In 1999 the independent label Unreleased Records was formed by CEO's Draztik and DJ IQ from Gaborone, Botswana, and X-Amount from Johannesburg, South Africa.
[1] The idea was to create a platform for the emerging hip-hop talent in southern Africa which they felt was being secluded from the musical landscape by the industry.
[4][5] X-Amount and Snazz D were based out of Johannesburg, South Africa and had formed the group Gun of a Nation (Zulu, "Isizwe se zi bhamu") together.
[citation needed] The Son of a former South African MK guerilla soldier, X-Amount was born in a military camp in Nairobi, Kenya, before relocating to Toronto, Canada, at the age of eight.
Black Intellect, also based out of Johannesburg, was born in Freetown, Sierra Leone, and grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, before relocating to South Africa and joining the group Cashless Society.
Bobbito then released the split-12" single of Cashless Society "Blaze tha Breaks" b/w Mizchif "Place for a Wife" on his own Independent Fondle 'Em Records in 2000 upon their return to the States.
[7][8] The South African release also features the songs 'History', 'Make It Happen' and Blaze Tha Breaks (Remix).
[7][9] In 2003 the group released their first full-length album 'African Raw Material volume one' on their own Unreleased Records imprint with distribution handled by Sony BMG Africa.
[16] The group then appeared on the cover of the first issue of HYPE magazine, the first national hip-hop publication in South Africa.