Baby Sham, Lord Have Mercy, Rampage, Rah Digga, and Spliff Star first appeared alongside Busta Rhymes as Flipmode Squad in 1996 on his album The Coming. The Brooklyn crew released their debut, The Imperial Album, in 1998 and members kept busy guesting on albums by Busta and others — as well as releasing the occasional solo album. Rampage's Scouts Honor...by Way of Blood was released in 1997 and featured the Flipmode loyal cut "Flipmode Iz da Squad." Rah Digga also stepped out of the Squad to release Dirty Harriet in 1999 with her crew appearing on "Just for You." A second Flipmode Squad release, Rulership Movement, was set for release in 2003.