Pants Velour

Last updated

Pants Velour
Origin New York City, New York, United States
Genres Hip hop
Years active2006-present
Labels Tommy Boy Entertainment
MembersNiki Darling, vocalist
Josh Raff, emcee
Eli Northrup, emcee
Sam Coe, guitarist
Jordan Battiste, keyboardist
Max Calkin, bassist
Richard Curtis, drummer
Cenophia Mitchell, backup vocalist
Past membersNellie Thompson
Sarah Charness
Website www.pantsvelour.com

Pants Velour is an American hip hop group from New York City, New York. Pants records for Tommy Boy Entertainment.

Contents

Origins

In 2006, Eli Northrup, Nellie Thompson, Sam Coe, and Josh Raff formed Pants Velour while undergraduate students at Cornell University. [1] After graduating in 2007, the members reunited in New York City in 2008. [2] Eli Northrup is a rapper in the group and has also been considered a "Hypeman" who pumps up the crowd. [2] Niki Darling is the lead singer of the group. [3]

Career

Pants Velour has played shows alongside Mobb Deep, Dru Hill, Magic!, and members of Black Sheep, A Tribe Called Quest, and Naughty By Nature. [4] [5] Dial 7 Car and Limousine featured Pants Velour in a popular ad campaign. [6] [7] [8] Pants Velour has performed in Europe.

In 2011, Pants Velour made a hip hop video entitled "Charlie Sheen: Always Winning," which became a YouTube sensation. [9] The song was inspired by Sheen’s interview on ABC television. [10] At the time of the video's release, Eli Northrup was a law student at New York University School of Law. Above the Law (blog) ran a blurb on the story, and it became a big story in the legal community. [11] Am Law Daily’s Careerist blog called it “fast and saucy—especially amazing coming from a serious law student.” [9] While in law school, Northrup regularly performed with Pants Velour. [12]

In 2012, Pants Velour represented Manhattan in the Battle of the Boroughs. [13]

In 2013, Pants Velour played at New Music Seminar. [14]

In 2014, Pants Velour signed with Tommy Boy Entertainment. The group played at CMJ 2014 in New York City, New York. [15] The group released a music video for 'All In.' The video was produced by Howard Buksbaum and Danny Ameri of Very Nice Industries. Broadway World called the video cutting edge, a technological wonder and a visual feast. [4] Pants Velour was the opening performance for Dru Hill at B.B. Kings in NYC in October 2014. [4] Pants Velour was a supporting act for Magic! at Webster Hall. [4] 'Taxidermist,' was currently #30 on the zipDJ Urban chart. [4] The group has played at the Highline Ballroom. [16] [17] Pants Velour teamed up with Socialfly to release a music video called #DoTheSelfie. [18] [19]

In 2015, Pants Velour performed at Pianos. [20] The group also performed at the Brooklyn Bowl.

Musical style

USA Today described the group as a “unique brand of hip-hop, R&B, and pop”, [21] and The Washington Post described them as a combination of ”today’s pop-soul and yesterday’s hip-hop.” [22] The group has also been described as a combination of the Beastie Boys and The Black Eyed Peas. [13] They have been characterized as infusing hip-hop, pop, rock and soul together. [23]

References

  1. Rokitka, Steve. "Cornell's alma mater goes hip-hop". Cornell Chronicle. Archived from the original on October 15, 2018. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
  2. 1 2 Catalano, Jim. "Hot Pants". Cornell Alumni Magazine. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved May 14, 2015.
  3. Kats, Jeanette. "NP PREMIERE: RYAN SKYY – "DONE" FEAT. NIKI DARLING". Noise Porn. Archived from the original on July 29, 2015. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "VIDEO: Pants Velour Unveils Cutting Edge Music Video for 'All In'". Broadway World. Music News Desk. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
  5. "About Pants Velour". PantsVelour.com. Archived from the original on April 24, 2015. Retrieved May 14, 2015.
  6. Flegenheimer, Matt. "In Clash of the Jingles, a Battle of Sixes and Sevens". The New York Times . Archived from the original on May 20, 2015. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  7. Bromwich, Jonah. "CARMEL VS. DIAL 7: A LIMO SERVICE JINGLE SHOWDOWN FOR THE AGES!". Village Voice. Archived from the original on July 21, 2015. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
  8. "Pants Velour: The Band Behind that Mind-Blowing Dial 7 Commercial". Power Animals. Archived from the original on October 12, 2016. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
  9. 1 2 Chen, Vivia. "NYU Law Student Unrapped". The Careerist. lawjobs.com. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved May 14, 2015.
  10. "Charlie Sheen inspires Hays Fellow Eli Northrup's hip-hop alter ego". NYU Law School. Archived from the original on July 17, 2015. Retrieved May 14, 2015.
  11. Weiss, Debra. "NYU 3L Contemplates Charlie's Sheen's Winning Life in YouTube Rap Video". abajournal.com. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved May 14, 2015.
  12. Reed, Graham. "Man and Music in Harmony". law.nyu.edu. NYU Law Magazine. Archived from the original on May 1, 2015. Retrieved January 23, 2015.
  13. 1 2 Laermer, Emily. "Gotham Gigs: Fiddling around". Crain's. Archived from the original on April 5, 2017. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
  14. Donnelly, Alessandra. "2013 New Music Seminar: Invading NYC". The Aquarian Weekly. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
  15. Kangas, Chaz. "A COMPLETE GUIDE TO HIP-HOP AT CMJ 2014". Village Voice. Archived from the original on July 29, 2015. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
  16. Mester, Amanda. "Exclusive Interview: New York alternative hip hop group Pants Velour has arrived". AXS. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
  17. "Pants Velour - Highline Ballroom". Highline Ballroom. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
  18. "Do The Selfie". Pop Culture Video Magazine. Archived from the original on June 20, 2015. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
  19. "Do The Selfie - Iggy Azalea - Fancy Parody - OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO #DoTheSelfie". YouTube. SocialFly. Archived from the original on March 11, 2016. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
  20. "Sumner, Shane Maux & Lilly Wolf, Pants Velour, Eleventh Ward, A Fragile Tomorrow". Live Nation. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
  21. Lopez, Korina. "Exclusive video: Pants Velour saunters into StudioA". USA Today. Archived from the original on November 17, 2014. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
  22. Jenkins, Mark. "Editorial Review of PANTS VELOUR's Album: "The Quest for the 7 Jones"". Washington Post. Archived from the original on May 12, 2015. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
  23. "Crowd Surfing, Doggystyle and Curly Hair. Pwetty Sessions Presents: Nightline with Pants Velour". Artsy Magazine. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved August 8, 2015.