by Mike DaRoncoBorn and raised in Brooklyn, Phoenix Orion first turned heads at local clubs in NYC -- most notably at the legendary Giant Step -- as a guest MC. Eventually, he produced a demo that surfaced on both coasts and led to an underground following thanks to his dark, apocalyptic view of the future and the intergalactic beats that accompanied it. PO's dystopic perspectives were further explored on his 1999 debut full-length Zimulated Experiencez, which included collaborators Hive, Daddy Kev, Hermes, and DJ Rhettmatic (of Beat Junkies fame). He returned in late 2001 with Secret Wars, recorded for the Meanstreet label.