In the wake of
Living Colour's success with 1988's
Vivid, several other all-black hard rock outfits soon appeared -- including
24-7 Spyz. Like
Living Colour,
24-7 specialized in a merger of funk and heavy metal, with often message-filled lyrics. The group's leaders from their formation in 1986 to the present day have been guitarist
Jimi Hazel (a gentleman who took his first and last names from two of his favorite guitarists --
Jimi Hendrix and
Funkadelic's
Eddie Hazel) and bassist
Rick Skatore. Hailing from New York City (the Bronx, to be exact), the group issued its debut full-length,
Harder Than You, in 1988 on the In-Effect label. The album -- which included vocal contributions from singer P. Fluid -- received some MTV attention with a cover of
Kool & the Gang's "Jungle Boogie." Released in 1990,
Gumbo Millennium saw the group perfect its multi-genre-encompassing sound even further, as an opening slot on
Jane's Addiction's tour in support of
Ritual de lo Habitual saw the group expand its following.
However, Fluid exited the band at the end of the tour (along with drummer Anthony Johnson), but
Hazel and
Skatore regrouped with new singer Jeff Brodnax and drummer
Joel Maitoza, resulting in two more successful releases, the 1991 EP
This Is...24-7 Spyz! and the 1992 full-length
Strength in Numbers -- both of which were issued on major label East West. In 1995 the
Harder Than You era lineup reunited for a new album,
Temporarily Disconnected, before further lineup hiccups occurred. Eventually,
Hazel decided to do double duty -- providing lead vocals in addition to guitar -- while drummers came and went. One more album was issued, 1996's
Heavy Metal Soul by the Pound (titled simply
6 in Europe), before
24-7 Spyz went into hibernation mode between 1998 and 2003.
Hazel and
Skatore eventually resuscitated the group, issuing their first-ever live album (recorded in 1998), Can You Hear the Sound?, as well as an all-new studio set, Face the Day, in 2006. In addition to his
24-7 Spyz duties,
Hazel is also a solo artist, having released 21stCenturySouthBronxRockStar in 2002 via his own label, The Gumbo Recording Company. ~ Greg Prato