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Biography (courtesy of Gotee Records)

In a music cosmos where too much sounds too similar, L.A. Symphony has endured the test of time, blazing their own brand of classically influenced, organic hip-hop that has earned the respect of fans and peers alike over the years.

Now the group—comprised of Flynn, CookBook, Sharlok Poems, UNO Mas, and Joey the Jerk—drop their sophomore album, The End Is Now (Basement Records/Red), a melodic and soulful fusion of neck-snapping beats, witty rhymes and the group's own feel good vibes. "This album has a universal hip-hop feel," explains Flynn. "It's just us being us. Lively, expressionist…We're really trying to have a good time with our music and not take things too seriously."

Indeed, with more musical, layered and complex production on The End Is Now, this album has the potential for marked commercial success while still staying true to the group's underground roots. Comments Flynn, "It's definitely not the same formula. We've recreated ourselves to a certain degree."

Of course, creating and then recreating has been an integral part of L.A. Symphony's story. Formed in 1997 during a time when West Coast hip-hop was better known for gangster rap and its graphic portrayals of sex and violence, the crew rose through the ranks of City of Angels' storied underground hip-hop scene with a distinctively organic vibe that was styled to "connect with the common man."

While captivating a burgeoning fan-base and receiving early interest from record labels, the band decided to release the first album, 1999's Composition #1 independently. Despite its spotty distribution, people began to take notice, including Steve Taylor of Squint Entertainment. Having established industry respect with hit releases from Sixpence, None the Richer and Chevelle, Squint was looking to expand its hit-parade into the hip-hop market and wanted an act that was accessible but also thought provoking. Enter L.A. Symphony.

After building up a buzz, LAS's Squint debut, Call It What You Want, was hotly anticipated by both industry insiders and officianados alike. With tracks produced by the band and guest producers Mario C (Beastie Boys), will.i.am (Black Eyed Peas), and Prince Paul, the project's debut single "Broken Tape Decks" was lauded by critics.

However, due to internal problems at the label, the album would never see the light of day. In what would make for a classic "VH1 Behind the Music" story, the band was to endure a four-year struggle to record and release another album. No matter, they continued to tour relentlessly- opening for major acts like Jurassic 5 and Black Eyed Peas, and playing major events like the NBA/Yahoo Rhythm and Rims Tour, the Van's Warped Tour (Los Angeles show), and The Night Hip-Hop Stole Christmas. They even quietly released The Baloney EP in 2002.

Now, rejuvenated and reinvigorated—with more buzz, more fans and more music than ever before—the Symphony is ready to take center stage once again with The End Is Now. The album's lead single, the feel-good, radio friendly 'Gonna Be Alright,' is already receiving rave reviews from radio stations and critics alike. "1-8-7 On The Dance Floor," melding a gritty horn sample with a club-feel, is about MC's showing skills on the mic while putting to rest all preconceived notions of hip-hop artists such as materialism, pimpery and thuggism.

The title track—with its medieval sounding brass section is a more serious song and touches on the group's struggles to survive the pitfalls of afore mentioned bad label deal and the frustration of an unreleased album. Years later, it seems that ability to survive and overcome frustration amidst and increasingly cutthroat and competitive hip-hop world has become the group's calling card.

"I hope this album will get us exposure as far as what we actually want in terms of us being a pertinent element of the culture we live in," concludes Flynn. "It doesn't necessarily mean us selling millions of records but it also doesn't mean staying underground. We want the recognition but we still take it back to the essence."