Biography
Downset originated in late-'80s Los Angeles, where the city’s still-thriving hardcore scene provided the backdrop for the group’s initial formation. Their early approach fused rap, funk, hardcore punk, heavy metal, and socially conscious lyrics, yet they soon broadened the palette and dropped the pointed moniker Social Justice. The lineup featured vocalist Rey Oropeza, guitarists Ares Schwager and Rogelio “Roy” Lozano—the latter also serving as Cypress Hill’s touring guitarist—bassist James Morris, and drummer Chris Lee. Long before rap/rock hybrids achieved mainstream success, Downset had refined their stark, city-centric variant of the style, releasing a self-titled debut on Polygram in 1994. Their sophomore effort, Do We Speak a Dead Language?, followed in 1996, after which label complications stemming from a Polygram-Universal merger stalled work on a third record. The band later signed with Epitaph, delivering Check Your People in late 2000; four years afterward came Universal.
Albums
