Despite their religious upbringing, the brothers eventually fell into the gang scene popular in their home of Carson, California.
[2] While there, they were inspired to begin performing music again, with Paul "Ganxsta Ridd" rapping in front of eager Japanese audiences.
[3] Upon their return to California in 1988, the group focused again on making music and re-christened themselves as the Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E.
[7] Their debut album, New Funky Nation, was different from most rap records at the time because the Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E.
appeared on the Judgment Night soundtrack performing "Another Body Murdered" with Faith No More, on Kid Frost's East Side Story LP, on The Transplants' Haunted Cities LP and on the rock group P.O.D.
[14] The four brothers began their musical careers on a small scale performing instrumentals at their father's A.O.G.
Kosmo, an important Samoan hip-hop artist in New Zealand, cites the Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E.
as "an original inspiration for his lifelong interest in street dance and...hip hop music."
[citation needed] Additionally, as Samoans are often seen as a diasporic group spread out among various locations, the Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E.