MarketFun Lovin' Criminals
Company Profile

Fun Lovin' Criminals

Fun Lovin' Criminals are an American rap rock band from New York City. They are best known for their hit "Scooby Snacks", which features samples from films by Quentin Tarantino, and the song "Love Unlimited", named after Barry White's backing vocal group. Their songs often focus on life in New York City, as well as urban life in general. Their lyrics can be gritty or existentialist in nature, touching on topics such as organized crime and urban violence, but they are just as often humorous or satirical. The band gained a large following internationally, particularly in Northwest Europe, around the release of their first two albums in the late 1990s.

History
Formation and first albums: 1993–1999 The band was formed in 1993 by Huey Morgan, Brian "Fast" Leiser, and Steve Borgovini after Leiser, who was already friends with Borgovini, met Morgan at the club where they both worked. They began playing together and would provide entertainment for the club when a booked act failed to show up. It was during one of these stand-in gigs that they caught the attention of EMI, who offered them a record deal. Come Find Yourself, the band's first album, was released in the summer of 1996 by Chrysalis Records and followed their single "The Grave and the Constant" (UK No. 72), which had been released a month earlier, into the UK charts. The album also featured the UK Top 40 hits "Scooby Snacks" (UK No. 22), "The Fun Lovin' Criminal" (UK No. 26), and "King of New York" (UK No. 28). The latter's subject matter touched on the imprisonment of Italian-American mafioso John Gotti, the wannabe gangsters emulating his style, and his fans and followers in his community who maintained his innocence. The biggest hit, "Scooby Snacks", features samples from films by Quentin Tarantino and a guitar sample from Tones on Tail's song "Movement of Fear", interspersed with rap verses and a sung, anthemic chorus. Come Find Yourself had a slow rise on the UK Albums Chart, eventually peaking at No. 7 and spending well over a year on the chart, but it failed to make an impact in the US, despite the band appearing as musical guests on MTV's The Jenny McCarthy Show. The success of the album prompted the re-release of "Scooby Snacks" as a single, alongside a cover of the 10cc classic "I'm Not in Love", which this time reached UK No. 12. New line-up and releases and activities: 2022–present On 3 September 2022, a new song called "Shake It Loose" was given a debut play on Dean Jackson's show The Beat. The song comes from their Roosevelt Sessions EP, which was released digitally on 9 September 2022. The band toured the UK in September, with gigs in St Albans, Oxford, Leicester, London, Sheffield, Liverpool, and Birmingham and then toured Europe, including dates in Greece, the Netherlands, and Belgium before a tour of the US in November. In autumn/winter 2023, with the 25th anniversary of the 100% Colombian album's release, the band toured Europe, playing 25 gigs in November and December of that year. Sixteen of these took place in the UK. In February 2025, the band announced the release of their upcoming studio album A Matter of Time, due for release 29 August 2025, as well as a tour in September. == Musical style ==
Musical style
Rolling Stone described the music of Fun Lovin' Criminals as "a melting pot of local flavors: hip-hop, funk, blues and rock blended into a heavy, spliffy groove." BrumNotes magazine described the band's style as a fusion of hip-hop and blues rock. The Chicago Tribune called Fun Lovin' Criminals a "soul-infused rock ensemble". ''AllMusic's'' John Bush described the band's style as "a blend of hip-hop beats, alternative style, and bluesy rhythms". getHampshire called the band "the world’s finest and only purveyors of cinematic, hobo, hip-hop, rock ‘n’ roll, blues-jazz, soul-review vibes." while Bush categorized them as an alternative rock and hip-hop band. == Side projects ==
Side projects
Huey Morgan is a radio personality on the BBC. Morgan has appeared on Jack Osbourne's Adrenaline Junkie, a boy racer show Slips, sat in for Jonathan Ross and Dermot O'Leary on BBC Radio 2, appeared in Soulboy as a Dick Van Dyke-accented London record shop owner, voiced a character in the Scarface: The World Is Yours video game, and appeared with Liza Tarbuck on Liza & Huey's Pet Nation on prime-time Sky TV. Morgan now presents regular shows on BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 6 Music. All three band members have released side projects. Benbini's band Uncle Frank has released an album, as has Leiser (Saudade (2019)), albeit with some of his previous unreleased work. Both Leiser and Benbini have collaborated on myriad remixes as well as a full remix album in a reggae-dub style under the moniker Radio Riddler. Morgan has released an album, Say It to My Face, and toured with several acquaintances, including Benbini, as Huey and the New Yorkers, raising money for veterans in the process. == Members ==
Members
Current members • Brian ‘Fast’ Leiser - programming, sampling, keyboards, bass, horns, harmonica, backing vocals (1993–present), lead vocals (2021–present) • Frank Benbini - drums, backing vocals (2003–present) • Naim Cortazzi - guitar, backing vocals (2022–present) Former membersHuey Morgan - guitar, lead vocals (1993–2021) • Steve Borgovini - drums (1993–1999) • Maxwell Jayson - drums (1999–2003) Timeline == Discography ==
Discography
;Studio albums • Come Find Yourself (1996) • 100% Colombian (1998) • Loco (2001) • ''Welcome to Poppy's'' (2003) • ''Livin' in the City'' (2005) • Classic Fantastic (2010) • A Matter of Time (2025) ;Compilation albums • Mimosa (1999) • Bag of Hits (2002) • Scooby Snacks: The Collection (2003) • ''A's, B's and Rarities'' (2004) • The Ultra Selection (2005) • Essential (2012) • Another Mimosa (2019) == References ==
tickerdossier.comtickerdossier.substack.com