Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E.

Originally formed by six brothers of Samoan lineage in Los Angeles, the Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E. delivered an unfiltered strain of gangsta rap rooted in lived experience. The Devoux siblings—Paul (Ganxsta Ridd), Ted (the Godfather), Donald (Don L), Roscoe (Rosco), Danny (O.M.B.), and David (E.K.A.)—were raised by a Baptist minister in a tough area that steered them toward gang life with the Mob Piru Bloods. Each brother eventually served time for drug or weapons offenses, yet the fatal shooting of sibling Robert Devoux prompted them to abandon that path entirely. They relocated abruptly to Japan, staying with a sumo-wrestling cousin, where they created the Blue City Crew rap-and-dance ensemble and drew strong crowds at local shows.

Heartened by that reception, the group headed back to Los Angeles in 1988 and began crafting their own tracks, putting out the 12-inch “Coming Hard to America” before year’s end. They adopted the name Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E., the opening phrase echoing slang for a shotgun blast that later became an exuberant exclamation, while the acronym stood for Too Rough International Boo-Yaa Empire. Following a cameo on Club Nouveau’s “No Friend of Mine,” they joined Island’s 4th & Broadway roster and issued their first album, New Funky Nation, in 1990. The record drew notice for its live-band approach, yielded the modest single “Psyko Funk,” and reached the R&B album chart’s upper half. A follow-up, Good Times Bad Times, was tracked in 1992 with George Clinton, Ice Cube, and Living Colour contributing, though the project stayed unreleased despite the group’s well-received Lollapalooza performances that summer. In 1993 they joined Faith No More for “Another Body Murdered,” featured on the Judgment Night soundtrack amid other metal-rap pairings.

Moving to Bullet Proof Records, they released Doomsday in 1994 and Occupation Hazardous in 1995; by then Danny had become Monsta O, Roscoe answered to Murder One, and Donald used Kobra Konvict or simply Kobra. Seeking fresh territory, they launched Samoan Mafia Records and explored rap-metal with 1997’s Angry Samoans, which attracted scant notice. Mafia Lifestyle surfaced in 2000, carrying guest turns from Layzie Bone, Yukmouth, and Naughty by Nature’s Treach. David Devoux had exited by then, replaced by Vincent Devoux (Gawtti). Gawtti secured a brief yet striking part in the 2003 feature The Italian Job, and the group gained further exposure when Eminem appeared on West Koasta Nostra, issued via Sarinjay and helmed by Battlecat. Three years afterward the all-metal Angry Samoans arrived. Danny Devoux, also known as O.M.B. and Monsta O, passed away on October 12, 2022, at age 56.