Highlight on Running Rebels

Let's give some highlight to this group called Running Rebels... you can listen to one of their demos entitled "Theezz Nuts" on the Smoke Flavors mixtape that was recently dropped by DJ OG-S & Fatcap. 

Running Rebels was a group from the South Bronx comprised of Uptown, Snoop, Ill Phill (RIP), Junie, K Off & Dammien (RIP). They formed the group in 1991 and they recorded a 3-Track demo tape around 1991-1992 that was uploaded on Skylar's youtube channel a few years ago.

Running Rebels was one of those bands that had real potential but completely disappeared from the indie hip-hop music scene. Those tracks are the only official material recorded by the group. Recently I was in contact with Uptown who was down to answer a few questions :

Uptown, Do you remember where the name Running Rebels comes from ? is there a story behind this name ?

Uptown : " The Running Rebels was a name Phill gave me, Snoop and Dammien because at that time we were very wild and didn't give a fuck about nothing so that's where the name came from. "

Could you tell me how the connection happened between all the members ?

Uptown : " My connection came from battle rapping in high school that's where I met a young MC, which was Sammy a.k.a Snoop. So I started mentoring him, making him write every day until he got nice like me. So we formed a group called 2 the Hardway. Now it was time for us to start recording songs that we were writing that's how we met the late ill Phil which was the one making the beats. Phill had his own thing going already with his boy Junie and they had an ill MC named K Off, he was nice. So me and Snoop would go to the crib to pre produce our music before going to the actual studio, so one day Phill people's Johnny brought his which was the late Dammien to the crib to record their own song the same day me and Snoop, Junie and K Off were there. So Phill just threw this new beat he just made on and told everyone to write a verse to it, it came out dope (Rebels Kick Da Phat Shit) and that's how the group was formed on 154st Elton ave. "

Did you try to sign with a record label after that ?

Uptown : " Absolutely but as a solo artist years after that. At that time we almost got signed but the people managing us was more worried about how to jerk us that they tucked everything up. I was only 18 at that time with no knowledge of the business part of the game. "

Have you ever thought of releasing your old demos on vinyl nowadays ?

Uptown : " I don't have access to those demos that was many moons ago, it's only 4 members alive me included and it was Junie that found of our demo songs on YouTube... "

You'll understand that there's practically no chance of seeing a vinyl reissue of these demos... it's a shame because the 3 demos were good quality in my opinion.

For the story, in 1992 Running Rebels were in a showcase that was held in Cami Hall, they were introduced and went up against Ruck and Rock of Heltah Skeltah right before they got put on, they came in 2nd place that year. 

Mad Props to Uptown, thanks for your time.