24-7 Spyz

24-7 Spyz (pronounced "twenty-four-seven spies") are a band from the South Bronx, New York City, formed in 1986, originally consisting of Jimi Hazel (guitar), Rick Skatore (bass), Kindu Phibes (drums), and P. Fluid (real nam

24-7 Spyz (pronounced "twenty-four-seven spies") are a band from the South Bronx, New York City, formed in 1986, originally consisting of Jimi Hazel (guitar), Rick Skatore (bass), Kindu Phibes (drums), and P. Fluid (real name, Peter Forrest) (vocals). The fact that they were African Americans playing variations of heavy metal and punk along with R&B, soul, and hip hop led critics to compare them to bands such as Living Colour, Bad Brains, and Follow for Now. The band is best known for mixing soul, funk, reggae, and R&B with heavy metal and punk music. Though they were pioneers in the fusion of rap and heavy metal, influencing many bands, they have never achieved substantial commercial success. The band broke up in 1998, but reformed in 2003 before releasing their first new album of original material in over a decade in 2006.

Upon their formation in 1986, the band immediately earned a dedicated following in New York due to the eclectic mix of their music. The band would switch gears from Motown and soul sounds with lush vocal harmonies to violent heavy metal and punk with ease, sometimes several times within the course of one song. The band was frequently compared to Living Colour, another all-African American quartet from New York City that played hard rock music. Although Living Colour's sound was more commercially accessible (a trait that led to their surge in popularity), the Spyz musical output was much more diverse, some would say to a fault, in that it contained several different styles of music and many quick tempo changes and odd time signatures. The band is also noted for its musicianship and instrumental skills.