K Solo

K Solo, born Keith Elam in 1969, came up in Los Angeles. His debut album 'Time's Up' arrived in 1994, anchored by the single 'Your Mom's In My Business,' which got attention for its blunt, confrontational style. That track, along with others like 'I Can't Hold It Back' and 'Letterman,' defined his early sound, straightforward raps about street life without much polish.

He kept putting out records through the '90s, including 'Eastside Story' in 1996 and 'A.E.O.N. (Artistic Elevation of Nothing)' in 1998. Songs such as 'Tales From The Crack Side' and 'Who's Killing Who?' continued in that vein, dealing plainly with violence and hardship. His lyrics were often explicit, which led to some radio bans and criticism, but he didn't really shift his approach.

While he worked with a few other West Coast artists like DJ Quik and MC Eiht, his music stayed largely a solo affair. There wasn't a big reinvention or mainstream breakthrough after those first records, just more of the raw, neighborhood-focused raps he'd started with.