Eligh

An outside-of-the-box MC and producer, Eligh was an important contributor to the development of Cali's hip-hop underground in the mid- to late '90s as he helped construct the sound of his crew, the Living Legends, with his productions. His inspiration for making hip-hop music came in the mid-'80s from the cult classic Beat Street and the LL Cool J cut "I'm Bad." In high school, the Los Angeles-born rapper/producer co-founded a hip-hop duo with MC Scarub called the Boogalu Badboys, but when they crossed paths with another eager rapper, Murs, the three became 3 Melancholy Gypsys (or 3MG). However, Eligh was eventually evicted from his aunt and uncle's home, forcing him to move from L.A. up north to the Bay Area. There, he met aspiring underground rapper the Grouch, which ultimately led to 3MG's incorporation into the Living Legends. Combining his dogged work ethic with the Legends' D.I.Y. approach, Eligh issued almost a dozen LPs within the span of ten years, not...