Cypress Hill that he would be joining Cypress Hill. apl.de.ap of The Black Eyed Peas In 1992, apl.de.ap a Filipino descent rapper, with his group mate will.i.am, and several others had their group Atban Klann sign to Ruthless Records (run by Eazy-E). They made their first appearance on Eazy-E's EP, 5150: Home 4 tha Sick on the track entitled "Merry Muthaphuckkin' Xmas". Soon after, the duo recorded their debut album, Grass Roots which was to be released on October 6, 1992; however, the album was shelved shortly before its release. The duo would stay with Ruthless until they were dropped from the label after Eazy-E's death in 1995. Soon after they changed their name to Black Eyed Peas. Another vocalist would join Taboo, and they made their critically acclaimed debut Behind the Front. In 2000, apl.de.ap and The Black Eyed Peas released Bridging the Gap, who met with critical acclaim. For their third album in 2003, female singer Fergie joined and they made Elephunk. In the United States, Elephunk reached number 14 on the Billboard Top 200 and was their first album to chart in the top 15. On the UK Album Charts it reached number 3. It has sold over 1.6 million copies in the UK and 8.5 million copies worldwide. In 2004, their album Monkey Business was also a big success. Afterward the group went on a hiatus. They came back in with the album 2009 The E.N.D., and 2010 The Beginning. Both albums did well on the charts. Mountain Brothers Mountain Brothers are considered cultural pioneers, being one of the first Asian American hip-hop groups and also for the lack of sampling of other music in construction of their own. Mountain Brothers released two critically acclaimed albums, Self Vol 1(1999) and Triple Crown(2003), the first of which is widely considered to be an independent hip-hop classic. 2000s MC Jin In 2001, MC Jin had a break came when the BET program 106 & Park began inviting local rappers to hold battles in a segment known as Freestyle Friday. He won seven battles in a row, enabling him to be inducted in the Freestyle Friday Hall of Fame. Unlike other competitors, Jin occasionally spoke Cantonese in his freestyle verses. After that he signed a deal with the Ruff Ryders label. His first single under Ruff Ryders was titled "Learn Chinese" featuring Wyclef Jean. The album The Rest Is