Phesto | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Damani Thompson |
Also known as | Phesto Phesto Dee |
Born | April 29, 1974 |
Origin | Oakland, California, U.S. |
Genres | Hip hop |
Instrument(s) | Microphone |
Years active | 1991–present |
Labels | Hieroglyphics Imperium Recordings Jive Records |
Website | http://www.hieroglyphics.com |
Damani Thompson, known by the stage names, Phesto and Phesto Dee (born April 29, 1974), is an American rapper and producer. He is one of the founding four members of the Oakland, California-based underground hip hop group Souls of Mischief, and, with the Souls of Mischief, a part of the eight-person, alternative hip hop collective, the Hieroglyphics.
Born and raised in Oakland, California, Phesto D met fellow Souls of Mischief member Tajai, as well as Hieroglyphics' founder, Del tha Funkee Homosapien, in junior high school. [1] Tajai introduced Phesto to members A-Plus and Opio, and the group formed in high school before releasing their debut album, 93 'til Infinity on Jive Records in 1993. [1]
As a rapper, Phesto is "renown[ed] for his crazy, and up-tempo flows. Rhyming about anything from 'quantum cryptography' to secret Jedi mind tricks, Phesto's skills are undoubtedly a vital piece of the Hieroglyphics foundation". [1]
Phesto has contributed to all four Souls of Mischief albums, as well as the two Hieroglyphic studio albums. He has also produced or performed on solo projects of various Hieroglyphics' members.
Souls of Mischief is a hip hop group from Oakland, California, that is also part of the hip hop collective Hieroglyphics. The Souls of Mischief formed in 1991 and is composed of rappers A-Plus, Opio, Phesto, and Tajai.
Teren Delvon Jones, better known by his stage name Del the Funky Homosapien or Sir DZL, is an American rapper.
East Oakland is a geographical region of Oakland, California, United States, that stretches between Lake Merritt in the northwest and San Leandro in the southeast. As the southeastern portion of the city, East Oakland takes up the largest portion of the city's land area.
Hieroglyphics, also known as the Hieroglyphics Crew and Hiero, is an American underground hip hop collective based in Oakland, California. It was founded in the early 1990s by rapper Del the Funky Homosapien. The collective is currently composed of rappers Del the Funky Homosapien, Casual, Pep Love, producer/manager Domino, DJ Toure, and the four individual members of the rap group Souls of Mischief: Phesto, A-Plus, Opio, and Tajai.
93 'til Infinity is the debut studio album by American hip-hop group Souls of Mischief. It was released on September 28, 1993, on the Jive label.
Yameen is an American hip hop producer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. His most recent album, "Diamond is Unfadable" was released in 2017 on Rumble Pack Records.
Focus is the third studio album from Souls of Mischief. It was their first release on the independent Hieroglyphics Imperium Recordings label, and was released in 1999. For over a decade, it was a cassette and LP release, only available through the group's website; it has since been made available on digital music sites.
Trilogy: Conflict, Climax, Resolution is the fourth studio album by the alternative hip hop group Souls of Mischief. The album was released via Hieroglyphics Imperium Recordings on October 24, 2000.
Damian Siguenza, known by his stage name, Domino, is an American record producer, manager, DJ, and one of the members of the Oakland, California-based underground hip hop collective, Hieroglyphics.
Hieroglyphics Imperium Recordings is an Oakland, California-based, independent hip hop record label founded and owned by underground hip hop collective, the Hieroglyphics. The label was created by the collective in 1995 to publish and market the collective's, and individual member, releases, as well as releases from other, affiliated artist's that major labels would deem not commercial enough for mass distribution.
Adam Carter, known by the stage name, A-Plus, is an American rapper and producer. He is one of the founding four members of the Oakland, California-based underground hip hop group Souls of Mischief and, with Souls of Mischief, a part of the eight-person, alternative hip hop collective, the Hieroglyphics.
Tajai Massey, known by the stage name Tajai, is an American rapper and producer. He is one of the four founding members of the Oakland, California-based underground hip hop group Souls of Mischief and, with Souls of Mischief, a part of the eight-person, alternative hip hop collective Hieroglyphics. He is also one half of the hip hop duo Rap Noir. He is a vegetarian.
Over Time is the fifth compilation album released by the Oakland, California-based, underground hip hop collective, Hieroglyphics. The album was released on March 20, 2007 by the group's own independent record label, Hieroglyphics Imperium Recordings.
Montezuma's Revenge is the fifth studio album by the Oakland hip hop group Souls of Mischief. It was released on December 1, 2009, by Clear Label Records. After a nine-year period dedicated to touring and working on other projects, both solo and as part of Hieroglyphics, Montezuma's Revenge marked Souls of Mischief's return as a group. Souls of Mischief worked for six weeks with the producer Prince Paul at a remote house, where they could focus on recording the album.
Like It Should Be is the only album released by Hieroglyphics subgroup, Extra Prolific. The album was released on October 25, 1994 through Jive Records and was mainly produced by group member Duane "Snupe" Lee and Souls of Mischief member A-Plus, with additional production handled by the likes of Domino and Mike G among others.
Jonathan Owens, known by his stage name Casual, is an American rapper, producer, and one of the founding members of the alternative hip hop collective Hieroglyphics. He also reads and has been studying Egyptian Hieroglyphics for many years, makes videos on the subject on his youtube channel Smash Rockwell as well writing about it on his blog rap god. As a rapper Casual initially became known for his freestyle battle rhymes in the Bay Area hip hop scene and later developing into a solo artist. He is known for diverse lyrics, a complex multisyllabic East Coast influenced flow but with a distinctive Oakland accent. Casual's debut album Fear Itself released on Jive records in 1994 when he was 17 years old garnered both critical and commercial success. Along with Del tha Funkee Homosapien Casual went on to become one of the most prominent and recognizable faces of the Hieroglyphics crew, releasing three albums all on the Hieroglyphics crew's own label, Hiero Imperium. He has released thirteen solo albums as of 2023.
"Thug Cry" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Rick Ross, released on March 13, 2014 by Maybach, Slip-n-Slide, and Def Jam, as the 2nd and final official single from his sixth studio album Mastermind (2014). The song was produced by J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, written by Betty Idol and features a guest appearance by American rapper Lil Wayne, along with a hook performed by Betty Idol. The song has since peaked at number 37 on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The sample comes from "Heather" by Billy Cobham (1974), which was previously used in songs such as "93 'til Infinity" by Souls Of Mischief (1993) and in "No Wheaties" by Big K.R.I.T., Smoke DZA & Curren$y (2010).
"Step" is a song by American indie rock band Vampire Weekend. Written and composed by band members Ezra Koenig and Rostam Batmanglij and produced by Ariel Rechtshaid and Batmanglij, the song was released as the fourth and final single from the band's third studio album Modern Vampires of the City. The song was inspired by American hip hop group Souls of Mischief's song "Step to My Girl".
"93 'til Infinity" is a song by American hip-hop group Souls of Mischief. It was released in 1993 as the second single from their debut album of the same name. It was their only single to ever chart on the US Billboard Hot 100, reaching number 72. The single has been hailed by critics as an inspiration for the hip-hop genre, landing at number 5 on the Rolling Stone's "100 Greatest West Coast Hip-Hop Songs of All Time" list in 2023, and number 7 on the BBC's "The greatest hip-hop songs of all time" list.
Alex Asher Daniel is an American contemporary artist and composer. He uses a broad variety of materials including painting, sound installations, photography, drawing and film. A Los Angeles native, he has since lived and worked between London, New York City, and the Bay Area.