The vocal trio RPM 2000 -- Lamar Sampson, Avery Scott, and Ronnell Davis -- comes from South Central Los Angeles where its members lived in poverty and participated in gangs before turning to music. The three singers eventually teamed up and came to the attention of Michael Concepcion, signing with his Grand Jury Entertainment production company in 1996. Concepcion groomed them, and in July 2000, Warner Bros. records released their debut album, Peace in the City. ~ William Ruhlmann