Treacherous Three

Kool Moe Dee and L.A Sunshine (Lamar Hill) grew up in the same neighborhood and they met DJ Easy Lee (Theodore Moy'e) in elementary school. Kool Moe Dee and Easy Lee both went to Norman Thomas high school where they met Special K (Kevin Keaton). DJ Easy Lee met Spoonie G through playing basketball and through his sister who knew Spoonie G. When Spoonie G left the group, Kool Moe Dee replaced him with Special K. Although he technically had left the group, Spoonie G was still affiliated. Spoonie G released a single called "Spoonin Rap" with the record label Sound of New York. After his relationship broke down with the label, he got a deal with Enjoy which was owned by his uncle, Bobby Robinson. He managed to persuade his uncle to let the Treacherous Three do a song on the B-side of his first single with Enjoy, which was called "Love Rap" and the B-side was the song "New Rap Language", which was released in 1980.[1] "New Rap Language" was popular and made the group notable for the fast rapping style they used (double time rapping), which would be what they were originally known for. After this, Enjoy gave the group a single deal.

Also in 1980, they released "Body Rock,"[2] which was one of the first records to mix hip-hop and rock and roll. They also released "At the Party", "Put the Boogie In Your Body" and "Feel the Heartbeat" (1981),[2] the latter of which was popular at the time. The group approached Bobby Robinson to express their unhappiness with the money they were making at the time; the group received $3,000 each for each record they made.

In 1981, they moved to Sugar Hill Records.[2] Their first single at Sugarhill was "Whip It", which featured singer Philippé Wynne, formerly of the Spinners. That single sampled the Dazz Band 1982 hit "Let It Whip". They then released the song "Yes We Can-Can",[2] which followed on from the political trend that was set by the Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five's single "The Message". In 1983, they released "Action",[2] "Turning You On" and "Get Up". In 1984, they released, "Xmas Rap" and "Santa's Rap". By 1985 the group was being overshadowed by newer, more advanced groups such as Run-D.M.C. and L.A Sunshine was getting increasingly frustrated with their financial situation at Sugarhill, and eventually became disillusioned with making records. During this time many of the groups signed to Sugarhill Records were put on suspension, and Special K and L.A Sunshine did not want to make any more records for Sylvia Robinson (the co-owner of Sugarhill). Kool Moe Dee was the only MC in the group that was still actively working for Sugarhill, writing for the Sugarhill Gang. In 1985, Kool Moe Dee managed to persuade Special K and L.A Sunshine to go back into the studio to record "Gotta Rock". When it came to recording the B-side to "Gotta Rock", "Turn it Up" L.A Sunshine did not turn up to the recording session and Special K did not stay for the full session. Kool Moe Dee felt that Special K's rhymes were not up to his usual standards and therefore left them out. This would lead to the rise to Kool Moe Dee's solo career and the breakup of the group.