Toronto-based production unit Da Grassroots has been working as a group since late 1989. Comprised of producers Mr. Attic, Mr. Murray and Swiff, the group spent their early years doing production work for a variety of people in Toronto's hip-hop community, most notably Ghetto Concept. They issued their first 12" single in 1995 on Black Employed Records, "Drama" b/w "Living Underwater" and then divided their time between working independently on side projects and cooking up their first full-length album, Passage Through Time, which came out on Conception/Nu Groove Alliance in 1999. Passage Through Time featured many of the stars of the Toronto scene: Arcee, Saukrates, Choclair, Fatski, the Turnstylez Djs, Mr. Roam, Thrust, Ghetto Concept, Marvell, G-Knight, Redlife and more -- showing off the connections that Da Grassroots made during their award-winning years behind the scenes. The result is an album that has a variety of textures and atmospheres, yet remains very rooted in traditional hip-hop style. (AMG)
