IAM was first formed in late 1985 by Akhenaton and Khéops in Marseille, France, under the initial name Lively Crew. Lively Crew became B.Boys Stance some time during summer 1987, after which it was joined by Shurik'n, Freeman and Imhotep. In 1989 the group was renamed IAM, and they produced their first album, IAM Concept which was released the following year. They signed a contract with Virgin, and went on to publish the album De la planète Mars in 1991, which became a major hit in France.