Psychodrama

Crane High and the youth center

Psychodrama (also credited as Psycho Drama) grew out of friendships formed around 1990 at Crane High School and a neighborhood youth center on Chicago’s West Side. The lineup settled as Yungbuck, better known as Buk, Psyde FX and the female rapper NewSense, working under the slogan that they were too much for the industry to handle.

“Magic” and U-Chi singles

Their breakout came in 1994 with “Magic,” a cassette and CD EP on Uncle Rick Records that also carried “Lethal Weapon” and “Uh Huh (You Right).” The track became a local pimp-rap anthem, and Complex later ranked it the eleventh-greatest Chicago rap song. In 1996 they followed with the U-Chi Records single “Do Whatcha Wanna Do,” produced by The Legendary Traxster, which Complex also placed on its list. Buk contributed a verse to the title track of Twista’s 1997 album “Adrenaline Rush.”

Rap-A-Lot and Suave House

After a short stint with J. Prince’s Rap-A-Lot Records, the trio joined Tony Draper’s Houston label Suave House. They appeared on Eightball’s 1998 album “Lost,” including “Drama in My Life,” and on his single “Pure Uncut” alongside Master P, Silkk the Shocker and Mystikal. Their planned major-label debut “Time Verses Life,” produced by Traxster and Mo-Suave-A, was shelved when Suave House lost its Universal distribution around 1999, and the master remained with Draper.

Independent years

The group later released an independent version, “Time vs. Life... The Neverending Story” (2003), followed by further self-released projects through The Padded Room Recording Company and U-Chi, including “The Universal Session: Reloaded.” Although radio play stayed limited, their 1990s records remain touchstones of West Side Chicago rap.

Read the story: Chicago Rap, Decade by Decade: From Hip House to Drill