InI (hip hop group)

InI was an American hip hop group composed of Rob-O, Grap Luva, Ras G a.k.a. I Love H.I.M., Marco Polo, now known as Jolomite, and DJ Boodakhan.

InI
InI members
Background information
Origin	Mount Vernon, NY
Genres	East Coast hip hop
Years active	1990–1997
Labels	Elektra
Associated acts	Pete Rock, InI Mighty Lockdown
Members	Rob-O Grap Luva Ras G Marco Polo DJ Boodakhan

The group started working on their debut album together with producer Pete Rock in the mid-1990s, and signed a deal with Rock's new found imprint Soul Brother Records through Elektra. The record company eventually shelved the album, releasing only one 12" single in 1996.[1] The track "Fakin' Jax", produced by and featuring Pete Rock, became an underground hit. The album eventually became one of the most bootlegged albums in hip-hop's history.[2] In 2003, it finally saw an official release after being included on Lost & Found: Hip Hop Underground Soul Classics, a double LP of Pete Rock's mid-1990s production work, originally canceled by Elektra Records.[3] InI had called their debut album InI - The Life I Live, but its bootlegged name is known as Center of Attention.

Despite the fact that Pete Rock is not an official member of the group, it became synonymous with his name. He produced almost every track on Center of Attention, and his younger brother Grap Luva formed a crucial part of the group. Rock had a verse on one song in the album, "Fakin Jax", with additional ad-libs and background vocals on almost every track.

The Song "Step Up" was featured in the video game Skate It. Working with EA games, Pete Rock also has a song called "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)" which was featured in the video game Madden NFL 12, which was released April 2, 1992.

InI had released a demo-tape called "Krossroads", and "Concerned", Grap Luva describes this as their earliest tapes. Concerned appears to be called "For Your Own Concern" although it was called "Concerned" by the InI group. Friend of Grap Luva from France was responsible for sharing the "concerned" track. "The beat is sick" - Grap describes. The song talks about safe sex; thus the title, to be concerned. The verse Rob-o had spit on "To each his own" from InI's album was the same verse which he had used on the early tape "Concerned".

After Center of Attention got shelved, the group members went their separate ways, with only two of them staying in the music scene to pursue solo careers. Grap Luva released a few limited 12" singles in the new millennium and aspired toward achieving his true interest in being a beat boy and producer. He appeared, and produced on various albums and singles from artists such as DJ Spinna, J-Live, Pete Rock, Lone Catalysts, Kev Brown and Marley Marl.[3] Rob-O released many singles through an imprint called St. Nick Entertainment and in 2006 he came out with a debut album called "Rhyme Pro", a mix of the older 12" singles with a few new songs sprinkled throughout.[4]

InI - The Life I Live (Centre of Attention) Album

Recorded: 1995

Released: Shelved (Never Officially Released), one of the most bootlegged albums in hiphop history

Track Listing:

Intro (H.I.M.)

No More Words

Step Up

Think Twice (feat. Pete Rock)

Square One

Life I Live

Kross Roads

To Each His Own (feat. Large Professor & Q-Tip)

Fakin Jax

What You Say

Props

Center Of Attention

Grown Man Sport

Mind Over Matter

Original Test Pressing Vinyl Unreleased Track Listing

Side A:

A1. "Intro"

A2. "The Life I Live" / "Interlude"

A3. "Square One" / "Freestyle Interlude"

A4. "Fakin Jax"

A5. "Step Up" / "Interlude"

A6. "Interlude" / "Kross Roads"

A7. "Vocal Skit" (Pete Rock)

A8. "Center Of Attention" / "Interlude"

A9. "Mind Over Matter" / "Freestyle Interlude"

Side B:

B1. "Freestyle Interlude" / "Grown Man Sport" /

B2. "Interlude" / "Think Twice"

B3. "Interlude" / "To Each His Own" (Ft. The Abstract & Q-Tip)

B4. "Interlude" / "Props"

B5. "Keep On" / "Freestyle Interlude"

B6. "What You Say"

B7. "Vocal Outro"

• Meccalicious and Pete Red, not typically known as official members of the group perform verses to the interludes and freestyles throughout this test pressing recording. As the "unsigned hype" Meccalicious, and Pete Red have been recorded to many Pete Rock Instrumentals and released on bootlegg/white label vinyls, these are extremely rare tracks and are full length versions to the skit interludes existing on the above InI test pressing album.

A3: Freestyle Interlude (excerpt of Pete Red's verse from "Meccalicious feat. Pete Rock & Pete Red - Meccalicious")

A7: Vocal Skit (Pete Rock)

A9: Freestyle Interlude (excerpt of Meccalicious' verse from "Meccalicious feat. Pete Rock & Pete Red - Meccalicious")

B1: Freestyle Interlude (intro excerpt of Pete Red's verse from "Meccalicious feat. Pete Rock & Pete Red - Meccalicious")

A9: Freestyle Interlude (excerpt of Meccalicous' verse from "Meccalicious feat. Pete Rock & Pete Red - Meccalicious")

B7: Vocal Outro (Pete Rock)

Interludes of the album are likely all produced by Pete Rock, possibly his younger brother Grap Luva too.

A2: interlude (instrumental)

A5: interlude (instrumental)

A8: interlude (instrumental)

B2: interlude (instrumental)

B3: interlude (instrumental)

B4: interlude (instrumental)

• The Test Pressing album includes "Mind over Matter" & "Centre of Attention", which the 1995 Bootleg did not
• The Test Pressing release excludes "No More Words" which appeared on many of the bootlegged releases around 1995 during its recording

Iconography

The album cover is the childhood picture of Haile Selassie (former Ethiopian emperor aka Ras tafari, a name which Jamaican Rastafarians adopted.

Discography

• Center of Attention (1995)

References

1. "Fakin' Jax - InI | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
2. "Pete Rock / InI - Center Of Attention". Discogs.com. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
3. "Pete Rock / INI / Deda - Lost And Found". Discogs.com. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
4. "Rob O". Discogs.com. Retrieved January 23, 2020.

External links

• Fakin' Jax music video