Strong Arm Steady

Los Angeles outfit Strong Arm Steady, made up of Xzibit, Krondon, Phil the Agony, and Mitchy Slick, chose an unconventional path when first presenting themselves to audiences. Rather than lead with a full-length album, the group dropped a 2004 DVD compiling performance footage, studio sessions, and everyday interactions, on the strength of earlier mixtapes that had already established them locally.

A debut album, Arms & Hammers, had been slated for 2005 release through Xzibit’s Columbia-backed Open Bar imprint, yet the project collapsed. The remaining members then aligned with Talib Kweli’s newly launched Blacksmith Music after Xzibit departed without stating his reasons. A string of singles on Blacksmith preceded a move to Stones Throw, where in-house producer Madlib shaped the well-received In Search of Stoney Jackson.

The 2011 album Arms & Hammers took a more conventional hip-hop approach, drawing on multiple producers and guest spots from Too Short and the Game. Stereotype followed in 2012 and was widely regarded as a sequel to the Madlib collaboration, with East Coast producer Statik Selektah handling the entire project.