Brought together in 1993 under the direction of Charlemagne, Natural Elements began as a group consisting of solo artists Mr. Voodoo, L Swift, Ka, Howie Smalls, G-Blass, and the InTIMidator.
This was due to feelings expressed during a public talk at the Red Bull Music Academy that he wasn't as good as the other two, and felt his presence in the group would hold them back.
[3] Natural Elements became an NYC underground hip-hop sensation with their presence on DJ Premier's "Reality Check 101",[4] and appearances on radio shows.
[citation needed] The main criticism with the album was that some of these unreleased tracks seemed to be unmastered, and others had subpar or dated commercial sounding beats that were crafted in the style of rap that was popular at the time, driven and forced onto them by Tommy Boy Records.
Besides their creativity and inventiveness in freestyles, Natural Elements were also known for their multi-syllable rhymes, vivid lyrical imagery, and their masterful battle rap style.
[citation needed] Currently, numerous freestyles and other unreleased or rare material are viewed among hip-hop communities and on YouTube and torrent websites.
Former member KA has also been met with unexpected critical acclaim by Rolling Stone, NPR and Spin for his 2013 solo release "The Night's Gambit.
He worked on a hip-hop/punk fusion project with his new rock band featuring Japanese musicians Butch, Yoshi, and Dai entitled "Bullet Proof Junkies."
Recently, he's put out two solo albums with a unique and fresher style then his past work, which compiles more punk rock, EDM, nu-metal, pop and neo-soul musical elements.
The biggest hit from this album was "Enjoy the Ride," which also landed him play on MTV and opened the doors for the entire group in terms of media coverage for a comeback.
After the break-up with the record label and the shelving of their debut album along with other personal hardships, he was hospitalized in 2000 after trying to commit suicide by overdosing on a mixture of forty prescription pills.
Over the past couple of years under the name Swigga, he has released numerous mixtapes as well as projects with his new group "Northeast Wildcats" which consists of Eddie Brock and Al Giddy.
[12][13] Recently, Swigga has continued to drop tracks on the internet mostly produced by Scram Jones, and has collaborated with Anthony Cruz on both of his solo albums.