Strong Arm Steady

As of December 2009, the act consists of members Phil Da Agony, Krondon, of Los Angeles, and Mitchy Slick of San Diego, California.

[1] Originally an amorphous collective of at least eight, formed as an alternative to the gang-focused productions of West Coast hip hop's then-dominant Death Row Records, SAS pared down to four members for recording in the studio and performing live, with Xzibit as the frontman.

"Speaking directly to their fans,"[1] they were West Coast pioneers in the use of mixtapes as a group's principal method of distribution and marketing, a model necessitated by their neither being DJs nor closely affiliated with a DJ, and a method already proven on the East Coast by 50 Cent and others in the early 2000s.

[1] Talib Kweli signed Strong Arm Steady to his Blacksmith Records label in 2007.

The group released a collaboration with producer Madlib, In Search of Stoney Jackson, with a roster of guest vocalists[1] including studio head Talib Kweli, former SAS member Planet Asia, Guilty Simpson, Phonte (of Little Brother), Fashawn, and "a host of underground Los Angeles's emerging rap talent.