Natas

Osborn High

Natas formed in Detroit in 1992, when Esham met Mastamind at Osborn High School. A demo tape from Mastamind led to the group, with TNT as the third member. They chose the name as teenagers as a symbol of their anarchic attitude, and later recast it as “Nation Ahead of Time And Space.”

Acid rap

Signed to Esham's Reel Life Productions, and produced entirely by Esham, Natas made rap that AllMusic described as full of decadent themes and heavy-metal aggression, with influences from N.W.A and the Beastie Boys to Funkadelic. Their debut, Life After Death (1992), stirred controversy when press coverage linked it to the death of a teenage fan.

Doubelievengod (1995) traded samples for synth-driven beats and is often ranked as the group's creative peak. By the late 1990s they were mixing live instruments and rock-rap into the sound, and Godlike (2002) became their only album to reach the charts.

Legacy

Alongside Esham's solo records, Natas laid groundwork for the Detroit horrorcore scene that followed, including Insane Clown Posse. TNT died in a car accident in 2014, and Esham has said there won't be another Natas album, though he and Mastamind still perform together under the name.