The Hemisphere is an Atlanta-based hip-hop duo comprised of MC U-George and DJ/producer Tariq L. They began to collaborate in 1998, after each had established a separate career, George with a solo album (Just Say Uncle) and Tariq as a producer for such notables as Da Bush Babees and De La Soul. The Hemisphere handle came from the notion of one sphere with two halves. That unifying theory found its way into each moment of the Hemisphere's debut album, Performing Artz, released in spring of 2001. A confluence of jazz, soul, and traditional hip-hop elements, Tariq's beats intersected with U-George's unique flow (he was raised in the Virgin Islands) to create a supremely comfortable sounding album -- the hip-hop equivalent of a warm day in the sun. That same year, the Hemisphere contributed a track -- It's Time -- to Underground Airplay Version 1.0 from the Lyricist Lounge collective, aligning the duo with such underground hip-hop notables as Mos Def and the X-Ecutioners. ~ Johnny Loftus, Rovi