Before materializing as an official group, the Natural Elements were originally conceived as a group of solo artists brought together in 1993 under the tutelage of producer Charlemagne. This initial grouping, whose members were initially signed to Fortress Records, included members Mr. Voodoo, L-Swift, KA, G-Blass, Howie Smalls and the InTimidator. By 1995, however, membership slimmed to include only Mr. Voodoo, L-Swift and the newly-added A-Butta.

The trio's countless appearances on the NYC freestyle and mixtape circuits culminated with a record deal on the Tommy Boy Black sublabel and the release of the single "2 Tons" in 1999. Although the highly-anticipated NE album was completed, problems with Tommy Boy shelved the project and the album never saw the light of day.