LEN

by Steve HueyThe alternative pop/dance group LEN was formed in Toronto in 1991 by Marc "The Burger Pimp" Costanzo and his sister Sharon, initially to perform punk-pop-style music. However, an outside interest in hip-hop gradually crept into the group's style over the course of the EP and two full-length independent albums they issued from 1992-1996 (including 1996's Get Your Legs Broke). As time passed, LEN picked up new members, including D Rock, DJ Moves, and Planet Pea. National exposure of the bright, laid-back pop single "Steal My Sunshine" on the soundtrack of the 1999 film Go set the stage for LEN's debut album, You Can't Stop the Bum Rush, later that year. The band lost all of its steam by failing to hit during the intervening couple of years, although they did return in 2005 with Diary of the Madmen.