By Atiya Jones

There’s no waiting around for one of them to have a multi-platinum CD, and then coming back to put the rest of the members on-the Specialists are taking a chance in the game by putting off solo projects and coming out even stronger as a group. There have been many rap groups of the past (Wu Tang, Onyx, The Lox), so what the Specialists are doing is nothing new, but recently it’s hard to find a four man rap group that can come within 10 feet of the variety of skills possessed by Quiz, Brycks, Scandal and 3rd Degree.

Starting out as a two-man group called Twisted Scandal (made up of Quiz, formerly known as Twist, and Scandal), Quiz’s best friend Brycks soon joined the group. Still feeling something was missing, Scandal would constantly talk about his cousin from Atlanta joining the group, so once 3rd Degree settled in New York in 2000, The Specialists were born. “We all came together feeling we were hot in our own way so with all of our style being different but close we thought we would sound good together,” Scandal said. Rapping and struggling together for more than four years, the men that make up the Specialist are ready to kick in the door.

So why the name the Specialists? Well, besides each of them possessing different styles, they consider themselves to be experts at providing their listeners with nothing but quality. “We just make sure everything is tight. If we do an album with 15 tracks, then 15 tracks have to be hits,” Quiz said. As for individual specialties, Quiz is the guy who wants to challenge you and as he puts it, “He’s coming for your crown, so you best be ready.” Scandal is about shocking his audience with outrageous lyrics, while managing to spark some kind of emotion-be it good or bad. Brycks is in your face; either you love him or you hate him. Furthermore, he doesn’t care what you think. And 3rd Degree is a “clever bastard.” He’s about hitting you with the hardest punch lines and the wittiest remarks.

With no signs of a debut album in the close future, the Specialists are just focusing on bum rushing the scene with mix tapes, doing showcases, getting radio time and much more. “We’re focused on doing promos, so no debut just yet. We just trying to let the horses out the gate,” Brycks said. “We always gonna have no new material regardless.”

This quartet is making promises of more then just shaking up the music industry; they plan on acting as garbage men. “There is an incredible amount of trash being played daily and it’s suffocating the truly responsible and talented emcees,” rd Degree said. They have yet to decide whether their industry attack will be through a major record label or through their own Big World Entertainment. In any case, the Specialists just plan on keeping on top of their promotion and making a name for themselves and for anyone they plan on bring in to their Big World family. “Our music should be like a good movie, it should be able to make you think, cry, get upset and slap the shit outta someone, party, have sex, start a revolution, whatever, all on the one album, ’cause you know what that is-a classic!” Quiz said.