The two found they had much in common -- both of them rap artists from Alabama, frustrated by the lack of opportunity there at the time -- but didn't come together as B.A.M.A. until years later, once the American South became a hotbed for up-and-coming rappers. In late 2004 they made their major-label debut with the single Sweet Home Al, an ode to their home state that contains elements of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama." ~ Jason Birchmeier