[youtube id=”JwBjhBL9G6U”] Us3 was assembled by London-based producer Geoff Wilkinson with production partner Mel Simpson in 1990. Rahsaan Kelly, Kobie Powell and Tukka Yoot were in the band when they became successful with “Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia) from their debut album, Hand On The Torch. The album was created with music from the Blue Note catalog exclusively and Herbie Hancock’s “Cantaloupe Island” was sampled for “Cantaloop.” Gerard Presencer, a trumpet player also from the UK, played on “Cantaloop.” The song did well in the United States and became a part of the jazz-rap era including groups like A Tribe Called Quest, Jazzmatazz, The Dream Warriors and Digable Planets. Us3 has morphed into many different incarnations over the years and 9 albums. In 2013, they released The Third Way (Hand On The Torch Vol II) and the Hand On The Torch 20th Anniversary Double CD.
