Happy 25th: Everlast, Forever Everlasting

25 years ago today, the future former frontman for House of Pain - you know, the band that graced us with the unforgettable single “Jump Around” - dropped his debut solo album, an effort which you probably don't remember from its original release because…well, frankly, it wasn't terribly successful.

Everlast got his first big break as a member of Ice-T's so-called Rhyme Syndicate, and it was Ice-T who was directly responsible for Everlast securing the opportunity to issue an album of his own. Unsurprisingly, Ice-T also featured on “The Rhythm,” one of the album's three singles (the other two being “Never Missin' a Beat” and “I Got the Knack”), but it wasn't enough to earn that track or either of the others anything resembling significant airplay. In fairness, it may have been because, even with Ice-T in the mix, Everlast's look at the time made it appear that he might've been using the video for “The Rhythm” as a backdoor audition for “Beverly Hills 90210.”

Watch Video Clip: Here

Two years later, Everlast reemerged as a member of House of Pain, looking and sounding far scruffier than he had only a few years earlier, and the end result was a decidedly more popular endeavor. Not only that, but once House of Pain had run its course, Everlast returned to his solo career with Whitey Ford Sings the Blues, a much better spotlight of his abilities than his debut.

That said, you really should give Forever Everlasting a listen: there are still glimpses of the rapper Everlast would become. Granted, they might be deeper on some songs than others, but they're there. No, really, we swear.