Stemming from the hip-hop group the Lordz of Brooklyn, founders and brothers MC Kaves (Mike McLeer) and producer ADM (Adam McLeer) decided, after the release of Graffiti Roc, an album that was already drifting away from straightforward rap, to focus more on the late-'70s/early-'80s New York rock scene that had inspired them musically as much as Public Enemy and Run-D.M.C. had. Kaves had been a known and respected graffiti artist growing up in Brooklyn in the '80s and early '90s, ADM DJed, and both had gotten into breakdancing, and after a meeting with Chuck D (Kaves had promoted Public Enemy's show in Brooklyn), who encouraged them to start making demo tapes, the brothers started a group together. Though they originally called themselves the Verrazano Boys (after the bridge by which they lived), they soon formed the Lordz of Brooklyn with some friends and their debut, All in the Family, was released in 1995. Despite the fact that there were initial signs of success (their single, "Saturday Night Fever," was widely played and even made it onto the show Beavis and Butthead), various label issues led to relative obscurity. In 2003 Graffiti Roc, which began to explore rock beats and used live instrumentation, came out, and then in 2006, after having performed on the Warped Tour for a couple of years, the truncated Lordz released their debut album (on their own label, Perfect Game Recordings), The Brooklyn Way, which featured performances from Everlast, Bedouin Soundclash, and Tim Armstrong (whose song, "Outlaw," was originally written for the Transplants, but didn't make it onto the final album cut, and then was reworked for the Lordz). ~ Marisa Brown