Handsome Boy Modeling School | |
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Background information | |
Genres | Hip hop, trip hop, electronica |
Years active | 1999–2006, 2018–present |
Labels | Tommy Boy, Elektra |
Members |
Handsome Boy Modeling School is an American collaborative project between hip hop producers Dan the Automator (Gorillaz, Dr. Octagon, Deltron 3030) and Prince Paul (Stetsasonic, De La Soul, Gravediggaz). The collaboration originally lasted from 1999 to 2006 and resulted in two albums, featuring a vast cast of guest rappers, singers, comedians and DJs. [1] In February 2018, the duo played a concert in New York City. [2]
Handsome Boy Modeling School was a conceptual hip hop duo that parodied and acted as a commentary on vain, consumerist, materialistic, and self-absorbed members of upper class society, such as supermodels and people from old money. The pair often satirized upper class snobbery and perceived beauty.
In 1999, they released the concept album So... How's Your Girl? , which was loosely based on "The Prettiest Week of My Life", an episode of the sitcom Get a Life which starred Chris Elliott. The episode also contains the origin of the name Handsome Boy Modeling School, where Chris Elliott's character enrolls to become a male model. In the album, Dan and Paul assume the characters of Nathaniel Merriweather and Chest Rockwell, respectively. The Rockwell name is in reference to a pseudonym used by a porn star in 1997 film Boogie Nights ; the Merriweather name is likely an homage to the character Nathanial Mayweather, also played by Chris Elliott, in the 1994 comedic feature Cabin Boy . [3] Dan the Automator continued to use the pseudonym Nathaniel Merriweather alongside Mike Patton and Jennifer Charles for the collaborative project Lovage.
A number of guest musicians appear, including Róisín Murphy (one half of the duo Moloko at the time of the album's release), DJ Shadow, Del the Funky Homosapien, J-Live, Sean Lennon, Miho Hatori (of Cibo Matto), Mike D (of the Beastie Boys) and Don Novello (as comic character Father Guido Sarducci). [3]
Their 1999 single "The Projects" in collaboration with Dave of De La Soul and Del the Funky Homosapien was featured in the 2001 film Ocean's Eleven . [4]
Their second album, White People , was released in November 2004. Some collaborators from the first album returned, and new collaborators included RZA, Cat Power, Casual, Alex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand, Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park, Jack Johnson, Cedric Bixler-Zavala of The Mars Volta, Mike Patton, El-P, Pharrell, John Oates, Chino Moreno, Lord Finesse, Black Sheep, and comedy actor Tim Meadows. [5]
In 2006, Prince Paul announced his retirement from Handsome Boy Modeling School due to business conflicts with Dan the Automator. [6] However, the duo reunited to play a concert hosted by Saks Fifth Avenue, New York City, on 14 February 2018. According to HipHopDX, they announced plans to release a new album at the performance. [2] On 9 April 2022, at a show in Portland, Oregon, Dan the Automator officially announced that a third album was in the works, predicting a fall 2022 release. [7] In March 2023, they released Music To Drink Martinis To in partnership with Ford’s Gin. [8]
Title | Album details |
| |
---|---|---|---|
US [9] [10] | AUS [11] | ||
So... How's Your Girl? |
| 198 | — |
White People |
| 168 | 63 |
Music To Drink Martinis To |
| -- | -- |
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
---|---|---|---|
UK [12] | |||
"Magnetizing" | 1999 | — | So... How's Your Girl? |
"Rock 'n' Roll (Could Never Hip Hop Like This)" | 76 | ||
"The Projects (PJays)" (featuring Dave and Del the Funky Homosapien) | — | ||
"The Truth" (feat. Roisin* & J-Live) | — | ||
"Sunshine" | 2000 | — | |
"The World's Gone Mad" (featuring Alex Kapranos, Del the Funky Homosapien and Barrington Levy) | 2004 | 82 | White People |
"Case Study" (featuring Emi Meyer) | 2023 | — | Music To Drink Martinis To |
"How Does It Feel?" (featuring Justin Warfield) | — |
Keith Matthew Thornton, better known by his stage name Kool Keith, is an American rapper and record producer from The Bronx, New York City, known for his surreal, abstract and often profane or incomprehensible lyrics. Kool Keith has recorded prolifically both as a solo artist and in group collaborations. Kool Keith is generally considered to be one of hip-hop's most eccentric and unusual personalities.
Paul Edward Huston, better known by his stage name Prince Paul, is an American record producer, disc jockey and recording artist from Amityville, New York. Paul began his career as a DJ for Stetsasonic. He has worked on albums by Boogie Down Productions, Gravediggaz, MC Lyte, Big Daddy Kane and 3rd Bass, among others. Major recognition for Prince Paul came when he produced De La Soul's debut album 3 Feet High and Rising (1989), in which he pioneered new approaches to hip hop production, mixing and sampling, notably by including comedy sketches.
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White People is the second studio album by Handsome Boy Modeling School. It was released on Elektra Records on November 9, 2004. The album features guest appearances from a diverse array of performers, including Linkin Park, Del tha Funky Homosapien, The Mars Volta, De La Soul, Jack Johnson, Cat Power, Lord Finesse, Pharrell Williams, John Oates, RZA, Julee Cruise, El-P, Mike Patton, and comedians Tim Meadows and Father Guido Sarducci.
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Peeping Tom were an American rock band led by Mike Patton. To date, they have released one eponymous album and two singles on Ipecac Recordings. The band has featured a wide variety of well-known artists such as Amon Tobin, Massive Attack, Norah Jones and Kool Keith.
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Built from Scratch is the second studio album by New York City DJ group The X-Ecutioners. It was released on February 26, 2002, through Loud Records and Columbia Records. The album was produced by Beat Junkies, Chris Frantz, CJ Moore, Dan the Automator, DJ Apollo, DJ Premier, Kenny Muhammad The Human Orchestra, Knobody, Large Professor, Lo-Fidelity Allstars, Mike Shinoda of American rock band Linkin Park, Sean Cane, The X-Ecutioners, Tina Weymouth, and was executive produced by Peter Kang.
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