Hip-Hop | Musicosity

Hip-Hop

James Pants

THE YEAR IS 2001 AND THE PLACE IS TEXAS. Stones Throw head honcho Peanut Butter Wolf is DJing while a sharply dressed young man approaches the DJ Booth with his Prom date in tow to formally introduce himself. Thus begins the story of James Pants. What began as a dream Prom night to see his hero DJ went to an internship at the label to eventually landing the ultimate fantasy by being signed to the roster and championed as the ‘next big thing’ by none other than Peanut Butter Wolf himself – on top of critics like Busy P, Urb, XLR8R, & Dazed & Confused Magazines.

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Rob Sonic

Residing in the boogie down Bronx, Rob has been devoted to music since he was a kid, maintaining a deep connection to it in multiple forms (The Beatles, The Stones, Melle Mel, Run DMC, Kraftwerk, The Soul Sonic Force, The Talking Heads, Zeppelin, BDP, Public Enemy, Muddy Waters, UltraMagnetic MC’s, The Clash, Devo, Goblin, David Bowie, EPMD). He developed his expressive abilities through grinding for 10 + years in New York City, living life in a way unique to the New York experience – hard fought, hard luck, high stress and no money tempered by huge dreams.

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Hopsin

It would probably be easier if we told you what Hopsin doesn’t do, but Hop is an MC, producer, director, actor, and editor. And his journey has been anything but painless. Like many kids, Hopsin wanted to be “cool”. But as hard as he tried, he never graduated past being that “weird black kid” that rode around on a skateboard. He tried to get attention by making people laugh, but he always ended up being the butt of the joke. He wrote songs for girls to get them to like him, but got no love.

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Ana Sia

Ana Sia’s love of electronic music combined with an innate understanding of the value of dance to the human soul collectively fuse to create unforgettable sets of experience, whether she is slamming spots in her hometown of San Francisco or taking her turn in the forests of music festivals around the country. Ana’s energetic delivery of brain-fazing beats has earned the Princess Slay-ah an important spot in pioneering the West Coast future sound movement.

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La Coka Nostra

La Coka Nostra (or short LCN) is an American hip hop supergroup, comprised mainly of all former members of House of Pain, Ill Bill, former member of Non Phixion, and various other MCs and producers. Founded by Danny Boy in early 2006, La Coka Nostra is a new project that has reunited him, Everlast and DJ Lethal for the first time since House of Pain's split. The group's name is derived from the notorious criminal organization (La) Cosa Nostra, which means "This Thing Of Ours"...

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Drapht

Drapht is a solo hip-hop MC from Perth, Western Australia. He released Pale Rider in 2003 and it was warmly received in Perth's relatively small hip-hop scene. In 2005, he released Who Am I? which was also well received by fans and critics. He is affiliated with SBX crew, AYEMS crew and has collaborated with Downsyde, Pressure of Hilltop Hoods, and Perth artist Layla.

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Naughty By Nature

Naughty by Nature is a hip hop group that at the time of its formation in 1991, consisted of Treach, Vinnie, and the DJ Kay Gee. The group formed in East Orange, New Jersey, and first appeared on the music scene in the late 1980's releasing an album titled The Independent Leaders, under their then name The New Style. The album generated the minor hit "Scuffin' Those Knees". After the release of their first album, the group was subsequently mentored by fellow New Jersey native Queen Latifah and consequently changed their name.

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pedestrian

There is more than one artist with this name: (1) Pedestrian (AKA The Pedestrian) is the pseudonym of rapper James Brandon Best. Possibly the least well known of anticon's co-founders, his first release, the 12" "The Toss & Turn", wasn't issued until 2004, though he had made several appearances on compilations and was part of one-off groups Stuffed Animals & Object Beings. Pedestrian's full-length debut, Unindian Songs, Vol. 1, came out in 2005. Asides from guest spots on records by other anticon accomplices such as Telephone Jim Jesus and Themselves, he has not released anything since.

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Onra

Onra is a French beatmaker currently residing in Paris. He released his first album with other french producer and friend Quetzal (Al Quetz) in 2006. A hip-hop tribute to soul music which was played several times by Gilles Peterson, Benji B, and covered on Okayplayer.com. At the same time, he started collaborating with American keyboard player called Byron The Aquarius and released an album under the name of The Big Payback in 2007 on Japanese label Circulations. A project full of different influences such as futuristic hip-hop, spaced out and jazzy broken beats.

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