Comprised of two brothers who can trace their music business roots back to the late-'60s Greenwich Village scene (where they shared an apartment with Jimi Hendrix), the Aleems are most noted for forming Nia Records in the early '80s. The label became home to such notable rappers as Marley Marl and MC Shan and helped develop the careers of MCs such as Sparky D. After Nia folded, the Aleems recorded an album for Atlantic Records, Casually Formal, before opening up their own recording studio in the late '80s.