Mountain Brothers
| Company type | Hip hop group |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1994 |
| Headquarters | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania , United States |
| Products | Music albums, singles, music videos |
Mountain Brothers was a hip hop ensemble originating from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, notable within the American music scene. Their name draws inspiration from the 108 outlaws featured in the Chinese classic Water Margin. They hold a pioneering status as one of the earliest Asian American groups in hip-hop, distinguished by their innovative production approach that eschewed sampling.[1] The group produced two well-received albums, Self Vol 1 and Triple Crown, with the debut often hailed as a landmark independent hip-hop release.[2][3] Among their standout tracks were "Paperchase," "Galaxies (The Next Level)," and "Thoroughbred"—the latter appearing in a remixed version on CHOPS' album Virtuosity. Their portfolio also includes national advertising campaigns for Sprite ("Rhymes from The Mind") and Nike ("Players Delight"), alongside a music video for "Galaxies (The Next Level)". Styles Infinite issued two 12" vinyl singles: "Fresh Air/Aquarian Mind" and "Easy on the Ears/Finishline".
Career
The group was established in 1994 at Pennsylvania State University, where its members connected through their shared passion for music, utilizing the institution’s electronic music laboratory as their creative workspace. To circumvent potential bias linked to their Asian ethnicity, they initially circulated demos anonymously. CHOPS remarked, “We didn’t want people to prejudge... People that knew music... loved our music and then we sent them our picture; their mind was blown!”[4]
In 1996, Mountain Brothers made history as the first Chinese-American rap group to secure a contract with a major record label by signing with Ruffhouse Records. Despite this milestone, Ruffhouse dropped them in 1998 after releasing only a promotional single.[5]
Following the release of Triple Crown, the group parted ways in 2003. CHOPS has continued his career in hip-hop production, working alongside artists such as Kanye West, Chamillionaire, Bahamadia, Planet Asia, and Paul Wall.[6] His contributions extend to scoring for MTV’s Rob and Big, the movie Dark, as well as soundtracks for Brown Sugar and House of Wax. Peril-L shifted focus to medical research and collecting vintage furniture, whereas Styles Infinite embarked on a career in medicine. In June 2012, the trio reunited to produce new tracks for a CHOPS compilation, culminating in the release of the "Keep On" music video on September 25, 2013.
Members
- CHOPS (Scott Jung)
- Peril-L (Christopher Wang)
- Styles Infinite (Stephen "Steve" Wei)
Additional live performance collaborators included:
- DJ Roli Rho (5th Platoon)
- The Black Republicans
Albums
- Self: Volume 1 (1999) (Pimpstrut Records, independently released)
- Triple Crown (2003) (Babygrande Records)
- Self: Volume 1.5 (2019)
EPs
- Microphone Phenomenal (2002) (Babygrande Records)
- ↑ Nguyen, Daisy. "THE COLOR OF RAP". The Columbia Daily Tribune.
- ↑ "The Mountain Brothers Self 1". allmusic.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|url=(help) - ↑ "Triple Crown". MTV.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|url=(help) - ↑ StudioAPA. “Strength In NUMBERS - CHOPS Personal Statement.” YouTube, 2013.
- ↑ Wang, Oliver (November 1998). Asian Weekly.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help); Missing or empty|url=(help) - ↑ "Music producer CHOPS interview". ChannelAPA.com.
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