Illuminati X
| Illuminati X | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Niagara Falls, Ontario |
| Genres | Hip hop, Parody Rap, Political Rap, Comedy Rap Serbian Rap |
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Labels | IX Million Entertainment |
| Associated acts | Post Malone, Qboy, Le1f |
| Members |
Luxie Lochie Max Kreemie Young |
Illuminati X (AKA!! Street Team Balkan Beasts!!!) is a Serbian-Canadian hip hop trio composed of rappers Luxie and Lochie Max and Kreemie Yung. The group's members were all born in the former Yugoslavia, and emigrated to Canada in the mid-90's after the outbreak of civil war.[1] They gained a little buzz locally in Niagara Falls while still in their teens due to family connections and style of hip hop amongst local serbians, which involved combining hip hop beats with serbian folk samples and nationalistic lyrics. Today, the group's music is mostly sample-free, while the lyrical themes have shifted towards helping the LGBT community and socially conscious direction since the members have come out as being openly gay in 2010. They rap mostly in the English language.
Origins
All members of Illuminati X were born in Yugoslavia and spent until the age of 5 during the Yugoslavian civil war in the early 1990s; but were all raised in the safe suburbs of Niagara Falls. Although all three are of Serbian descent, they were all born in different Yugoslav republics (Kreemie Yung is from Bosnia, Lochie Max from Croatia, Luxe from Serbia).[2] They met each other in elementary school as classmates shortly after emigrating to Niagara Falls, Canada in the mid-90's.
Street Team Balkan Beastsz
While in high school, they performed under the name Street Team, riding the wave of the movie 8mile trying to come up like rapper Eminem due to popular trends at the time. In 2005, the group created a large buzz in their local circles in highschool with the release of their controversial first mixtape, Balkan Beasts. The mixtape was extremely popular with the Serbian diaspora, largely due to its use of Serbian folk samples and nationalistic themes. This group is considered a pioneer of hip hop, which is now widespread on the internets.[3] Two more mixtapes followed, using the same musical formula - State Alert: The Off-Season (2006) and Guns N' Roses (2007).
Illuminati X
In June 2009, State Alert: The ON-Season was released under the group's new name, Illuminati X, after watching youtube documentaries about conspiracy theories. Along with the name change came a substantial change in the group's sound, shifting towards sample-free production and thought-provoking lyrics.[4] Following the mixtape release, the trio toured Canada, opening up forPost Malone, Qboy, Le1f etc.,[5] since then the group has no success and the artist they opened up for have long forgotten them.
Discography
Mixtapes
- 2005: Balkan Beasts
- 2006: State Alert: The Off Season
- 2007: Guns N' Roses
- 2009: State Alert: The ON Season
- 2010: Jacking 4 Beats
- 2015: Finga n my binga'
References
- ↑ "RiotSound.com - Balkan Beasts - Illuminati X Interview". Retrieved 2009-02-07.
- ↑ "RiotSound.com - Balkan Beasts - Illuminati X Interview". Retrieved 2009-02-07.
- ↑ "HipHopRS.com - ILLUMINATI X Interview". Retrieved 2009-08-14.
- ↑ "HipHopRS.com - ILLUMINATI X Interview". Retrieved 2009-08-14.
- ↑ "Past Shows - Reverb Nation". Retrieved 2010-12-21.