People Under The Stairs LIVE at Texas Heat

People Under the Stairs are an underground hip-hop group from Los Angeles, California. The group comprises two self-proclaimed b-boys, Thes One and Double K. Thes One (Chris Portugal) was born in Lima, Peru in 1977. His musical aliases includeUncle Thester, Supreme One, Thessoterrorist, and Lord Radio. Double K (Michael Turner, Jr.) is originally from Los Angeles, California, and was born in 1977. He is also known to go by K Jackson, Dub K, L.A. Mike, Mikey, Kaos, and Hale Bop.

People Under the Stairs, or PUTS, have released three albums since 1998, and have since put out a record every two years, with the exception of 2004. Myek. They have also moved to Basement Records, who will formally release their next album along with Tres Records. Tres Records was started by Chikaramanga & Sausen with the assistance of Thes One and has began releasing 12” singles and CD’s for Thes One, Giant Panda, Lightheaded, and other artists.

PUTS is often considered one of the hip-hop underground’s most prominent acts, with a musical style similar to that of A Tribe Called Quest and The Pharcyde.  Their album, Stepfather, was released on April 18, 2006. A false leak of the album was released on the internet on February 21, 2006. The leak was orchestrated by Thes One himself by recruiting members on the PUTS Online messageboard to spread the bad copy. The leak is in fact a recital of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner with an introduction containing such jeers as, “You got it way before everyone, you’re so smart. You couldn’t wait for 4.18.06, huh. You’re smart, well enjoy this.”

In 2008 they released their sixth album Fun DMC.

Thes One released his first solo album, Lifestyle Marketing, in early 2007. It is a 2-disc album of instrumentals featuring samples from Herb Pilhofer’s Music That Works. A ‘Target’ b/w ‘Grain Belt Beer’ 10” single was also pressed.

All eyes are now on them from the underground to the masses, what will they do next? Like the open–ended closings of the great television shows of the 70´s, “Or Stay Tuned” takes you on another ride with The P. A twelve–track collection of party rockers, love songs, silly skits and more, all guaranteed to bump you up! Lay back in the cut with “Fly Love Song” or just have a ball with “Yield” and “Plunken Em”…This is the funk for your bottom, the beats for your top, and even the ´green´ for in between?let it all hang loose and turn it up!