Ozomatli - Cut Chemist Suite ©

What this video is

Released in late 1998 as the lead single from Ozomatli's self-titled debut on Almo Sounds, 'Cut Chemist Suite' emerged from a Los Angeles scene defined by post-1992-uprising multicultural politics and musical cross-pollination. The band formed in 1995 when members united as labor activists, turning a downtown LA building into a community cultural center — a founding mythology that shaped their music's fusion of…

Why it matters

A landmark document of late-90s LA multicultural hip-hop fusion, 'Cut Chemist Suite' established Ozomatli's signature grammar of turntablism embedded within Latin percussion and brass arrangements. The single peaked at No. 42 on the US Dance Club Songs chart and introduced the band's…