The group began life in 1994 when producers
D'Afro and Tony Nwachukwu first met up. D'Afro had previously founded London's Urban Poets Society collective but the duo later became Attica Blues. While trying to sell some Japanese
hip-hop records, D'Afro met up with
Mo'Wax founder
James Lavelle and was offered a spot on his Mo'Wax label despite never having made music before. The duo began recording their first single alone but when a local student, the Egyptian-born Roba El-Essawy, visited the studio during the recording for their debut single, D'Afro and Nwachukwu decided to ask her to join them. The band released their first single in 1995 and their debut album in 1997. El-Essawy was married to painter
Chris Ofili from 2002 to 2019. Attica Blues have in recent years been back in the studio and are teasing a comeback with a third studio album. ==Discography==