Souls Of Mischief
Part of Del Tha Funkee Homosapien's Oakland-based Heiroglyphics enclave, Souls Of Mischief debuted with some panache on their 1993 album. With samples drawn from a selction of artists as diverse as Grover Washington, Curtis Mayfield and Main Source, it demonstrated their ability to blend mellow beats without the jive pimp talk so readily available in their neck of the woods from Too Short. The group comprises Tajal (b. c.1977), A-Plus (b. c.1976), Opio (b. c.1976) and Phesto (b. c.1977). Their recording career began when Del's cousin, Ice Cube, sorted him out with a recording contract, he in turn suggesting the Souls Of Mischief should be next up. They recorded a song with Del entitled Burnt (featured on the b-side to Mistadobalina), from whence they were spotted. Tajal and A-Plus were kickin' lyrics alongside label-mate Spice-I while still in eighth grade, and their vocal dexterity was a standout feature on their debut album, with combatitive rhymes overlaying the production work of A-Plus, Del, and Heiroglyphics production guru, Domino. This group certainly operate well together, hardly suprising since: ‘We all went to the same elementary school, junior high, and most of us went into the same high school’.