People Under the Stairs

People Under the Stairs is a hip hop group from Los Angeles, California formed in 1997 by Thes One and Double K.The group has released eight critically acclaimed full-length albums and performed on every continent except Antarctica.

With their success early in their career Thes One created Piecelock70, an artist collective dedicated to sustainable creative independence. On the site it goes on further to describe Picelock70 as:

 "Founded in 2004 by Thes One, Piecelock 70 was developed to provide an independent business framework for prolific hip-hop group People Under The Stairs. As the popularity and reach of the group burgeoned globally, PL70 expanded beyond touring and logistics to merchandising, full scale production and manufacturing. With the addition of a one-stop licensing department, professional studio facilities and an exclusive webstore, Piecelock 70 is rooted in the idea that the artist should have a direct relationship with the fan. With no label or middleman to answer to, PL70 ensures that every dollar spent sees the pocket of the artist. With absolute creative control and unmitigated ownership paramount, Piecelock 70 provides a space where modest commerce sustains limitless creativity. We believe in free downloads and paid purchases, that music lovers discern value in quality."

I have seen People Under the Stairs in concert twice, both times at The Grog Shop in Cleveland Heights, on June 23, 2011 and December 2, 2012. They are amazing live and they do something few other music artists on tour do. Their tour consists of them, and that's basically it; no crew or anything. The first time I saw them they were just chilling outside the venue hanging out with everyone. And the second time I saw them they ran the merchandise booth before and after the concert in addition to setting up their own gear and then back to the merch booth when they were finished performing.

Below are two of the groups most famous songs: "San Francisco Knights" and "Acid Raindrops".