Gunshot

Emerging from London's East End in 1989, Gunshot ranked among the capital's earliest hardcore rap ensembles and took shape around the abilities of MC Alkaline, MC Mercury, Barry Blue, and DJ White Child Rix. Unexpectedly robust sales met initial singles such as "Battle Street Brawl" on Vinyl Solution, leading to the 1993 release of their first album, Patriot Games. That record's U.K. chart entry and a subsequent European tour affirmed the group's standing as Britain's premier hardcore act. A move to the Bristol-based Words of Warning label yielded the strongest reviews of their career in 1997 with Twilights Last Gleaming. Their third full-length, International Rescue, arrived after a three-year interval.