THA LIKS (formerly known as Tha Alkaholiks)
X.O. Experience (Loud Records, June 26)

Don't Miss Tha Liks In Concert On Music Choice (TV), Airing Throughout May, June and July!

West Coast rappers, E-Swift, Tash, and J-Ro are disproving the old saying, "once an alcoholic,always an alcoholic," as officially change their name from Tha Alkaholiks to Tha Liks for their fourth album, X.O. Experience, to be released June 19. "We've always been called Tha Liks," explained E-Swift. "It's just an abbreviation of our name, so we decided to roll with it this time around." An ode to their 'alkaholik' past, the group has titled their forthcoming release, X.O. Experience, after a trip to the local liquor store. They asked the clerk for the best in stock and according to Tash, "X.O. was it. You can't get anything better.

E-Swift produces the majority of the album, but shares the board with a few of his contemporaries, including The Neptunes, Rockwilder, DJ Scratch, DJ Twinz, and Thayod. The album's first radio single, "The Best U Can" was produced by and features The Neptunes. "Run Wild", produced by Rockwilder, features vocals from Tha Liks new protégé Shea Fiol (pronounced Shay Feel). Busta Rhymes makes an appearance on "Bullyfoot," produced in New York by DJ Scratch. DJ Twinz produced "151," recorded with label mate Xzibit, was named after the address of the Las Vegas studio where the song was recorded. King Tee, Kurupt, and Defari are also featured on the album. "We wanted this album to be a Liks album, to reflect our style so we decided not to have a lot of guest appearances on the album," says E-Swift.

In 1992, Tha Alkaholiks became the first group to sign with Loud/RCA. Party anthem "Make Room" came out in 1993, followed shortly by the single "Likwit/Only When I'm Drunk" from their debut album 21 & Over. Their second album, Coast II Coast, followed two years later. Likwidation, the third LP (1997) debuted at #15 on Billboard's Top R&B/HipHop albums chart. As their fan base grew from their live performances and word of mouth, all three records became top-shelf classics among rap purists. This album is our best music to date both production wise and lyrically."

"X.O. Experience is high energy just like our live performances." J-Ro explains, "When we're performing, we're in our element, so when we get into the studio, it's like a party. We get amped like in our live shows. That's why when people think of Tha Liks, they're ready to party." Tash adds, "X.O. Experience, like the other albums, is about fun and making music that's entertaining. We'll leave everyone else to do the hard stuff."

A video for the first single "The Best U Can" was recently shot in Los Angeles with director Chris Robinson.

Track Listing Producer

1. Bar Code E-Swift
2. Run Wild - feat. Shea Fiol Rockwilder
3. L-I-K-S E-Swift
4. Bully Foot - feat. Busta Rhymes DJ Scratch
5. My Dear - feat. Defari E-Swift
6. Dadadada Thayad
7. 40 Oz Quartet E-Swift
8. Sickness - feat. Butch Cassidy Rockwilder
9. Going Crazy E-Swift
10. The Best U Can Neptunes
11. Another Round E-Swift
12. Bubblin - feat. King T E-Swift
13. 151 - feat. Xzibit DJ Twinz
14. Promote Violins - feat. Kurrupt E-Swift