A.H.M.A.D.

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, ...