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THEY ARE: 1223

THE MEMBERS: John “John-John” Kirk and Adrian “Mr. Sylk” Taylor, both 29

THE WEB: myspace.com/1223music

THE ALBUM: Full Circle (2007)

THE SOUND: Hip-hop/rap that's less focused on Cristal, grills and Escalades and more on everyday life, especially life in the military. “Drive On” is about the war in Iraq; “Who Dat Talkin' Down” is about the chilly reception Taylor's friends gave him when he returned from the war.

THE BACKGROUND: Kirk, Taylor and another rapper, Spade, who is no longer with 1223, played basketball together at Holmes High School in the mid-'90s. They began rapping at 14 or 15 and opened for OutKast at their San Antonio show.

After high school, Taylor and Kirk ended up in Honolulu together — Taylor in the Army, Kirk in college. “It gave us a worldwide perspective on things,” Kirk said. After Kirk earned his MBA and Taylor finished two tours in Iraq, they began working on an album in 2006. Taylor was grieving from losing three fellow soldiers in the war. “The music is the way I can express it. It's my therapy,” he said. 1223 has a big military fan base and has performed at Fort Sam Houston, the Center for the Intrepid and Walter Reed Army Medical Center, as well as clubs and churches.

THEIR WORDS: “We never sit down and say, ‘we're going to write a positive song.’ We just write from who we are,” Kirk said. “Just like we can't fake being a gangsta, you can't fake being a thug, you can't fake being a positive person who's trying to do better.”

CHECK THEM OUT: 1223 will perform at the Fort Sam Houston PX on Saturday, Jan. 19.

THE 210 TAKE: 1223's thoughtful lyrics about real life are a welcome contribution to hip-hop. Check out “Wish I Knew” on In the Shadow of an Icon, a compilation of songs by musicians inspired by Tupac Shakur. It's available for download on iTunes now; records hit stores nationwide on Tuesday, Jan. 15.

Jessica Belasco | 210SA Contributor