[2] While attending high school in Mid-City Los Angeles, group members Thes One and Double K were independently sampling music, creating beat tapes, and DJing local events.

Like The Next Step, the album was self-recorded and used an eclectic and diverse range of beats rooted in jazz and psychedelic rock, as well as filtering techniques learned from studying analog sound equipment.

The group also used live instrumentation for the first time on a release, enlisting Headnodic (of the Crown City Rockers and The Mighty Underdogs) to play electric bass.

by playing at the Reading and Leeds Festivals,[9] as well as the US Cali-Comm hip hop tour with Del the Funky Homosapien, KutMasta Kurt, Planet Asia, and the Lifesavas.

Thes One began work on a number of side projects, including co-founding Tres Records with Chikara Kurahashi from Giant Panda, and two 12-inch singles on the label, Noonen (an ode to the 1980 comedy film Caddyshack) and Doin' It (with Raashan Ahmad of Crown City Rockers).

[12][13][14] The group made an effort to expand beyond sample-based hip.hop, using a broader, less-jazzy sound palate and inviting George Clinton to perform on an album interlude.

In 2008, the group worked with director Matt Bird to film a video for "The Wiz", a song about their experiences touring in Australia, while on location in Bondi Beach.

Like the previous album, FUN DMC was released under an independent record label, Gold Dust Media, receiving positive reviews and debuting at #6 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart.

[19] Following a nationwide tour of the US in support of the album, People Under the Stairs celebrated their 10-year anniversary with a sold-out show at the historic El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles.

[20] Unsatisfied with their past record labels, Thes One made the decision after Carried Away to take complete control of the production process for the group's albums, releasing all new material under a new business entity, Piecelock 70.

[21] Piecelock 70 released all subsequent People Under the Stairs albums, as well as material by other artists, including Headnodic, DJ Day and Doc Delay.

Thes One made the decision to run Piecelock 70 under a worker cooperative business model, allowing associate artists to retain complete control over their output while sharing resources and using the label's facilities.

[22] On June 17, 2011, People Under the Stairs joined a large and eclectic group of musicians, including Girl Talk, Big Boi, Pretty Lights, Mac Miller, and Empire of the Sun, to kick off the inaugural Governor's Ball Music Festival in NYC.

Instead, they focused on personal experiences and enjoyment, including life in (and pride for) Los Angeles, video gaming, barbecues and food, recreational drug use, and relaxing.

People Under the Stairs drew on a wide array of record samples to create their work, including jazz, funk, rock, and spoken word.

[33] Despite being considered underground and never having achieved breakout mainstream success, they have been lauded by many other acclaimed artists, including Chuck D of Public Enemy, Biz Markie,[34] and Trey Anastasio of the rock band Phish.