“I say, play your own way. Don’t play what the public wants. You play what you want and let the public pick up on what you’re doing — even if it does take them fifteen, twenty years.” - Thelonious Monk This very idea was the catalyst in the genesis of DRYrun. Consisting of 2 people with short attention spans and the idea that music should come... [+] Read More

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Initially regarded as one of hip-hop's most promising newcomers in the late '90s, Mos Def expanded his reach in the years to come, establishing himself as a serious actor and also making a bid to reshape the rap-rock genre. His artistic career began in the late '80s as a television actor, a profession he began directly out of high school. By the... [+] Read More

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If skills sold, Talib Kweli would have been one of the most commercially successful rappers of his time. As it was, however, the especially earnest MC became one of the most critically successful rappers of his time, which dawned in the late '90s when he rapped alongside Mos Def and DJ Hi-Tek as part of the group Black Star. This trio of... [+] Read More

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Growing up in Winston-Salem, NC, the boy who would become producer 9th Wonder, Pat Douthit, performed in the school band and also played the keyboard at home. Initially, while a student at North Carolina Central University, Douthit planned on saving his money for the producer's favorite tool, the MPC, but after a friend showed him that he could... [+] Read More

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ELECTRO . INDIE . TRIP-HOP . DUBTRONICA . POLITICAL . ROCK . PSYCHADELIA .
Anti Alles was formed as Ryan Kimmo Randle on February 2, 1985. Coincidently the same day as his twin brother, Steffan Jari Randle. Each child was born with superhuman powers. The first-place-deprived Jari grew artistic tentacles and a visual mapping system. Kimmo... [+] Read More

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Armed with little more than his father’s extensive record collection of jazz, soul, psychedelic rock, folk, comedy and a Kurzweil 2000 keyboard - Black Spade’s music is a melting pot of sounds hailing from St. Louis by way of New York, Detroit, LA, and everywhere that hip-hop has carved a distinctive and influential sound for itself. [+] Read More

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Marcus Garvey, founder of the united Negro Improvement Association manifested his ideas by creating the Black Star shipping line, designed to repatriate blacks to Africa. Garvey's political vision not only inspired Mos Def and Talib Kweli's band name, but many of their thematic concerns about the African-American community. Black Star is part of... [+] Read More

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The production team known as da Beatminerz came together in the late '90s to rejuvenate hip-hop with their purist aesthetics, which looked back to the genre's pioneering New York-based producers rather than the contemporary synthesizer-based sounds that were suddenly becoming the norm. The five group members, led by brothers DJ Evil Dee and Mr.... [+] Read More

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Who's Enig'ma?

Emcee/Songwriter Enig'ma made the critical decision many years ago to attempt to be one of the all-time greats in the world of Hip Hop, and since then it has consistently been the guiding light keeping him focused. In an era of superficially rich, stereotypical keep up with the joneses flavor Enig'ma was determined to... [+] Read More

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One-half of the legendary hip-hop duo EPMD, Erick Sermon was also among the genre's most prominent producers, deservedly earning the alias "Funklord" with his trademark raw, bass-heavy grooves. Born in Bayshore, NY, on November 25, 1968, Sermon -- aka E Double, the Green-Eyed Bandit, and MC Grand Royal -- teamed with rapper Parrish Smith in 1986... [+] Read More

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Guilty Simpson was born in Detroit, the son and grandson of the family’s performing musicians in his father and grandfather. At age four, Simpson and his mother began traveling with an aunt in the military, living in California and Birmingham, Alabama, before settling back in the Motor City at 15. Big Daddy Kane, N.W.A, and Scarface were all... [+] Read More

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Kenn Starks is currently a relatively unknown music producer based in Brooklyn, New York City. Although working in the same vein as DJ Spinna, Waajeed and Flying Lotus; Starks has patterned his style of music production that is inspired by the late J. Dilla; whom he believes was/is a timeless musician whose influencial sound needs to be endured.

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Widely known initially for his work as a producer and MC with the rap group Main Source, Large Professor soon after became a full-time producer working with such acts as Big Daddy Kane and A Tribe Called Quest. Professor originally became involved in rap when he won a tryout held by Main Source members K-Cut and Sir Scratch in 1989. Contributing... [+] Read More

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21 year old, MC DEUX, was born and raised in Zurich, Switzerland. He began to develop a deep passion for music at the early age of 6, being inspired by one of the planet's most musically creative minds, Michael Jackson. Almost a decade after he forges two black metal bands (Infernal Requiem and Verdensrike) and some years later, he gives life to... [+] Read More

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You can forgive Phat Kat for being supremely confident; it’s a trait he’s had all his life. And though this legendary Detroit MC (“from the East side,” he points out) has had his share of ups and downs in the music industry, he refuses to badmouth former labels, preferring to express himself in his rhymes. “I’m not even gonna say nothing, I’m... [+] Read More

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Beginning his career as a DJ for Stetsasonic, rapper and producer Prince Paul has lent his skills to albums by Boogie Down Productions, Gravediggaz, MC Lyte, Big Daddy Kane, and 3rd Bass, among others. Paul's big break came when he produced De La Soul's 3 Feet High and Rising album. Shattering the acknowledged rules of hip-hop production, he... [+] Read More

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After producing hit singles for Dead Prez, Tahir suddenly appeared on the rap scene as an up-and-coming producer. Part of the People's Army, Tahir began preparing a solo album after doing some production work for Black Thought's solo album. Before releasing the album, though, Tahir released the Holiday Pay/Plow Plow 12". ~ Jason Birchmeier, All... [+] Read More

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The name right now is OneTyme, dont kno if im gonna stick with that but for now thts wat it is. I started makin instrumentals about 4 years ago. I've gotten use to some programs and learned some techniques along the way. I gess u could say my style is that i try to give each track a deep and unique feel. Lemme kno wat u think of my music and if... [+] Read More

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Though popular success has largely eluded the Roots, the Philadelphia group showed the way for live rap, building on Stetsasonic's "hip-hop band" philosophy of the mid-'80s by focusing on live instrumentation at their concerts and in the studio. Though their album works have been inconsistent affairs, more intent on building grooves than pushing... [+] Read More

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