Digital Underground September 2, 2012

Digital Underground is an alternative rap group from Oakland, California. Although the band has seen a steadily rotating cast throughout its career, its leader has always been Greg "Shock G" Jacobs (also known as Humpty Hump). Shock G formed Digital Underground in 1987 with Jimi "Chopmaster J" Dright of Berkeley, California and Tampa hip-hop radio DJ Kenneth "Kenny-K" Waters. The band built most of its music from Parliament-Funkadelic samples and developed a similarly weird sense of style and humor, highlighted by Shock G's outrageous costumes and the whole band's parade of alter egos. This distinctive style set the band apart from the prevailing hardcore and gangsta rap sounds of the late '80s and early '90s. Digital Underground toured almost every year from 1990 until 2008, performing hundreds of live shows in Europe, Japan, Canada, Australia and the U.S. Although Shock G and Ron "Money B" Brooks appeared on every album during the band's tenure, various characters and voices from around the U.S. have made guest appearances, including David "DJ Fuze" Elliott and Jeremy "J-Beats" Jackson. The group's latest studio effort and first release in 10 years, 'Cuz a D.U. Party Don't Stop!,' dropped in May 2008.