Heltah Skeltah

Affiliates of Boot Camp Clik, the duo Heltah Skeltah earned strong notice for their first album Nocturnal in 1996 yet found it difficult to sustain that momentum on later releases, even after issuing the solid follow-up Magnum Force in 1998. Brooklyn rappers Ruck and Rock initially formed two-thirds of Fab Five alongside O.G.C., also known as the Originoo Gunn Clappaz, and the collective achieved underground success with the track "Leflaur Leflah Eshkoshka." The collective disbanded in 1996 so its members could pursue individual projects on Duck Down Records, resulting in Heltah Skeltah's Nocturnal and O.G.C.'s Da Storm. Nocturnal received greater praise than its counterpart, turning the duo into a modest underground favorite recognized chiefly for a style that blended vocal creativity with unyielding hardcore delivery. Their appearances on Boot Camp Clik's For the People in 1997 extended that positive attention, yet when Heltah Skeltah issued Magnum Force in 1998 the earlier excitement had faded and the album received only lukewarm response, due in part to a softening of their hardcore stance. After this modest setback the pair kept a low profile and received no invitation to participate in Boot Camp Clik's long-awaited next project, The Chosen Few in 2002.