Dilated Peoples

Dilated Peoples have made a career out of reinventing the familiar.

Though the Los Angeles hip-hop trio would not release their first album, The Platform, until 2000, they were a known quantity in their hometown’s underground scene for years beforehand.

The group’s MCs, Rakaa Iriscience and Evidence (who also handles some production), met doing graffiti on L.A.’s Westside and were soon joined by DJ Babu, a member of the legendary Beat Junkies DJ collective.