Los Angeles rapper Ahmad Ali Lewis was only 18 when he burst onto the scene in 1994 with the laid-back groove of "Back in the Day." With its images of playground foolery and junior-high discovery, "Back in the Day" depicted Ahmad's South Central neighborhood in an idyllic, wistful light. The rapper, whose melodic and narrative delivery recalled that of the Pharcyde's Fatlip, rode a remix of the track to number 27 on the Billboard Hot 100 that summer. Its success sent the rapper's self-titled debut album to gold certification from the RIAA. Ahmad later formed 4th Avenue Jones, a jazz-rap group that released several albums during the early 2000s. He returned to college, graduated from Stanford University with a degree in sociology, and worked as a personal development speaker and author. He also became a songwriter, working behind the scenes for artists like LMFAO and Flo Rida, but in 2010 he stepped back out front and issued The Death of Me, his sophomore album and first for the WeClap label. ~ Johnny Loftus