THE YEAR IS 2001 WHEN ABAN, FORMER EMCEE OF THE LUPIAE SQUAD OF LECCE, MEETS TACCO (A Veteran of the Italian Hip Hop Community ), ONE OF THE HOTTEST PRODUCERS TO DATE IN ITALY.THEY FIRST MEET IN PERUGIA AND THEY IMMEDIATLEY UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER ON AN ARTISTIC LEVEL, AFTER THE FIRST COLLABORATIONS THEY DECIDE TO WORK TOGETHER AND THUG TEAM IS FOUNDED. THEIR MISSION IS TO BRING REAL HIP HOP TO THE MAP, AND THEY DO IT WITH RAW RAP MUSIC, REALITY RAP, SHOWIN HE PEOPLE WHATS REALLY GOING ON IN THEIR COUNTRY.A LOT OF PEOPLE RELATE TO THEIR MUSIC, BECAUSE THEY ALSO WENT THROUGH THE SAME STRUGGLE. IN LATE 2002 THEY PRESENT THEIR DEBUT ALBUM CALLED "LUCi E OMBRE"
THE PRIME MISSION WAS TO INTRODUCE THUG TEAM TO ALL THE HIP HOP HEADZ IN ITALY, MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. IN 2003 TWO NEW MEMBERS JOIN THE TEAM, BRIGANTE AND NIZAR, WITH NIZAR, WHOSE ORIGINS ARE ARABIC, THEY REACH EVEN MORE HEADS IN ITALY, COMBINING ITALIAN RAP WITH RAW ARABIC RHYMES THEY FIND THEIR OWN UNIQUE STYLE. ALMOST 6 MONTHS AFTER THE RELEASE OF LUCi E OMBRE, AND TOURING THROUGH ITALY, THEY ALREADY ARE RESPECTED FROM GERMANY TO THE ISLAND OF SICILY, PARTECIPATING AT ALL THE BIG HIP HOP AND BATTLE EVENTS. EVERY SHOW THEY ROCK, THEY GET MORE FANS, AND THE SUCCSESS ALLOWS THEM TO ORGANIZE SHOWS, AND BRING AMERICAN ARTISTS TO ITALY, SOME OF THEM FOR THE FIRST TIME ( AFU-RA, SLUM VILLAGE) WHILE WORKING ON NEW MATERIAL, THEY ESTABLISH THEIR STATUS IN ITALIAN RAP INDUSTRY, GAINING RESPECT FROM MOST OF THE TOP RAP ARTISTS IN ITALY, THEY COLLABORATE WITH THE ITALIANS RAP ELITE FOR THUG TEAMS SECOND ALBUM. THE FIRST SINGLE OFF THE ALBUM "STRATEGIE" IS A COLLABORATION WITH SUD SOUND SYSTEM, ITALYS MOST FAMOUS REGGAE CREW. THE SINGLE IS CALLED "IL CERCHIO" AND GETS HEAVY AIRPLAY NATIONWIDE.
THUG TEAM STILL KEEPS IT REAL WITH THEIR FORMULA OF REAL HIP HOP, REALITY RELATED RHYMES, AND POWERFUL LIVE PERFOMANCES.
