Serengeti (rapper)

Last updated

Serengeti
Birth nameDavid Cohn
Origin Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Genres Hip hop [1]
Occupation(s) Rapper
Years active2003–present

David Cohn, better known by his stage name Serengeti, is an American rapper from Chicago, Illinois. [1]

Contents

Early life

Serengeti is the great-nephew of jazz trumpeter Sonny Cohn. [2] He grew up in various places in Chicago, Illinois, as his parents divorced when he was 5 years old. [3] At the age of 12, he got into hip hop. [3] He started writing verses while attending Morgan Park High School. [3] He attended Southern Illinois University Carbondale, where he became friends with Open Mike Eagle. [2] He graduated from the university in 2001 with a degree in history. [4]

Career

In 2007, Serengeti released the first collaborative album with producer Polyphonic, titled Don't Give Up . [5] The duo released their second collaborative album, Terradactyl , in 2009. [6]

In 2011, Serengeti released his solo album, Family & Friends , which was produced by Yoni Wolf and Owen Ashworth. [7]

Serengeti is a member of Sisyphus along with Son Lux and Sufjan Stevens. The trio released Beak & Claw in 2012 [8] and a self-titled album in 2014. [9]

In 2012, Serengeti released C.A.R. , [10] as well as Kenny Dennis EP . [11] Kenny Dennis EP was Serengeti's first release chronicling the biography of his meta character "Kenny Dennis", a once-famous Gangsta rap artist navigating life after the peak of stardom. [12] The EP was later ranked among the top 40 Hip Hop releases of 2012 by SPIN Magazine. [13] He followed this up with Kenny Dennis LP in 2013 [14] and Kenny Dennis III in 2014. [15]

2020 saw the well-received release of Ajai with collaborator Kenny Segal, a continuation of the Kenny Dennis canon. [16] Cohn raps about the life of Ajai, a new character obsessed with Designer clothing and sneaker drops, who interacts with Dennis within the drop-collecting community.

Style

Serengeti's music is a sharp departure from most mainstream hip hop, which he considers "depressing" and always consists of "the same redundant ideas." [17]

In an interview, Serengeti said he created Dennehy as an "answer to common complaints about hip-hop" and "to put the fun back in hip-hop." [18]

Discography

Studio albums

Collaborations

Remix albums

EPs

Singles

Guest appearances

Compilation appearances

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anticon</span> American independent record label

Anticon was an independent record label based in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1998 by seven musicians and manager Baillie Parker. It was collectively owned among six musicians, co-founder Parker, and manager Shaun Koplow. The original musicians signed to Anticon were once referred to as the Anticon collective. Following the death of one of its founding members in 2018, the label dissolved.

David P. Madson, better known by his stage name Odd Nosdam, is an American underground hip hop producer, DJ and visual artist. He is co-founder of the record label Anticon. He has remixed tracks by a variety of bands and artists including Boards of Canada, The Notwist, and Sole.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sufjan Stevens</span> American musician (born 1975)

Sufjan Stevens is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He has released ten solo studio albums and multiple collaborative albums with other artists. Stevens has received Grammy and Academy Award nominations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Why? (American band)</span> American band

Why? is an American alternative hip hop and indie rock band. The band was founded in 2004 by Cincinnati rapper and singer Yoni Wolf, who had been using Why? as his stage name since 1997. In addition to Wolf, who serves as lead vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, the band consists of multi-instrumentalists and backing vocalists Doug McDiarmid and Matt Meldon, and drummer and backing vocalist Josiah Wolf, who is Yoni Wolf's older brother.

Jeffrey James Logan, better known by his stage name Jel, is an American hip hop producer and rapper. He is co-founder of the record label Anticon. He has been a member of Presage, Themselves, Subtle, and 13 & God.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joyful Noise Recordings</span> American independent record label from Indianapolis, Indiana

Joyful Noise Recordings is an independent record label with headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana. The label was founded in 2003 in Bloomington, Indiana by Karl Hofstetter, who also played drums several of the label's first releases. Joyful Noise maintains an active roster of over 30 bands playing various musical styles, though according to the label, each artist "in one way or another bridges the gap between pop and noise."

<i>Terradactyl</i> 2009 studio album by Serengeti & Polyphonic

Terradactyl is the second collaborative studio album by American musicians Serengeti and Polyphonic. It was released on Anticon in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yoni Wolf</span> American singer

Jonathan Avram "Yoni" Wolf is an American alternative hip hop and indie rock musician and co-founder of the record label Anticon.

<i>Beak & Claw</i> 2012 EP by S / S / S

Beak & Claw is the debut EP by Sisyphus, a collaborative project between Serengeti, Sufjan Stevens, and Son Lux. It was released through Anticon on March 20, 2012. If featured guest appearances from Shara Worden and Doseone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan Lott</span> American musician (born 1979)

Ryan Lott is an American musician. He founded the band Son Lux which has released five albums and four EPs. The band's most recent album Brighter Wounds appeared in February 2018, the preceding album Remedy appeared in May 2017. He is also a member of Sisyphus and has scored the soundtracks for a number of films, most notably Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022), Mean Dreams (2017), Paper Towns (2015), and The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby (2013). In 2020, Lott composed the soundtrack for the adventure game Tell Me Why. In 2022, Ryan released a course on designing sample-based instruments with online music school Soundfly.

Sisyphus is a collaborative project between Serengeti, Ryan Lott and Sufjan Stevens.

Tha Grimm Teachaz was a fictional American underground hip hop group. It consisted of Serengeti's alter ego KDz, Hi-Fidel's alter ego PMDF, and DJ Koufi.

<i>Kenny Dennis EP</i> 2012 EP by Serengeti

Kenny Dennis EP is an EP by American rapper Serengeti. It was released on Anticon on April 3, 2012. Entirely produced by Jel and Odd Nosdam, it was recorded in Berkeley, California.

Kenny Segal, also known as Syndakit, is an American record producer and DJ based in Los Angeles, California. In 2018, Mixmag described him as "one of the best hip-hop producers in the city." He has been a member of Team Supreme, The Kleenrz, and The Jefferson Park Boys.

<i>Kenny Dennis LP</i> 2013 studio album by Serengeti

Kenny Dennis LP is a studio album by American rapper Serengeti. It was released on Anticon on June 25, 2013.

<i>Sisyphus</i> (album) 2014 studio album by Sisyphus

Sisyphus is the debut studio album by Sisyphus, a collaborative project between Serengeti, Son Lux, and Sufjan Stevens. It was released through Asthmatic Kitty on March 18, 2014. The project was commissioned by the Walker Art Center and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra's Liquid Music series to accompany an exhibition of the work of visual artist Jim Hodges, scheduled to run from February 14 through May 11, 2014.

<i>Kenny Dennis III</i> 2014 studio album by Serengeti

Kenny Dennis III is a studio album by American rapper Serengeti. It was released on Joyful Noise Recordings on November 11, 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Son Lux</span> American experimental music project

Son Lux is an American experimental band. Originally the solo project and moniker of founding member Ryan Lott, the band's first three albums, At War with Walls & Mazes, We Are Rising and Lanterns, shaped the band's unique sound through post-rock and electronica influences.

Polyphonic, also known as Polyphonic the Verbose, is an American musician and record producer. He was born Will Freyman and grew up in Champaign, Illinois. His father persuaded him to take classical piano lessons as a child. In middle and high school, he learned to play jazz trombone. He attended college at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign before moving to San Francisco, then to New York City, then back to San Francisco, and finally moving to the Chicago neighborhood of Wicker Park. He subsequently met rapper Serengeti at a party, and the two soon began collaborating. This resulted in the album Don't Give Up, which was released on the Audio 8 Recordings label in 2007. Polyphonic and Serengeti then briefly parted ways, with Polyphonic working with Ben Lamar on the Juba Dance project, before being signed to Anticon by Doseone. Serengeti and Polyphonic then released their second album together, Terradactyl, on Anticon in 2009.

Renee-Louise Carafice is a New Zealand-born experimental pop singer and songwriter. As of 2014, she was based in Nashville, Tennessee.

References

  1. 1 2 Christgau, Robert (August 5, 2011). "Serengeti: Play Your Part". NPR . Archived from the original on September 27, 2019. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
  2. 1 2 Weiss, Jeff (July 28, 2011). "Anticon MC Serengeti: The Quirkiest, Deepest Rapper". LA Weekly . Archived from the original on September 27, 2019. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 Downing, Andy (January 19, 2007). "Real characters inspiring Serengeti's hip-hop vision". Chicago Tribune . Archived from the original on September 27, 2019. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
  4. ↑ Westhoff, Ben (March 3, 2005). "Outsider Hip-Hop". Chicago Reader . Archived from the original on September 7, 2015. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
  5. ↑ Huff, Quentin B. (September 6, 2007). "Serengeti & Polyphonic: Dont Give Up". PopMatters . Archived from the original on July 1, 2018. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  6. ↑ Britt, Thomas (December 17, 2009). "Slipped Disc: Serengeti & Polyphonic - Terradactyl". PopMatters . Archived from the original on March 16, 2019. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  7. ↑ Kelly, Zach (July 21, 2011). "Serengeti: Family and Friends". Pitchfork . Archived from the original on July 1, 2018. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  8. ↑ Pelly, Jenn (February 27, 2012). "Sufjan Stevens Teams With Son Lux and Rapper Serengeti as s / s / s, EP Due on Anticon". Pitchfork . Archived from the original on March 16, 2019. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  9. ↑ Minsker, Evan (December 19, 2013). "Listen: Sufjan Stevens, Son Lux, and Serengeti Announce LP as Sisyphus, Share "Calm It Down"". Pitchfork . Archived from the original on April 12, 2019. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  10. ↑ Camp, Zoe (July 30, 2012). "Serengeti - C.A.R." CMJ . Archived from the original on August 4, 2012. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  11. ↑ "SPIN's 40 Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2012: Serengeti - Kenny Dennis EP (Anticon)". Spin . December 11, 2012. Archived from the original on July 2, 2018. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  12. ↑ "Serengeti: Kenny Dennis EP". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  13. ↑ "Serengeti – Kenny Dennis EP (Anticon) SPIN". www.spin.com. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  14. ↑ Galil, Leor (June 26, 2013). "The enduring appeal of Serengeti's alter ego, Kenny Dennis". Chicago Reader . Archived from the original on November 5, 2018. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  15. ↑ Weiss, Dan (November 10, 2014). "Review: Serengeti's Emmy-Worthy 'Kenny Dennis III'". Spin . Archived from the original on December 21, 2019. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  16. ↑ "Serengeti: Ajai". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  17. ↑ "Serengeti: Music: Ben Rubenstein". CenterstageChicago.com. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007.
  18. ↑ "Serengeti | Schedule". SXSW . Retrieved November 12, 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.