The Relativez

Real-life cousins Suga Buga and Big Wy are the duo behind the Relativez, the hard-hitting West Coasters who bring G-funk into the 21st century. The Inglewood, California natives got their start in the group Young Soldierz. The four-man posse released a self-titled album in 1994 that failed to hit outside the West Coast but an appearance on the Murder Was the Case soundtrack -- released by the Death Row label during its heyday -- pointed toward stardom. Then came tragedy. The murder of one of their cousins was taken hard by the duo, and by the time they recovered, Death Row was history. In 1998 the two hooked up again and played some shows. Fan reaction was enthusiastic, enough so that the cousins knew they had to carry on. Taking the apt name the Relativez, the duo released Dirty Money on the Break Bread label in 2000. The Takeover with guests WC and Snoop Dogg followed two years later, but the success was still regional. Taking a few years off to do some national stardom planning, the Relativez returned in 2005 with Money Respect Money, their most polished and ambitious album yet. ~ David Jeffries