If you’re reading this site then the chances are you’ll be more than familiar with People Under the Stairs, or PUTS for short. If not, then this should help.

PUTS are a talented duo that have carved a big name for themselves in the underground scene. Comprising of Thes One, MC, producer, tour manager and more, and Double K, the second MC and DJ. They are known for their laid back, old-school flavoured hip hop that is filled with forgotten funk samples and old jazz beats.

The majority of their tracks are about having fun, partying and telling stories, but don’t think they lack depth as there is a lot of heart hidden away in their albums. They are the band that showed me, at 18 years old, that there is more to hip hop than what you hear on the radio. And for that, People Under the Stairs will always be that little bit special.

San Francisco Knights

From the album, The Next Step

I first heard this song in a friends rubbish strewn car, sitting in a supermarket carpark in the rain. Safe to say I fell in love on the spot and stole his mix CD. After a dew days of repeated listening I bought The Next Step, PUTS’ debut album.

Code Check

From the album, Question In The Form of an Answer

To be honest, I have not listened to this album as much as their first and third albums, but I’ve been making up for that recently. Code Check is one of the tracks that will always feature on any PUTS playlist I make. It really shows off the MC skills of Thes and double K.

The Dig

From the album, O.S.T.

PUTS’ next album is O.S.T and in my opinion it is the ultimate party album that gets stuck on as soon as the sun comes out. There is literally too many songs I could choose but I thought I’d settle with The Dig, the one track that fits my life over the past week.

The Dig is an ode to PUTS’ love of music. They have trawled the globe looking for obscure, forgotten vinyl and that is clearly evident when you listen to their music.

Days Like These

From the album, Stepfather

You see, I told you PUTS have a lot of heart, it’s not all party tunes. A song about what’s important in life: enjoyment and family. Of course there’s some great party songs on the album, especially Jamboree pt.1 and Jamboree pt.2, and some brilliant nostalgia in Letter to the Old School

With seven studio albums there are a lot of PUTS to go around. Their more recent outings have seen them experiment with different beats and styles but still maintain that classic old-school feel.

On that note, what better track to leave you than this. A great beat, a great story, and some amazingly creative rhymes by Thes One.

Mid-City Fiesta

From the album, The Next Step