Northern State (band)

Last updated
Northern State
Origin Long Island, New York, U.S.
Genres Alternative hip hop, Indie rock [1]
Years active2002present
Labels Wichita Recordings
Ipecac Recordings
Columbia/SME Records
MembersSpero, Sprout, Hesta Prynn
Website NorthernState.net

Northern State is an American female hip-hop/indie rock group from New York, United States. [1] The group consists of members Julie "Hesta Prynn" Potash, Correne "Spero" (previously "Guinea Love," due to her Italian heritage) Spero, and Robyn "Sprout" Goodmark. [2] [3] The group is named after the Northern State Parkway, one of the highways on Long Island, New York State.

Contents

Biography

Sprout, Spero and Hesta Prynn attended Half Hollow Hills High School West and graduated in the 1990s. [1] The group was first formed as a joke; Spero stated in 2003, "It was hilarious. Could you imagine three white girls from Long Island opening up their mouths and acting like they could rap?" [3]

In 2002, the group released Hip Hop You Haven't Heard, a four-song collection, the songs from which ended up in remixed form on the 2003 EP Dying in Stereo , which was given a scathing review by Michael Idov in Pitchfork magazine. [4] For their second album, All City, the group worked with Pete Rock, Questlove from the Roots, Har Mar Superstar, and DJ Muggs of Cypress Hill. It was released on Columbia/SME Records, but because of disagreements, the group left the label thereafter. [2]

Northern State collaborated with producer Chuck Brody of Shitake Monkey (Wu-Tang Clan, Yoko Ono, etc.) and Adrock from the Beastie Boys, among others, on their most recent album, Can I Keep This Pen?, which was released on Ipecac Recordings on August 28, 2007. [2]

They have shared the stage in North America and Europe with The Roots, Le Tigre, Talib Kweli, De La Soul, The Gossip, Gym Class Heroes, Tegan and Sara, and Cake. [2] Their songs "Better Already" and "Iluvitwhenya" were featured in season 4 episodes of the hit show Grey's Anatomy . Their song "Good Distance" was featured in the fifth episode of the show Damages . [5]

The band appeared on an episode of Washington-based television show Pancake Mountain alongside Tegan and Sara.

Northern State covered "No Surprises" for Stereogum Presents... OKX: A Tribute to OK Computer , a tribute album to OK Computer by Radiohead.

Discography

Albums

EPs

Singles

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ghostface Killah</span> American rapper

Dennis David Coles, better known by his stage name Ghostface Killah, is an American rapper and a member of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan. After the group achieved breakthrough success in the aftermath of Enter the Wu-Tang , the members went on to pursue solo careers to varying levels of success. Ghostface Killah debuted his solo career with Ironman, which was well-received by music critics, in 1996. He has enjoyed continued success in the years that have followed, releasing critically acclaimed albums such as Supreme Clientele (2000) and Fishscale (2006). His stage name was taken from one of the characters in the 1979 kung fu film The Mystery of Chess Boxing. He is the founder of his own record label, Starks Enterprises.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Three 6 Mafia</span> American hip-hop group

Three 6 Mafia is an American hip hop group from Memphis, Tennessee, formed in 1991. Emerging as a horror-themed underground hip hop group, they would eventually go on to enjoy mainstream success. The group's 1995 debut album Mystic Stylez became an influential cult classic. They have released music on independent labels such as Prophet Entertainment and their own Hypnotize Minds label, as well as Relativity, Loud, and Columbia Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aesop Rock</span> American rapper (born 1976)

Ian Matthias Bavitz, better known by his stage name Aesop Rock, is an American rapper and producer from Long Island, New York. He was at the forefront of the new wave of underground and alternative hip hop acts that emerged during the late 1990s and early 2000s. He was signed to El-P's Definitive Jux label until it went on hiatus in 2010. In a 2010 retrospective, betterPropaganda ranked him at number 19 at the Top 100 Artists of the Decade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hella (band)</span> American math rock band

Hella is an American math rock band from Sacramento, California. The primary members of the band are Spencer Seim on electric guitar and Zach Hill on drums. The band expanded their live band by adding Dan Elkan on vocals, rhythm guitar, sampler and synthesizer and Jonathan Hischke on synth bass guitar for their 2005 tour. In 2006 they reformed as a five-piece line-up including Seim, Hill, Carson McWhirter, Aaron Ross & Josh Hill. In 2009, the band was reduced back to core members Hill and Seim.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Budden</span> American rapper and media personality

Joseph Anthony Budden II is an American media personality, and former rapper. He first gained recognition as a rapper with his 2003 hit single "Pump It Up", which preceded his eponymous debut studio album (2003). The album, met with critical and commercial success, would be his only major label project for Def Jam Recordings, thereafter releasing seven studio albums independently. Meanwhile, he performed as a member of the hip hop supergroup Slaughterhouse, which were signed to Eminem's Shady Records in 2012; the group released two studio albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dälek</span> American hip hop group

Dälek is an American experimental hip hop group formed in Newark, New Jersey in 1998. The group's current lineup consists of MC dälek and Mike Manteca.

<i>Peeping Tom</i> (Peeping Tom album) 2006 studio album by Peeping Tom

Peeping Tom is the only studio album by American band Peeping Tom. It was released by Ipecac Recordings on May 30, 2006. It peaked at number 103 on the Billboard 200 chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peeping Tom (band)</span> American rock band

Peeping Tom were an American rock band led by Mike Patton. To date, they have released one eponymous album and three 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.

<i>Hell Hath No Fury</i> (Clipse album) 2006 studio album by Clipse

Hell Hath No Fury is the third studio album by hip hop duo Clipse. The album was released on November 28, 2006 in the United States by Re-Up, Star Trak and Jive. Recording sessions for the album took place over a period of several years, and suffered numerous delays prior to release. Production was handled by The Neptunes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chrisette Michele</span> American singer from New York

Chrisette Michele Payne is an American R&B and soul singer. She won a Grammy Award for Best Urban/Alternative Performance in 2009 for her song "Be OK".

<i>Absence</i> (Dälek album) 2005 studio album by dälek

Absence is the third album by alternative hip hop group dälek, released by Ipecac Recordings in 2005. The album, according to the group, was recorded during a very dark and pessimistic time period for the group, which in turn resulted in the recording's dark, bleak sound.

<i>Before I Self Destruct</i> 2009 studio album by 50 Cent

Before I Self Destruct is the fourth studio album by American rapper 50 Cent, released November 9, 2009, on Shady Records, Aftermath Entertainment, G-Unit Records, Interscope Records and Universal Music Group. The album is his final solo release with Shady, Aftermath and Interscope excluding his 2017 Greatest Hits album Best Of. An accompanying feature film of the same name coincided with its release, and is available within the albums packaging.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Cool Kids</span> American hip hop duo

The Cool Kids are an American hip hop duo composed of rappers Sir Michael Rocks and Chuck Inglish. The Cool Kids' music had been released primarily to the independent Chocolate Industries via their own label C.A.K.E. Recordings. Reed and Ingersoll have made appearances in numerous forms of media, as well as in collaborations with other artists such as Freddie Gibbs, The Alchemist, Mac Miller, Boldy James, The Neptunes, Curren$y, Dom Kennedy, Larry June, Pac Div, Travis Barker, Lil Wayne, King Chip, Asher Roth, Ab-Soul, and Chance The Rapper. The Cool Kids are also members of the hip hop collectives All City Chess Club and P.O.C. founded in 2010–2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outkast</span> American hip hop duo

Outkast was an American hip hop duo formed in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1992, consisting of the rappers Big Boi and André 3000. The duo achieved both critical and commercial success from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s, helping to popularize Southern hip hop with their intricate lyricism, memorable melodies, and positive themes, while experimenting with a diverse range of genres such as funk, psychedelia, jazz, and techno.

<i>Can We Go Wrong</i> 2010 EP by Hesta Prynn

Can We Go Wrong is the first solo EP by Hesta Prynn, formerly of the band Northern State. It was officially released on July 6, 2010, but was available weeks earlier through her own website and at her live concerts as the support act for Tegan and Sara. Even before the official release, the album received a positive review from Time Out New York.

Julie Potash, also known as Hesta Prynn, is an American musician, singer, and rapper from Long Island, New York. She began her career in music as one-third of the all-female hip hop group Northern State. After the band broke up she started focusing on solo material. In July 2010 she released an EP titled Can We Go Wrong and followed it with a second EP, We Could Fall in Love, in August 2012. She currently lives in New York City and travels the world as a DJ and pop music ghostwriter.

<i>Dying in Stereo</i> 2002 studio album by Northern State

Dying in Stereo is the second release by New York City-based alternative hip hop group Northern State. It was first released on June 3, 2002, on Startime International, and then re-released in May 2003 by Columbia Records. It has been described variously as an EP and a "mini-album". Nevertheless, it is usually described as their official debut album, since their only previous release was a self-released four-song demo. This led PopMatters to describe it as a "litmus test" that will determine "what will happen to white, female, feminist rappers, who aren’t pencil-thin or supermodel pretty."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Talib Kweli</span> American rapper (born 1975)

Talib Kweli Greene is an American rapper. He earned recognition through his collaboration with fellow Brooklyn rapper Mos Def in 1997, when they formed the group Black Star. Kweli's musical career continued with solo success including collaborations with producers and rappers Kanye West, Just Blaze, and Pharrell Williams. In 2011, Kweli founded his own record label, Javotti Media.

<i>All City</i> (Northern State album) 2004 studio album by Northern State

All City is the second full-length album by New York City-based hip hop group Northern State, released on August 17, 2004 on Columbia Records. It is also their major-label debut, as it was their first album released for Columbia. It has also been described as their first "real record", because some do not consider their debut album Dying in Stereo to be a full-length album, but an EP. The album's first single was "Girl for All Seasons", for which a music video was made at the Siberia club in New York City.

<i>Hip Hop You Havent Heard</i> 2002 EP by Northern State

Hip Hop You Haven't Heard is the debut EP by New York City-based rap group Northern State. It was self-released in 2002, and was originally intended to be a demo. As of 2003, it had gone out of print.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Wilson, MacKenzie "Northern State Biography", AllMusic, retrieved 2010-06-28
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2007-12-17. Retrieved 2007-12-01.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. 1 2 Morton, Pascal (2003) "Rise of the B-Girl", X-RAY, April 2003, Swinstead Publishing
  4. Idov, Michael (2003) "Northern State Dying in Stereo", Pitchfork Media, July 17, 2003, retrieved 2010-06-28
  5. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2007-10-28. Retrieved 2007-12-01.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)