In its rawest essence hip-hop was born as a tool for self expression. It was used as a way to document and connect the lives of people that were otherwise ignored by the mainstream. There was a time where being an emcee meant having a story to share and being a skillful manipulator of words. The members of U-KRIME remember that time.!

Hailing from the Bushwick section of Brooklyn the trio - consisting of twin brothers Strai-Jacket and 45 alongside longtime family friend RealmReality - have been on a mission to preserve the authenticity NYC hip-hop is known for.!

“One of the great things about this group is you have three different perspectives on things. Strai-Jacket is more of the lyricist of the group. Realm is known for his flow. And I'm [45] more like the edgy person in the street,” explains 45.!

In they end; they are the ying to each other’s yang, creating a lyrical balance. Their sound can be described as dirty, grimy, raw beats meeting melodic, soulful music - something that's outside the box. Imagine if the Lox were to do an album with Mos Def. It would be those two worlds combined.!

“I think thats why the average person can connect to it. Because one way or another everyone's story gets touched on. Whether you on the corner or you work a day job, we touch on it all,” says 45.!

Rhyming since teenagers, in 2002 the twins decided to take it up a notch and started working with a production company. They put out a single featuring Tony Touch and Tragedy Khadafi produced by Alchemist called “American Me” in conjunction with Fatbeats. That track sold over 5000 copies with absolutely no promotion.!

“American Me” was well received overseas as well as in the NYC underground circuit. Soon after the release of that single they released their first mixtape The New York Krimes Mixtape Vol. 1. U-KRIME continued to gain notoriety with a slew of mix tape releases from 2004-2007 including: The New York Krimes Mixtape Vol.2, Character Assassination, Character Assassination Part 2 hosted by Clinton Sparks & Tony Touch, Integrity and "The Illegal Tender Mixtape" (2007).!

This year promises to be even bigger for U-KRIME with the upcoming release of their new mixtape/album NY KRIMES Volume3: Street Cinema Edition hosted by Whoo Kid. The mixtape features Prodigy from Mobb Deep, Joell Ortiz, and Sam Scarfo. In addition to that you can find them on the Wu-Tang Latino Compilation album La Familia due out in April. They have two songs featured on the compilation: "Brooklyn" produced by Blackmilk and "Who the F*** Is This."!

Aside from all their accomplishments, U-KRIME is most notable for their eagerness to, “put forth the bite and that hunger in the music that makes people want to hear it. That real raw, street hip-hop that the east coast is known for. There are a lot of people in NY that are really trying to get there, and we are doing our part to get there too,” explains Realm. While everyone in the industry is focusing on “being hard” U-KRIME keeps their focus on being real.!

The future promises more shows, a tour to promote the album and of course, more music. And throughout all that, the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.