Black Helicopters March 7, 2000

It was in 1995 that Ill Bill, Goretex and Sabac, three veteran Brooklyn emcees, got together with DJ Eclipse and formed Non Phixion. Just six months later, they released their first single: "Legacy" b/w "No Tomorrow," which went on to sell over 10 000 copies worldwide.

From its earliest stages, the group possessed its unique musical formula. Imagine true-school b-boyisms combined with futuristic imagery. Imagine rhymes of ghetto angst, aggressively delivered over hard-hitting beats (most of them provided by Ill Bill's younger brother, the infamous Necro), coupled with thought-provoking messages of militant righteousness. Imagine esoteric slang with a dash of tongue-in-cheek noir humor. This complex blend of opposites is at the core of the Non Phixion sound. Not since Wu Tang's heyday has hip-hop witnessed such a display of unity and strength through disparity. Bill, Gore and 'Bac have three distinct flows, three distinct voices and three distinct types of lyrical content, yet they complement each other in an impressive and powerful way.

After a yearlong stint on Geffen's now-defunct hip-hop division, Non Phixion kept releasing material and playing live. They played all New York's major venues, as well as LA, Canada, Italy, Sweden, Denmark and the UK, and opened for Run DMC, Gang Starr, the Beatnuts and the Roots, among others. Non Phixion has gained a dedicated cult following, rivaled only by the likes of Company Flow and Dilated Peoples.

It is those fans that have made it possible for Non Phixion to sell over 70 000 records independently. Their impressive series of 12"s has gotten rave reviews in The Source, Vibe and UK's HHC. The group has even been the focus of articles in non-hip-hop publications such as URB and Rolling Stone.

Following the release of the "I Shot Reagan" b/w "Refuse to Lose" single in 1998, Non Phixion secured an album deal with Matador Records. Their long-awaited full-length debut The Future is Now is set for release in August. It features production by hip-hop icons such as DJ Premier, Pete Rock and Large Professor, as well as a possible rock collaboration. All the ingredients are there to make this LP a hip-hop classic. Look for the "Black Helicopters" single dropping March 7.