Outerspace

Outerspace set out to revive the underground hip-hop circuit in Philadelphia by delivering intense rhymes over rugged beats, despite frequent assumptions that the act represented some distant, eccentric rap collective. Their tight ties to scene mainstay Jedi Mind Tricks supplied the perfect vehicle for that goal. Crypt the Warchild and Planetary, both raised amid the north Philly streets, had been inseparable friends since childhood, with their families already acquainted before either was born. They began experimenting with rhymes when Crypt was 11 and Planetary was 13, yet waited until high school to pursue the craft with real commitment. Repeated encounters with Jedi Mind Tricks MC Vinnie Paz at monthly showcases and underground venues eventually led them to his label, Superegular Recordings, in the late '90s. Paz issued their debut single, "We Lyve," in 1998, while their first thematic project, the Illegaliens EP, surfaced on Wordsound Recordings in 1999 and revealed further elements of their Puerto Rican heritage. Outerspace kept surfacing on Jedi Mind Tricks releases throughout the early 2000s and joined Paz's collective Army of the Pharaohs. After relocating to Babygrande Records alongside Jedi, the duo issued its first full-length album, Blood and Ashes, in July 2004. For the follow-up, Crypt and Planetary enlisted outside voices such as Royce da 5'9" and Sheek Louch (of the LOX) on Blood Brothers, which arrived in September 2006.