The hip-hop duo of Ill Harmonics first made waves when they appeared on MTV<#8217;s the Cut in late 1998, and despite their loss in the Top Ten, Ill Harmonics still inked a deal with Uprok Records. Ill Harmonics, who are keyboardist/bassist Blake Knight and guitarist Playdough, first came together in Dallas while performing in their local church choirs. Knight went to work on Paula Abdul<#8217;s 1995 album Head Over Heels, and both have also worked with Freddie Bruno, Christian rap group BPM, and KJ-52. They issued their debut An Octave Above the Original, Vol. 1 in fall 2000.