The rap-metal unit Plastique was formed in New York City in 1991 by Florida-born vocalist Pete Brag; also featuring rapper the Rippa Armodilla, the group spent years honing its hard-edged sound on the Big Apple club circuit before signing to the Rawkus Entertainment label in 1995 to release their debut EP, Front Towards Enemy. Scoring a college radio hit with the single "Touch Someone," Plastique toured relentlessly in the months prior to recording the full-length Ill Fate; in the wake of the record's completion, however, Rawkus attempted to sell the group's contract, and after a deal with V2 failed to take shape the band was let go and the album permanently shelved. In mid-1998, the Rippa mysteriously vanished, and was eventually replaced by rapper Phoenix Orion; early the next year, Brag and the rest of Plastique -- guitarists Lee and Debra, bassist Billy and drummer Danny -- celebrated the release of the EP Empire of the Black Suns. ~ Jason Ankeny