After The Stone Roses disbanded in 1996, frontman Ian Brown started recording music under his own name. In 1998 he released his debut solo album Unfinished Monkey Business. Roses members Mani, Nigel Ipinson, Aziz Ibrahim and Robbie Maddix helped written and perform the instruments on many of the album's tracks. Much of the album's material focusing on Roses' guitarist John Squire's dependence on drugs and self-centeredness. The low-fi vibe and funky rhythms of the album marks another period in Ian Brown's life. As Brown stated: "The press used to refer to me as 'simian lead singer'. My arms have always been too long for my body. But I've been called 'monkey' all my life, so I thought I'd keep that theme."