KAM

With its overt sociopolitical stance, somewhat rare for a West Coast rapper, Kam’s angst-ridden hardcore rap went largely unappreciated throughout the ’90s, despite an early affiliation with Ice Cube. His releases appeared sporadically, debuting first on the Boyz N the Hood soundtrack, then releasing his first solo album, Neva Again (1993, Atlantic), followed by a largely ignored sophomore release, Made in America (1995, East West). He then took some time off in the late ’90s to pursue other interests before returning in 2001 on the indie Hard Tyme Records with Kamnesia, an ambitious comeback that found him bringing a slight club-friendly appeal to his hardcore rhymes. ~ Jason Birchmeier