New York City-based rap-rock ensemble Fun Lovin' Criminals fuse gritty, frequently satirical songwriting with an eclectic mix of alternative rock, blues, jazz, Latin soul, and hip-hop. Their breakthrough arrived via the 1996 single "Scooby Snacks," featured on the platinum-certified debut Come Find Yourself. Decades later the group continues to command a devoted global audience, evidenced by the U.K. and German chart success of later full-lengths such as Loco (2001), Livin' in the City (2005), and Classic Fantastic (2010). Multiple personnel shifts, a live recording, and assorted anthologies paved the way for the EPs The Roosevelt Sessions (2022) and The Capistrano Sessions (2023).
Bassist Brian "Fast" Leiser and drummer Steve Borgovini launched the project in 1993 after meeting as students in Syracuse; initially they pursued techno before relocating to New York City and recruiting vocalist/guitarist Huey Morgan. The sharply attired, quick-witted trio cultivated a loyal hometown following through vivid storytelling and quintessential N.Y.C. swagger. Signing with EMI in 1996 yielded Come Find Yourself, whose "Scooby Snacks"—built on samples from several Quentin Tarantino films—emerged as a major alternative-radio success, cracking the Top 40 in the U.S., U.K., Australia, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. The following year the band supported U2 on stateside dates of the Popmart tour. Eighteen months afterward they delivered 100% Colombian; across Europe the tracks "Love Unlimited" and "Korean Bodega" became instant smashes, though they fared less favorably on American college radio. The 1999 collection Mimosa—comprising rarities, B-sides, remixes, and covers—met with tepid reviews, precipitating Borgovini’s exit. Mackie Jayson came aboard prior to Loco, which climbed to number five on the U.K. chart in 2001.
Against the band’s preferences, EMI released the 2002 anthology Bag of Hits, prompting a switch to Sanctuary. Frank Benbini supplanted Jayson in 2003 and appeared on the moderately successful 2005 set Welcome to Poppy’s. That same year Livin’ in the City arrived as an affectionate tribute to New York, while Classic Fantastic surfaced in 2010 on the group’s own Kilohertz imprint.
During a subsequent hiatus, with Huey Morgan establishing himself as a BBC 6music DJ, the remaining members performed occasional festival and club shows; they did not reconvene in the studio until 2018. Those sessions produced Another Mimosa, issued early in 2019, which revisited earlier material, incorporated covers of Neil Diamond and the Notorious B.I.G., and introduced one new composition. Morgan departed officially in 2021, after which Leiser assumed lead vocals. Guitarist Naim Cortazzi joined in time for The Roosevelt Sessions EP, promoted via a U.K. and European tour in 2022. A follow-up EP, The Capistrano Sessions, appeared the next year.
