Tha Alkaholiks

Producer and MC E-Swift and rappers J-Ro and Tash won attention as Tha Alkaholiks with their debut album '21 & Over' in 1993. They gained a reputation as an entertaining live band but failed to garner widespread attention and went off the radar following their 2008 album 'Live from Rehab'.

Their original name in 1991 was Educated Street Poets but they were obliged to change it because of other acts named ESP. They became Tha Alkaholiks (sometimes Tha Liks) and their first release was heralded as a definitive California party album. With clever, jokey lyrics and raucous rock beats, they took an irreverent approach to hip-hop that pleased audiences but failed to win big record sales. They persevered with the albums 'Coast II Coast' (1995), 'Likwidation' (1997), 'X.O. Experience' (2001), and 'Firewater' (2006) and earned critical praise without achieving mainstream attention.

They re-emerged in 2011 with a concert in Switzerland followed in 2012 with a show in Germany. They returned to America that year with two appearances in California and through 2016 gave performances in Germany, Australia and their homeland. They kicked off an American tour in March 2017 and on their Facebook page said a new album and a feature documentary film titled 'Who Are Tha Alkaholiks?' are in the works.