Urban Species

Urban Species is a British hip-hop band, best known for several hit singles during the 1990s. The band's music draws on a diverse range of influences (including reggae, blues, funk, dub, jazz, ragga and acoustic folk) and combines live playing with samples and programming, resulting in an organic sound that has sometimes been compared to a British version of Arrested Development. The band’s music is frequently associated with the acid jazz movement of the mid-1990s.

Urban Species’ consistent core figure and effective leader has been Peter "Mintos" Akinrinlola, but the band’s lineup has at various times included other producers and rappers plus many of the best musicians from the London funk and jazz-funk scenes. The band is also known for collaborations, most notably with Terry Callier and Imogen Heap.

The band was founded in Tottenham, North London, by childhood friends Peter Akinrinlola (who took on the rapper's name of "MC Mint", later revising it to "Mintos") and Winston Small (who provided beats under the name "DJ Renegade"). Growing up in the 1980s, both shared an interest in various underground music including hip-hop (which at the time was restricted mainly to its electro and rap subdivisions), dancehall reggae, rave and blues. The duo began writing together in 1988. For sampleable material, they drew extensively on the stock of jazz and funk records owned by Renegade’s older brother, which came to shape their organic, live-sounding musical approach.

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