Ragga Twins

Crucial cogs in the development of U.K. dance music, the Destouche brothers -- Trevor, aka Flinty Badman, and David, aka Deman Rocker -- became known as MCs as part of North London's Unity sound system and began operating as the Ragga Twins in 1989. Through 1992, they issued a pile of 12" singles through the self-named label run by Shut Up & Dance (who also did the production work), along with the album Reggae Owes Me Money (1991); these releases, containing tracks like "Illegal Gunshot," "Spliffhead," and an early featured role on Shut Up & Dance's "Lamborghini," were bold steps forward, fiercely energetic mutations of dancehall, hip-hop, and jungle. Resurfacing in 1995 on EMI with relatively conservative Us3-produced releases like "Freedom Train" and "Money," they also put together a second album, Rinsin Lyrics (1995). Scattered singles appeared during the early 2000s, and in 2008 the Soul Jazz label compiled Ragga Twins Step Out, which focused on the Shut Up & Dance era.