one of the first
rap groups ever created, in the late 1970's. lead mc d-wig is credited with inventing the jheri curl. salvizzle and d swizz are also members. Biography-after a 10 year bid on rikers island for a drive by shooting, d wig returned to the streets to perfect his skills on the mic. Selling everything from crack to angel dust, d wig made it out the hood and burst onto the
rap scene with his first
single, "I Pack a Glock in the Phat Farms". They appeared on classic albums such as 'Illmatic' , 'The
Chronic' and 'Liquid Swords'. Their debut album, 'The Salvizzle Show', received
5 mics from The Source.
D-Swizz and Salvizzle grew up on the same block in the Marcy projects. They met D-Wig at a Public Enemy concert. After their talent was recognized by
rap mogul
Russell Simmons, they signed a multimillion dollar
5-album deal.
Career Paths
D-Wig was an actor and model for the early part of his life. He appeared in "Juice", Menace II Society", "Boyz N The Hood", and "South Central".
The Hustlaz have recorded various tracks with Mario Rosario, a.k.a. Brockton's Finest.
Collabos/Singles
-"Packin Skoal, Cops on Patrol" - 2005
Beefs - Rival Tritown clik Playback recorded a diss track directed at Salvizzle in the
mid 90's. The Hustlaz responded with their own track, "T-Field
187", and the violence escalated. Over a 10 year period, over 30 members of both groups were shot in an eruption of gang violence. It wasn't until Louis Farrakhan intervened that they were able to call off the
war.
-An underground track by Mario Rosario appeared on a DJ Whoo
Kid mixtape in 1998. It was said to contain shots at the Hustlaz, but they never responded. A month later Mario was found shot to
death in his Brockton studio.
The Aftermath
-D-Wig's career was destroyed in a battle with
rap legends Dr. Knowledge and KRS-One. He converted to Islam and is now known as Allah Wig.
-D-Swizz was gunned down while leaving a club in Brockton, MA. The 139/Lennox street corner in Harlem was renamed in his memory to D-Swizz Boulevard. The 2001 film "D-Swizz - Thug Angel" was created to remember the career of one of
rap's greatest lyricists, poets, and street narrators.
-Salvizzle joined the Black Panthers in 1995. In 1996 he was killed in a drive-by shooting while riding with Suge Knight and Tupac Shakur. Their murders remain unsolved.
The Salvizzle Foundation was created in his memory to benefit inner-city youths.
