People Under the Stairs
Gold Dust Media
MembersThes One
Double K (deceased)
Websitewww.puts.band

People Under the Stairs was an American

producing all of their output.[1]

Despite difficulties achieving mainstream or chart successes, the group rejected the label of underground hip hop. They achieved prominence and acclaim, along with praise from fellow musicians.[2]

History

1996–1999: Formation, The Next Step

While attending high school in

Mid-City Los Angeles, group members Thes One and Double K were independently sampling music, creating beat tapes, and DJing local events. Thes One attended Loyola High, and Double K attended Hamilton High and was a part of the Log Cabin Crew, a hip hop collective that also included fellow Hamilton High students Murs, Eligh and Scarub (of Living Legends). They met while looking for sample material in a record store and were impressed by each other's work, forming a friendship.[3]

The group decided to use the name "People Under the Stairs" because they felt it represented their music aesthetic; during a time when most other hip hop artists were forming large crews or collectives, they wanted to stay out of the spotlight and concentrate on the music, only coming out from "under the stairs" to perform before they went back again.[4] The group's name does not originate from the 1991 Wes Craven film The People Under the Stairs, as they were not aware of it when conceiving the group.[4]

In 1998, while Thes One was attending the

club music, for a four-album deal.[5]
The European leg of the tour, though it began as an Om Records tour, evolved into a solo act for People Under the Stairs.

2000–2003: Question in the Form of an Answer, O.S.T, and ...Or Stay Tuned

Their sophomore album, Question in the Form of an Answer, was released in June 2000. Like The Next Step, the album was self-recorded and used an eclectic and diverse range of beats rooted in jazz and psychedelic rock, as well as filtering techniques learned from studying analog sound equipment. The album was supported by singles "Youth Explosion", "The Cat" and "We'll Be There". People Under the Stairs embarked on a second world tour to support the record, including performances at the 2000 Glastonbury Festival and Essential Music Festival, alongside Biz Markie, Ice-T, Gerry "Jeru" Mulligan, Masta Ace and De La Soul.[8] During this tour, the group released their first compilation album, American Men Vol. 1, sold at concert venues, while Om Records also re-released The Next Step in 2001.

The group enjoyed a degree of success in the Los Angeles hip hop scene, including Thes One's participation in a beat battle against fellow Los Angeles recording artist will.i.am on April 25, 2002. Their third album, O.S.T., was released in June 2002. The album was again produced in Thes One's home by the duo and released on Om records. O.S.T. proved to be more complex than the group's first albums; the track "Montego Slay" used over 20 minuscule sections of music from Jamaican tourist souvenir records. The group also used live instrumentation for the first time on a release, enlisting Headnodic (of the Crown City Rockers and The Mighty Underdogs) to play electric bass. People Under the Stairs supported the release of O.S.T. by playing at the Reading and Leeds Festivals,[9] as well as the US Cali-Comm hip hop tour with Del the Funky Homosapien, KutMasta Kurt, Planet Asia, and the Lifesavas.[10]

The group's final album released under Om Records was 2003 ...Or Stay Tuned, though it was originally marketed and labeled as an EP release, due to contractual issues. The group would later reclassify the record a full-length release.

2004–2006: Side projects and Stepfather

In 2004, the group concluded their contract with Om Records. Thes One began work on a number of side projects, including co-founding

Fly School Reunion
, the debut album of Giant Panda.

In 2005, People Under the Stairs signed a deal with a smaller, local Los Angeles label, Basement Records, for domestic release of their next album, with overseas distribution by Tres Records. Just before the release of the album, the group grew annoyed by internet music piracy and peer-to-peer file sharing. In a move that was equal parts a precautionary measure and a joke aimed at over-eager fans, People Under the Stairs decided to leak a fake version of the album onto the internet in the month preceding the album's release in 2006. When the real album was released in April, Stepfather debuted at #32 on the Billboard Heatseaker Chart and #35 on the Billboard Independent Albums chart,[11] and the album was met with widespread positive reviews and received more coverage than the group's previous efforts.[12][13][14] The group made an effort to expand beyond sample-based hip.hop, using a broader, less-jazzy sound palate and inviting George Clinton to perform on an album interlude.

They toured the US through spring 2006, taking along the rock-rap group Gym Class Heroes as their opening act. In the summer and fall of 2006, the group embarked on another world tour, visiting Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Europe. For the Europe leg of the tour, they were accompanied by Giant Panda.

2007–2010: Fun DMC, The Om Years, and Carried Away

Following the release of Stepfather, Thes One released his debut solo album,

Bondi Beach. This was the group's first music video.[17] Om Records released a retrospective album, The Om Years
, including a bonus CD of B-sides and rarities.

People Under the Stairs finished recording in fall 2008 and released their new album,

South Central house party and barbecue, and used the ambient noise from the party to supplement the "daytime" songs on the new album.[19]

Following a nationwide tour of the US in support of the album, People Under the Stairs celebrated their 10-year anniversary with a sold-out show at the historic El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles. The performance was released on DVD the following year. The group would return to Om Records for their next record, Carried Away, which debuted at #5 on the iTunes hip hop charts and at #23 on the Billboard Heatseeker Charts.[20]

2011–2012: Highlighter, 12 Step Program and The Gettin' off Stage

Unsatisfied with their past record labels, Thes One made the decision after Carried Away to take complete control of the production process for the group's albums, releasing all new material under a new business entity, Piecelock 70. Thes One constructed a new recording facility in downtown Los Angeles.[21] Piecelock 70 released all subsequent People Under the Stairs albums, as well as material by other artists, including Headnodic, DJ Day and Doc Delay. Thes One made the decision to run Piecelock 70 under a worker cooperative business model, allowing associate artists to retain complete control over their output while sharing resources and using the label's facilities.[22]

On June 17, 2011, People Under the Stairs joined a large and eclectic group of musicians, including Girl Talk, Big Boi, Pretty Lights, Mac Miller, and Empire of the Sun, to kick off the inaugural Governor's Ball Music Festival in NYC.[23] While on stage at the show, they announced their subsequent album, Highlighter, released on September 30, 2011. This was the first album on the new Piecelock 70 label, Like Stepfather, the album was one of the more experimental releases for the group, employing alternate time-signatures, live instrumentation, and a string section. The album was received positively.[22][24]

In 2012, People Under the Stairs were invited by fellow Los Angeles hip hop musician (and highschool friend) Murs to play at a concert series in support of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.[25]

In January 2014, Thes One announced that People Under the Stairs' ninth full-length album would be titled 12 Step Program (also promoted as 12SP).[26] In April, the group released the music video for the lead single "1 Up Til Sun Up".[27] The album debuted at #56 on the iTunes charts, #7 on the iTunes rap charts,[28] #11 on the Billboard Heatseeker charts, and #33 on the Billboard R&B/Rap Album charts.[29] In 2015, the group revealed their tenth album would be a three-part EP comprising six songs each, titled The Gettin' Off Stage, which was released in November 2015.

2019–2021: Sincerely, The P, disbandment, and death of Double K

In February 2019, People Under the Stairs released their final album Sincerely, The P.[30] Thes One revealed on social media this would be their final album, marking 21 years in the music industry.

On January 30, 2021, Double K died, with the cause of death being alcohol poisoning.[31] Artists such as Chuck D, Questlove, RJD2, Open Mike Eagle, and Immortal Technique paid tribute to Double K through social media.[32]

Musical style and influences

Before the inception of People Under the Stairs, the group's members attended many

Public Enemy, and West Coast gangsta rap such as DJ Quik and Eazy-E
.

For the most part, the group avoided sociopolitical or activist themes,

electronic instrumentation, eventually giving college lectures on the subject.[33]

Legacy

Despite being considered underground and never having achieved breakout mainstream success, they have been lauded by many other acclaimed artists, including

Entourage, and the feature film Street Dreams
.

Discography

Main article: People Under the Stairs discography

Citations

  1. Allmusic
    . Retrieved 2014-02-26.
  2. ISBN 978-1-55652-816-3
    .
  3. Los Angeles Weekly
    . Retrieved 2014-02-23.
  4. ^ a b "People Under the Stairs' Double K". Urban Smarts. 2002-03-22. Retrieved 2014-02-23.
  5. ^ a b Nicholson, Peter (2002-08-21). "Keep on keepin' Om". San Francisco Bay Guardian. Retrieved 2014-02-23.
  6. ^ Ma, David (2009-11-27). "Out From Under: Interview With Thes One of PUTS". The Urb. Archived from the original on 2014-02-23. Retrieved 2014-02-23.
  7. ^ Deejmeister (2011-04-14). "People Under The Stairs – Show Review+Interview". Metrojolt. Archived from the original on 2012-01-16. Retrieved 2014-02-23.
  8. ^ "Essential Music Festival 2001". Songkick. Retrieved 2014-02-23.
  9. ^ "Reading Festival 2002". Reading Festival official website. Archived from the original on 2014-02-27. Retrieved 2014-02-23.
  10. ^ "West Coast Rappers Set For Cali-Comm Trek". Billboard. October 2002. Retrieved 2014-02-23.
  11. ^ "Stepfather Billboard Chart History"
  12. ^ "Music Review: People Under The Stairs - Stepfather".
  13. ^ Okayplayer Review Archived 2008-06-09 at the Wayback Machine
  14. ^ "Stepfather – People Under the Stairs | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2017-01-09.
  15. AllMusic
  16. URB. 2007-04-17. Archived from the original
    on 2014-02-28. Retrieved 2014-02-27.
  17. ^ "Latest News, 20 Sept 2008". Chesterfilm. 2008-09-30. Retrieved 2014-02-27.
  18. ^ Fun DMC Billboard Chart History.
  19. ^ Presenter: Oliver Wang (2011-09-13). "#15: Thes One of People Under The Stairs". The Sidebar.
  20. ^ Billboard Chart History for Carried Away.
  21. ^ Barna, Maxwell (2012-01-06). "Interview: People Under The Stairs". Pop Break. Retrieved 2014-03-05.
  22. ^ a b Justin (2011-10-17). "Thes One Discusses Aging In Hip Hop, Highlighter's HD Release And Piecelock 70, Part 1". KevinNottingham.com. Archived from the original on 2014-03-06. Retrieved 2014-03-05.
  23. ^ Bojalad, Alec (2011-06-20). "Girl Talk, Big Boi Ring In NYC's Inaugural Governors Ball". Billboard. Retrieved 2014-02-23.
  24. ^ Thes One (2011-09-30). "Highlighter. The first 24-bit HD-AAC album release. Ever". Piecelock 70. Retrieved 2014-03-05.
  25. ^ Crates, Jake (2012-07-20). "Concert Review: Murs Curates LACMA Concert Series with Ease; People Under the Stairs Rip the Stage". AllHipHop.com. Retrieved 2014-02-23.
  26. ^ "Instagram photo by thes one • Jan 28, 2014 at 8:56pm UTC". Archived from the original on 2021-12-24.
  27. ^ "People Under The Stairs – 1 Up Til Sun Up". YouTube. 2014-04-07. Archived from the original on 2021-12-13. Retrieved 2014-04-11.
  28. ^ "Instagram photo by thes one • May 6, 2014 at 3:56pm UTC". Archived from the original on 2021-12-24.
  29. ^ "People Under the Stairs – Chart history – Billboard". Billboard.
  30. ^ Ivey, Justin (31 January 2019). "People Under The Stairs Release Final Album "Sincerely, The P"". HipHopDX. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  31. ^ Wang, Olivier (26 January 2023). "A hip-hop sendoff like no other: How Thes One turned tragedy into an extraordinary album". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
  32. ^ "People Under The Stairs' Double K Has Died — Z-Trip, Open Mike Eagle & More Pay Tribute To An L.A. Rap Hero". HipHopDX. 2021-01-31. Retrieved 2021-01-31.
  33. ^ Portugal, Christopher (2011-10-27). "University of Oregon lecture, October 27, 2011". The Point of the Rhyme. Retrieved 2014-02-23.
  34. ^ Meara, Paul (2011-12-28). "People Under The Stairs Speak On Touring With Mac Miller, "Wonderful Radio"". Hip Hop DX. Retrieved 2014-02-23.
  35. ^ Presenters: KB and Murdoch (2009-10-13). "People Under The Stairs interview". Subsoniq Radio. XM Satellite Radio.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=People_Under_the_Stairs&oldid=1210979355"