The underdog has always existed. In Hip Hop, we have seen underdogs go through unfair pitfalls and spats with labels and seen some of them suffer from undeserved anonymity. Although crate diggers know who these basement legends are, the mainstream world may never learn. Still, sometimes light shines through the basement and the unfair is made fair by allowing balance to prevail. Even though great acts never receive the shine they deserve, some manage to grab hold of the spotlight to truly put on a show.

The Show, a new album from a new group, The EMC, is a highly anticipated LP created by some of the industry’s most heavily touted emcees. So, this new group is anything but new. Actually, the industry’s been buzzing about this for quite some time. This is, in large part, due to the success of each group member as a solo act. The cast for the show has already been making history.

Wordsworth has been a critically acclaimed emcee from the jump. A college graduate, talented writer, sketch comedy actor (MTV’s Lyricist Lounge), solo rapper (Mirror Music) and longtime favorite in the battle circuit, Words has been receiving accolades for years and has used this to help others excel as well.

“Words brought the work ethic to the table. When he wasn't [in the booth,] he was calling producers up to send us beats and staying on top of things,” notes Punch.

Punchline, who has also been doing his thing, is a member of the group as well. As Punch N’ Words, this duo was formidable, creating a frenzy with The Lyricist Lounge, performing and rhyming alongside Mos Def, Talib Kweli and A Tribe Called Quest. Now, as members of a larger crew, The EMC, they continue to provide the chemistry that made their duo popular, while also bringing something unique to the table.

“Punch says things that shock you and [he’s] uncut and direct,” Words says, describing Punch’s abilities.

Punch N’ Words added Stricklin to the cast. Strick, who hit the mixtape circuit with a fury after a brief stint with Tommy Boy Records, earned respect through the usual grind. After various tracks and verses, he landed a spot on Masta Ace’s last two solo albums. This garnered attention from Punch N’ Words who toured with Ace.

“After that verse he did on Ace’s album Disposable Arts, that’s when I knew he was nice. Wasn't till we went on the road that I got to see how good he was,” says Punch about what struck him most regarding Strick.

Wordsworth, Punchline and Stricklin. The three members carry weight. Alone, the trio could potentially release an underground album that would surely be applauded. All three carry critical praise as is, and having a crew like that would be an independent rap fan’s dream. But, many still felt there was a piece missing; an important piece that would change the entire group by adding much needed experience and guidance.

That important piece to the puzzle came in the form of Masta Ace.

“[Ace] wanted to play label head and oversee the project’s vision and sound,” Punch says before adding that Ace simply couldn’t resist. “You can't be an emcee and be around music and expect not to want to spit a few verses on something.”

Ace, the leader of The EMC, has been in the game for decades and has seen 20 years of the industry’s history first hand. After witnessing legendary ups and natural downs, solo records, historic cuts, group projects, classic or near classic albums and his fair share of battles, he was time tested and ready to lead.

“Ace has the leadership qualities because he has more experience. So, we let him hone this project because he knew which direction we should go in. He made sure he made the right decisions for us, but he also heard us out before making the decision,” Words notes, which is something Punch echoes. “Ace brought the concept and guidance to the project. Being [that] he's the one that made more albums than us, he took the lead in this situation. So, a majority of the concepts and beat picking was Ace,” Punch explains as Strick adds his piece. “We all in the same car together. We all going to the same place. But, Ace is driving.”

With Ace behind the wheel, the crew was finalized. As the “super group” term was shot out to describe them, it seemed natural for these four emcees to unite.

”I think it made sense. First of all, there’s camaraderie we have. We went on tour initially in 2001, without it being a group. We were all together and it was just a natural thing to do. We had already been on the road together and we were all on Ace’s album. So, when Ace had shows, we’d get together and interact. Plus, it’s a great launching pad for everybody else, being that Ace is going more towards the back to oversee everybody’s projects,” says Words regarding to the origin of the crew.

While camaraderie played a role in bringing the emcees together, a bigger force acted as a catalyst. Continued on page 2 »