Emerging in 1995, the Lordz Of Brooklyn displayed clear influence from fellow New York, USA white rappers the Beastie Boys on their striking debut album All In The Family. Italian heritage and lyrics reflecting a preference for the 1950s over 1990s gang themes distinguished the group. They chose their name to signal strong allegiance to Brooklyn, and nearly every track presented ordinary stories drawn from growing up in the borough. The lineup comprised five members: lead rapper Kaves (b. Mike McLeer), his brother and producer AdMoney aka ADM (b. Adam McLeer), Scotty Edge, Dino Bottz, and Paulie 2Times. Their first single, ‘Saturday Nite Fever’, embodied the album’s overall method by referencing the Robert De Niro and Quentin Tarantino approach to urban cinema while sampling the Bee Gees’ ‘Staying Alive’ alongside the rap staple Schoolly D’s ‘Saturday Night’. Rough yet functional musical elements, comparable to DJ Muggs’ productions with Cypress Hill or Everlast’s work with House Of Pain, strengthened the gritty, unadorned collages depicting second-generation immigrant working-class life. Kaves, a renowned graffiti artist, had earlier served as warm-up man for House Of Pain, and the Lordz Of Brooklyn later joined Everlast on several projects. The vinyl EP The Lordz Of Brooklyn Meet Bumpy Knuckles appeared in 2000 on the group’s own Landspeed Records label. By the early 00s only the McLeer brothers remained from the original members, guiding the act toward a stronger rock orientation. The 2003 album Graffiti Roc gathered several recent releases and featured live instrumentation. The McLeers renamed the group the Lordz for the 2006 release The Brooklyn Way.
