Freestyle Fellowship

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Freestyle Fellowship
OriginLos Angeles, California, U.S.
GenresHip hop
Years active
  • 1991–1993
  • 1998–present
Labels
Members
Past members
  • J. Sumbi
  • M.D. Himself

Freestyle Fellowship is an American hip hop group from Los Angeles, California. It consists of Aceyalone, Myka 9, P.E.A.C.E., and Self Jupiter.[1] They are part of the Project Blowed collective.[2]

History

While in high school in the late 1980s, Aceyalone, Myka 9, and Self Jupiter formed the short-lived MC Aces, a precursor to Freestyle Fellowship, at the Good Life Cafe in Los Angeles, California.[3] Subsequently, former high school friend P.E.A.C.E. was added to form Freestyle Fellowship.[3]

Freestyle Fellowship released the debut studio album, To Whom It May Concern..., in 1991.[4] In 1993, the group released the second studio album, Innercity Griots.[5]

One of the group's most popular singles, "Inner City Boundaries", came from this album, about which group member Myka 9 said "form-wise it had the usage of spoken word as well as jazz, and scatting too, all in the same song space". [6] Daddy-O of 80's NY rap group Stetsasonic acted as producer of the song, and was quoted as saying "the very basic structure for 'Inner City Boundaries' was already there, so when I came in as a producer, I was more of a Quincy Jones—sometimes you don’t write the music but you tell the music where it should go. They hadn’t done any vocals yet. So the guys all came to my studio in Brooklyn and they wrote it right there because we were almost done with the project and some missing vocals were still needed." [7]

Freestyle Fellowship went on hiatus due to the incarceration of Self Jupiter.[8] During this time, Myka moved to New York to record a solo album, while being managed by Kedar Massenberg, the music executive known for coining the term 'neo-soul' and bringing artists like D'Angelo and Erykah Badu to the forefront. Myka also befriended Talib Kweli, and the two would eventually become roommates.[9] In 1998, the group reunited to record the Shockadoom EP, which would be released in 2002.[10] The group released Temptations in 2001,[11] and The Promise in 2011.[12]

Style and influences

"My Fantasy"
Trained in the art of freestyling, members of the group deliver complex, intricate rhymes atop bebop-influenced beats. The track "My Fantasy" showcases Aceyalone's rapid delivery, twisting rhymes, and stream-of-consciousness lyrics.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

According to Los Angeles Times, Freestyle Fellowship incorporates "jazz rhythms into its raps, which have the improvisational ebb and flow and the random explosiveness of a jazz solo."[13] In a 1993 interview with Los Angeles Times, the group's member Myka 9 said, "What we are is liberators, liberating rap from its R&B/funk structures--that 4/4 (time) prison."[13]

The group has been described by LA Weekly as "the astral jazz-cracked geniuses of sherm-strafed South Central, rapping with caged bird cadences about sleeping on park benches, biblical books, and gangsta rap carpetbaggers."[14]

Discography

Studio albums

Remix albums

  • Version 2.0: To Whom It May Concern... Remixed by J. Sumbi (2001)

Mixtapes

  • Power Plant (2011)

EPs

Singles

  • "Bullies of the Block" (1992)
  • "Hot Potato" (1993)
  • "Can You Find the Level of Difficulty in This?" (1999)
  • "Sex in the City" (2001)
  • "Temptations" b/w "Ghetto Youth" (2002)

Guest appearances

  • Nobody - "Planets Ain't Aligned" from Soulmates (2000)
  • Abstract Rude & Tribe Unique - "Heavyweights Round 4" from P.A.I.N.T. (2001)

Compilation appearances

  • "Hot" from Project Blowed (1994)
  • "Can You Find the Level of Difficulty in This? (Hive Remix)" from Defcon 4 (2000)
  • "Ummm" from We Came from Beyond (2001)
  • "Crazy" from Constant Elevation (2002)

References

  1. ^ Serwer, Jesse (October 16, 2012). "35. De La Soul "Transmitting Live From Mars" (1989) / Freestyle Fellowship "Sunshine Men" (1991)". Complex. Archived from the original on October 19, 2012. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  2. ^ Weiss, Jeff (December 15, 2011). "It's Your Anniversary: Underground hip-hop Project Blowed is 17". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 19, 2013. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  3. ^ a b Goldsmith, Melissa Ursula Dawn (2019). "Aceyalone". In Goldsmith, Melissa Ursula Dawn; Fonseca, Anthony J. (eds.). Hip Hop Around the World: An Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. pp. 2–3.
  4. ^ Steiner, B.J. (October 5, 2013). "Today In Hip-Hop: Freestyle Fellowship Releases 'To Whom It May Concern...'". XXL. Archived from the original on December 24, 2015. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  5. ^ Madden, Sidney (April 28, 2015). "Today in Hip-Hop: Freestyle Fellowship Drop 'Innercity Griots'". XXL. Archived from the original on July 12, 2015. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  6. ^ Ma, David. "I Deed It: The Making of Freestyle Fellowship's "Inner City Boundaries"". Passion Of The Weiss. passionweiss.com. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  7. ^ Ma, David. "I Deed It: The Making of Freestyle Fellowship's "Inner City Boundaries"". Passion Of The Weiss. passionweiss.com. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  8. ^ Weiss, Jeff (June 18, 2010). "Knowledge of self: Self Jupiter talks Freestyle Fellowship reunion, returning to school, and the West Coast underground". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 20, 2012. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  9. ^ Paine, Jake. "Talib Kweli Recalls A Great Story Involving Freestyle Fellowship, Neo-Soul & Rent Money (Video)". Ambrosia For Heads. https://ambrosiaforheads.com/. Retrieved 8 February 2020. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  10. ^ Chennault, Sam (July 14, 2002). "Freestyle Fellowship: Shockadoom". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on March 4, 2014. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  11. ^ Haywood, Brad (February 12, 2002). "Freestyle Fellowship: Temptations". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on August 2, 2016. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  12. ^ Breihan, Tom (July 25, 2011). "New Release: Freestyle Fellowship: The Promise". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015.
  13. ^ a b Hunt, Dennis (June 29, 1993). "Liberating Rap With Jazz Sound : Freestyle Fellowship Adds Riffs to Rhymes". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on April 17, 2019. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
  14. ^ Weiss, Jeff (September 27, 2011). "Having Already Influenced Every Rapper You Like, Freestyle Fellowship Are Back". LA Weekly. Archived from the original on April 5, 2015. Retrieved May 22, 2017.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Freestyle_Fellowship&oldid=939813079"