Poison Clan

Poison Clan was a Southern hip-hop group signed to Luke Records from 1990 to 1995, the group had various line-ups and members were JT Money, Debonaire, Drugz, Uzi, Madball and Big Ram. Poison Clan played an important role in the development of the Dirty South movement that developed late in the decade. The group began as a 2 Live Crew-sponsored group on Luke Records and came to an end when the group's driving force, JT Money, went on to a more successful solo career after a business-related dispute with Luke. In retrospect, though Poison Clan struggled to gain notoriety outside of Miami in the '90s, the group's style of sleazy, club-oriented, bass-driven rap provided the template for the late-'90s Dirty South movement.

Originally, Poison Clan was duo featuring Debonaire and JT Money featured on 2 Low Life Muthas. The two Miami rappers had impressed Luke enough for him to sign them to his then-fledging label, Luke Records, and have Mr. Mixx, 2 Live Crew's DJ, produce the album. 2 Low Life Muthas became a modest sensation in the South with its blend of dirty rap, gangsta rap, and Miami bass. By the time of the group's second album, Poisonous Mentality, Debonaire had left and was replaced by Uzi and Madball and its big hit, "Shake Whatcha Mama Gave Ya," that expanded the group's reach outside of the South. Furthermore, Poisonous Mentality found J.T. Money taking over as Poison Clan's driving force—though Poison Clan paraded itself as a collective, it was actually more of a solo project. Poison Clan's third album, Ruff Town Behavior, would prove to be the group's most successful on the Billboard chart and for the Clan's fourth and final album, Strait Zooism, the clan featured one new member, Big Ram. By this point in the mid-'90s, 2 Live Crew and, in particular, Luke, had fallen off the map, resulting in tensions between Luke and JT Money, allegedly over unpaid royalties. J.T. Money parted ways with Luke and embarked on a solo career that got off to a great start in 1999 with "Who Dat." That same year, Luke released The Best of J.T. Money & Poison Clan, which collected the best moments from Poison Clan's five-year run.

Discography

Studio Albums

Compilations