1986–1990: Early Years In 1984, Leaders of the New School was formed by
Long Island natives Charlie Brown (born Bryan Higgins on September 19, 1970),
Busta Rhymes (born Trevor Smith, Jr. on May 20, 1972) and Dinco D (born James Jackson on November 4, 1971). Rhymes' cousin Cut Monitor Milo (born Sheldon Scott on July 4, 1970) became the group's
DJ and would also rap in the group occasionally. During a performance at Payday, a roving and short-lived hip-hop party in New York's late-1980s club scene, the group was discovered by Elektra Records A&R Dante Ross. The group performed for fellow Long Island based hip hop group
Public Enemy, who had already risen to prominence, at a talent show circa 1989. There, Busta Rhymes and Charlie Brown were given their respective stage names by
Chuck D of Public Enemy. Shortly afterward, production team
the Bomb Squad took them under their wings and taught them how to produce by spending a significant amount of time with the group. The members of the leaders of the New School were offered the option of performing as one of two group names chosen by the Bomb Squad: Leaders of the New School or Young Black Teenagers. When they were informed by The Bomb Squad that they were mentoring another crew who were interested in taking the L.O.N.S. name, both groups were told that they would have to battle for it. Both sides had to make a song called "Fuck The Old School," and who created the better song would win the L.O.N.S. designator. The loser would have to settle for Young Black Teenagers as their group name. After Rhymes and Brown's group earned the name Leaders of the New School, the white group was named
Young Black Teenagers. In October, they once again appeared in
In Living Color in the episode "Green Eggs and the Guvment Cheese" again performing "Teachers, Don't Teach Us Nonsense". In the same month, they also appeared on the
Strictly Business soundtrack, with the song "Shining Star". In January 1993, Leaders of the New School produced and featured on
James Brown's single "
Can't Get Any Harder". The group soon split up, with Charlie Brown, Dinco D and Milo garnering very limited success individually, while Busta Rhymes' popularity continued to increase. The group made an appearance on Rhymes' 1996 debut album
The Coming, on the track "Keep It Movin'" and was the last time they would collaborate as a group. In July 2012, the group reunited on stage during Busta Rhymes' headlining set at the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival, to perform "Case of the P.T.A." and "Scenario" in its entirety with A Tribe Called Quest. The group later reunited again in 2015 on the song "We Home" from Busta Rhymes' mixtape
The Return Of The Dragon: The Abstract Went On Vacation. ==Reunion==