In 108's world, the battles are waged somewhere between the music and the streets. The hardcore rap trio hails from Logan Square, one of the grittiest enclaves on the north side of Chicago. With a crime rate far higher than the city average, gangbanging, hustling, rape and murder are a way of life in Logan Square. These harsh realities are reflected in 108's music -- abrasive hood-hop tales set to beats that clap like drive-by shootings. In its bid for rap stardom, 108 has endured setbacks, hardships, and personal tragedy as the group walked the line between growing fame and the lure of the streets. It's a struggle that has not yet ended.
108 formed in nearly ten years ago at Steinmetz High School. The group consisted of Noiz, Big EZ, Ace Mac, Napps, Heata, and anyone else who happened by the after-school sessions at Noiz's basement studio. “When it started it consisted of three MCs, and then four MCs, and then five MCs,” Big EZ remembers. “It was like the Gremlins. You put water on them, they start popping out everywhere.”
Initially, the group had few serious ambitions; it was an excuse to get together, hang out, and have a good time. “It was a hobby,” Noiz recalls. “That's what we would do after school -- go to the crib and make some music. We was just bullshitting, and motherfuckers were like, 'Ya'll should step it up, ya'll got the potential to be somebody.' So that kind of gave everybody a little motivation. And we just started going at it.”
The group dubbed itself 108 -- tax on the dollar in Chicago at the time -- and began writing in earnest, developing real songs instead of just freestyling and clowning around. As 108 pondered its future more seriously, members came and went. Three notable recruits were Rope 30, Sonny Black, and Mr. Chicago, all of whom added fuel to the group's growing fire. 108 made its live debut in the spring of 2006 and practically tore down the club. Encouraged, the band spent six months recording its first CD, 108 La Familia The Mixtape Vol 1.
La Familia was an ambitious group effort that featured ten MCs on 18 tracks, with Rope 30, Big EZ, and Ace Mac assuming prominent roles, and Noiz producing about 75% of the music. Sonny Black cropped up on only three numbers, but his deadly turn on “Watch Yo Mouth” grew to be among 108's most popular live cuts. Key tracks such as “Thumperz Out” and “Bass Move Ya” were instant hood classics, brimming with memorable hooks and jackrabbit rhymes that pulsated with confidence and intensity. The group paid tribute to its hometown on “LS Logan Square,” and gave the ladies a genuine loverman classic with “Let Me Know.” The old-school hip hop flavor of “Feel Good Music” convincingly demonstrated that 108 was capable of far more than hardcore gangsta rap.
By late 2006, 108 was on top of the world. There was a buzz on the streets and the CD was a hit. In a few short months, the group sold or gave away nearly 5,000 copies of its debut. The clubs played its signature songs nonstop, and the disc bumped from trunks around the city. “The response on this shit was just crazy,” Noiz remembers “It started off with 1000 CDs to I need to re-up. Almost like the street business with drugs.”
Fans packed 108's live shows, which quickly gained a reputation for their power and high energy. Before long, hardcore fans were showing up at the concerts with freshly inked 108 tattoos of various designs, singing along to every song at top volume.
Despite these successes, the group was unable to completely escape the lure of the streets. They were neighborhood superstars, still living on the same blocks and running across the same characters and shady situations they always had. Between recording sessions and shows, various 108 members were gangbanging, dealing drugs and weapons, and getting arrested. Local message boards were filled with gossip and wild stories about gun fights and drunken club brawls. This only enhanced the group's growing reputation and cemented its street credentials. 108 was more popular than ever.
“We was just about to win,” Big EZ recalls. “We was just about to go to the top of the hurdle and wave goodbye to everyone. And then boom, a bomb just dropped on us.”
That bomb was Rope 30, who died of a gunshot wound to the head on May 8, 2007. 108 was shattered by the loss, distancing itself from everyone except for its inner circle and debating whether or not to continue. There was infighting, bickering, and heated talks that went nowhere.
Some wanted to persevere, to carry on for Rope 30. Others wanted to quit music altogether and return to the streets full time. Everyone was pissed off, hurting, and barely able to comprehend that their dream was crumbling before them. Keeping the band together and focused would be harder than ever without Rope, who was described as the “foot in the ass” of 108, the guy who kept everyone pushing towards their future goals and plans.
Somehow, over time, things slowly turned around, and 108 opted to carry on in Rope's honor. Rope could never be replaced, but the group recruited a 17-year-old wunderkind named Epidemik who breathed new life into 108 with a swag that had some swearing he must be a one of Rope's distant cousins.
“We had to start over from fresh and it was horrible,” Big EZ admits. “But we started fresh with a whole new idea, a whole new format, a whole new member, a whole new vibe. This is a brotherhood. We gonna keep on going.”
108 now consists of the survivors -- Big EZ, Sonny Black, and Epidemik, with Noiz manning the boards and leading the way. The group has been holed up, working, recording, preparing and plotting for worldwide takeover. But the pull of the streets is stronger than ever, and rumors have circulated that the group has not fully abandoned its darker impulses and habits.
Whether 108 can leave the streets once and for all and focus completely on the music game remains to be seen. In a rap world filled with posers, imitators, and wannabes, originality is scarce. We need 108 more than ever. Let's hope they can make it out of the hood alive before they're able to live up to their initial promise.
-- Geoff Harkness
108 ARTIST108 WEBSITE108 MypaceBIG EZEPIDEMIKMR.CHICAGONOIZROPE30SONNY BLACK
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