The underground hip-hop outfit
People Under the Stairs was formed by
Mike Turner (
Double K) and
Chris Portugal (
Thes One), who met on the fringe of L.A.'s late-'90s hip-hop underground. The duo, devoted to jazzy samples, danceable beats, intricate rhyming skills, and laid-back humor, debuted in 1998 with the acclaimed
The Next Step and followed it up in 2000 with
Question in the Form of an Answer. Gathering heavy praise and touring with
De La Soul, the group took their road experiences and brought it to the studio to record their next album. The final results appeared in the summer of 2002 under the name
O.S.T. Busy with individual side projects, the next
People Under the Stairs album,
Stepfather, didn't come out for another four years. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide