The Southern rap duo B.A.M.A. (aka Boyz After Money Always) first met in 1997, when then solo artists Brian "Taurus Caine" Morris and Darius "Rain" Lacey crossed paths at Knight Crimes recording studio in Montgomery, AL. The two found they had much in common -- both of them rap artists from Alabama, frustrated by the lack of opportunity there at the time -- but didn't come together as B.A.M.A. until years later, once the American South became a hotbed for up-and-coming rappers. In late 2004 they made their major-label debut with the single Sweet Home Al, an ode to their home state that contains elements of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama." ~ Jason Birchmeier