The Seattle-based crew Source of Labor have been an integral part of the overlooked Pacific Northwest hip-hop scene since 1992. Having opened for a diverse range of acts -- including Gil Scott-Heron, Goodie Mob, Nas, De la Soul, the Pharcyde, and Ice Cube -- SoL has gained their share of underground respect. The group was formed by rapper Wordsayer along with producers Negus I and Vitamin D. Wordsayer and Negus I are brothers born in Seattle but raised in Atlanta; they returned to the Northwest in the early '90s and founded the group. They also started up a label, Jasiri Media Group, and are heavily involved in the community (Wordsayer as a creative writing teacher at Seattle's Franklin High School, Negus I as the director of an after-school program). The trio began concentrating on Source of Labor recordings by the turn of the millennium, issuing the Full Circle EP as well as their debut full-length, Stolen Lives. ~ M.F. Di Bella & John Bush, Rovi