alternative hip hop

N E W . M U S I C :: DEF SOUND – i.NEED.YOU.TO.KNOW.

defsound Language Arts, Music, Visuals alternative hip hop, christy roberts, da poetry lounge, def sound, dilated peoples, Experimental, Indie, j*davey, Kadhja Bonet, Kings of Neon, los angeles, mad as hell, Music, zack sekoff 0

Shot/Directed/Visual Effects/Edited by mad-as.hell (Leila Jarman + Mike Leisz)
Art Direction/Make-up by Christy Roberts Berkowitz

I don’t usually post my own music. This is something I really wanted to share, like good art, like if it wasn’t my video I would post type art. Let’s start from the beginning my name is Emmanuel Ricketts, I’m from South Central LA, went to private school in Compton and my parents raised me vegan back in 1984. I create art under the name Def Sound, which is short for Definitive Sound (I wanted to name myself after a goal). I found MY voice as a writer at Da Poetry Lounge on Fairfax in Los Angeles. I wanted to go somewhere where all people cared about was the what you were saying and plus I wanted new friends and I didn’t know how to find them so I googled “poetry lounges in Los Angeles” DPL was thee first thing that came up. That was thee first place I felt valued as an artist. I ended up making the LA slam team the first year I did poetry. Going to Nationals woke me up and I wanted to bring those new tools of writing and vulnerability into my music.Musically the first artist I would say mentored me early on was Raaka Iris Science of Dilated Peoples, I met him at the DMV on the humble. He taught me how to count bars actually. Then meeting J*Davey was pivotal for me in every way imaginable. First of all they were my favorite band in LA. Add another story to thee story they were the first people to take me on tour nationally and internationally and let me open up for them as a performer and DJ their sets.

Fast forward to now, my latest project was created over the course of three years post tour where I spent a year and a half homeless w/ my girlfriend at the time. In between Motels, legally squatting in condo’s, couchsurfing, air BNBing and nights in thee car I created a project about reaching highest potential. Most of thee brightest ideas are created from thee deepest darkness. This song “i N e e d Y o u 2 K n ow .” was recorded on my iPhone 4 as a voice note in one take and young prodigy Zack Sekoff built thee soundscape around thee vocals. Kadhja Bonet guided by thee highest forms of inspiration blessed and added thee finishing sprinkles of strings and backing vocals.

This project is called “Kings • of • Neon” it’s being released Nov. 6th 2015 . It will tell our story. It will be thee first release from my newly founded independent audio visual label

” Y E ∀ W H A T E V E R .”

Let’s stay friends and share our stories.

Thee.Cloud.

Thee.Facebook.

Thee.IG.

Stay love , stay bright

-∂eƒ

Rob Roy is not a Rapper

C2O Editor Citizens, Music alternative hip hop, backside clothing, d'angelo, dim mak, echo park, jacksonville, le tigre blanc, little egypt, rap, rob roy 0

Under low light a modest silhouette gyrates like an old 60’s rock star. I was lucky enough to be invited to Backside‘s instore event at their Echo Park location.
Space had been cleared in the shop as if they were trying to create a dance floor. Rob Roy was their guest.When I arrive heavy distortion is filling the air, guitars are squealing, and there is a double bass echoing off the walls all this and apparently that is just the outro to one of his songs.

Upon first sight you might think he is a bit over dressed, after all we are in an establishment that sells casual clothes. The audience is casual, the scene is casual, but Rob Roy is any thing but. He is suited like a Men In Black, which is more that I can say for most rappers. His performance isn’t the lackadaisical stage jaunt that I was expecting… Rob Roy is performing his as off. Right after the heavy metal he goes into “Axela”, its sultry and slow. The drums are simple and the melody is carried by a chorus line of oohs and aahs. Over the D’Angelo-esque bass line, he singing in falsetto. He’s seducing the audience, not impressing them with word play, he’s drawing them closer. For someone labeled rapper he isn’t showing any of the symptoms,not battering us with lyrics, not vomiting out indiscernible syllables.

[wpvideo n9EoXz45]

Not that he can’t rap,he can, and he proves it. Mr. Roy serves up staccato flavored bars, with metaphoric icing whipped into the center. Its definitely impressive but not at all what you might be used to. He’s not just vamping over hooks either he’s actually hitting notes. In velvet rope he digs into the beat and harmonizes on the chorus. He raps but its not a rap song, not a typical one by any means. He’s making me question everything I know about music. If this is rap, and it is this good, this musical, then what is that I am hearing on the radio? The two can’t possibly be the same.

[wpvideo AATWhBLx]

Where in the spectrum of music do you feel you fit now? What is the void in music that you fill?

I stand in opposition to anti-intellectualization.

Why not just take the easy way out and make some more conventional sounding music?

There’s enough people doing that. I’m interested in deforming and provoking, not pacifying.

If budget were not a concern, how many pieces would you have in your back up band, which would they be?

A dj, 6 back-up singers, a drummer, and perhaps a bass player.

twitter: @robertraimonroy

Little Egypt Wavy (video)