Plastic Little | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Origin | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States [1] |
Genres | Hip hop, 2-step |
Labels | aNYthing, SoundInk, Free News Projects [2] |
Members | PackofRats, No Body's Child, Jon Thousand, DJ Si Young, SQUID [3] |
Past members | MC Spank Rock [1] |
Website | Plastic Little on Myspace |
Plastic Little is an American rap group consisting of Jayson Musson (PackofRats), Kurt Hunte (No Body's Child), Jon Folmar (Jon Thousand), Si Young Lee (DJ Si Young) and Michael Stern (SQUID). [3] [4] The name "Plastic Little" comes from the Manga and OVA, Plastic Little simply as, according to Musson, "The way the 2 words go together, I like it". [5] Based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; they've worked with other notable artists from the area, including Amanda Blank and Spank Rock. [1]
Originally consisting of only Musson and Hunte, Plastic Little formed during the summer of 2001. [6] After little success the pair started looking for "some proper white folks" [6] to appeal to a wider audience. In late 2002, producer Michael Squid joined the group and together they completed their self-released album Thug Paradise 2.1, released in 2003. A few years later, DJ and producer Si Young joined the group as the group's DJ.
Subsequent to its release the first 6 tracks were released by 'aNYthing Records', for which it received wide critical acclaim from a variety of sources such as Pitchfork Media and Vice Magazine. [7]
Following up on this success, Plastic Little released their first studio album, She's Mature , in 2006 to mixed reviews.
Subsequent to the release of this album the band spent much of the next following years touring both the United States and the UK, both playing shows of their own and also in a supporting role for various artists. The group has shared the stage with M.I.A., Diplo, Blockhead, Mark Ronson, [8] Jay-Z, [9] Bonde Do Role, [10] Roots Manuva, [11] Z-Trip, [12] Belleruche, [13] Dizzie Rascal, [14] Santogold [15] and Chromeo as well as Philadelphia's own Need New Body and Man Man. [7]
Plastic Little released their second album Welcome to the Jang House in 2008 to the UK audience only. The album compiles tracks from their self-released album, Thug Paradise, as well as their debut album, She's Mature; adding a couple of new tracks also. The album received mainly positive reviews, with critics praising Little's ability to blend many genres together into one album while still sounding "fresh and bold"; [16] their "tongue-in-cheek brilliance"; [17] and their "biting critique of society at large" and "acerbic wit and intelligence". [18]
2008 also saw them touring the UK in support of their album [19] and featuring in a number of festivals; including Glastonbury (for Mark Ronson), [20] Creamfields, [21] Get Loaded in The Park (for Ronson), [22] Lollapalooza [8] and the O2 Wireless festival (again for Ronson). [23]
A sample of the song "Miller Time", from the self-released 2003 album Thug Paradise 2.1, was featured in the Baauer song "Harlem Shake" in 2012. [24] The sample was taken without the permission of the band who are now seeking compensation from Mad Decent records for the copyright infringement, along with Reggaeton artist Héctor Delgado, [25] due to the success of the release. [26] [27] Musson has stated the label have been "more than cooperative during this". [27] The Harlem Shake became an internet meme in February 2013 after various groups of people performed a dance (unrelated to the original Harlem shake) to it and uploaded the videos to YouTube. [24] [28] The original lyrics ("And if you bring a 40 bottle to battle me/ I'll just punch you in the face/ then do the Harlem Shake") were a reference to a fight Musson had with a local graffiti artist after a Plastic Little gig. [24] [29]
Their music has been variously described as rap, hip-hop, 2-step, Gallery Rap [3] and, in their own words, Broke Pop [30] and Party Rap. [31] Plastic Little are known for their often tongue-in-cheek, comedic lyrical style [17] while still being "simultaneously too full of themselves and astoundingly self-aware". [3]
Plastic Little list a wide range of artists as their influences, including The Roots, [32] Yellowman, [9] Three 6 Mafia, Bonnie Raitt, Dwight Yoakam, Sade, R. Kelly and even Disney. [4]
Tiga James Sontag, known simply as Tiga, is a Canadian musician, DJ, music programmer, and record producer. He has released three albums: Sexor (2006), Ciao! (2009), and No Fantasy Required (2016). The former won the 2007 Juno Award for Dance Recording of the Year. Tiga released a selection of compilations in the early 2000s, featuring mixes such as American Gigolo, DJ-Kicks: Tiga and, Mixed Emotions. His compilation mix, Tiga Non-Stop, was released in November 2012, and premiered Tiga's latest single "Plush". The mix also features tracks from artists such as Kindness, Duke Dumont and Blawan.
Naeem Juwan Hanks, better known by his stage name Spank Rock, is an American rapper and songwriter from Baltimore. He rose to fame with his 2006 album YoYoYoYoYo, which was produced by former group member Alex Epton (XXXChange). A harbinger of post-millennial alternative rap, the duo became known for its mixing of disparate hip hop and club genres, including Baltimore club, Miami bass, electro music and rock.
"Just" is a song by the English rock band Radiohead, included on their second album, The Bends (1995). It features an angular guitar riff played by Jonny Greenwood, inspired by the band Magazine. It was released as a single on 21 August 1995 and reached number 19 on the UK singles chart. In 2008, "Just" was included in Radiohead: The Best Of. The English producer Mark Ronson released a cover version on his 2008 album Version.
Héctor Luis Delgado Román, known by his stage names Héctor el Father and Héctor el Bambino, is a Puerto Rican rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and pastor. He rose to fame as a member of the duo Héctor & Tito. As a producer, Delgado has worked with several reggaeton producers, as well as Emilio Estefan.
Hadouken! were a British dance-punk band formed in London in 2006 by singer, songwriter and producer James Smith and synth player Alice Spooner along with guitarist Daniel "Pilau" Rice, bassist Christopher Purcell and drummer Nick Rice. The band took its name from the special attack of the same name from the Street Fighter video game series. It was in Leeds that Hadouken! began their own record label, Surface Noise Records.
"Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)" is a song by English indie rock band Florence and the Machine from their debut studio album Lungs (2009). It was released as the album's third single on June 21, 2009, by Island and Moshi Moshi Records. The song was written by Florence Welch and Paul Epworth, produced by Epworth and mixed by Cenzo Townshend. The song contains elements of "House Jam" by Gang Gang Dance. It has been remixed by numerous artists, including Jamie T, whose remix appears on the single's CD and digital releases.
Warpaint is an American indie rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 2004. The band consists of Emily Kokal, Theresa Wayman, Jenny Lee Lindberg, and Stella Mozgawa (drums).
"Stylo" is the first single from British virtual band Gorillaz's third studio album Plastic Beach. The song features guest vocals from Bobby Womack and Mos Def. The single was released on 26 January 2010.
"Keep Givin' Me Your Love" is a song by American singer-songwriter CeCe Peniston, originally from her second studio album, Thought 'Ya Knew (1994). While in the US, it was issued as the fifth single release in 1995, in the UK the song was released as the second single in April 1994. After peaking at number 35 on the UK Singles Chart, it reached at number four on the US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in March 1995 and was Peniston's first song that failed to enter the Billboard Hot 100, stopping at number one on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart. The song was also classified the Billboard Hot Dance Breakouts number one in the category of Maxi-Singles Sales on March 4 and the Billboard Hot Dance Breakouts number three for the category of Club Play Singles on January 21, 1995.
"Nobody Else" is a 1998 song by American singer and songwriter CeCe Peniston. The composition was to be the lead single of the singer's originally scheduled album release on the Silk Entertainment label, as well as reportedly released on Steve Hurley's compilation The Voices of Life, Vol 1. The production of her album was cancelled eventually, and releasing of the compilation wouldn't happen either. However, the singer released another two singles on the label, "He Loves Me 2" the following year and "My Boo" in 2000.
You Boyz Make Big Noize is a song by English rock band Slade, released on 27 July 1987 as a non-album single. It was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, and was produced by Lea. Named after the band's 1987 album of the same name, the song reached number 94 in the UK Singles Chart and remained in the top 100 for the one week.
She's Mature is the debut studio album by the Philadelphian rap group, Plastic Little. The album was released on September 19, 2006 through Traffic Entertainment Group.
Welcome to the Jang House is the second studio album by the Philadelphian rap group, Plastic Little. The album was released on the September 28, 2008, through Half Time Records. The album compiles tracks from their self-released album, Thug Paradise, as well as their debut album, She's Mature; adding a couple of new tracks also.
Jayson Scott Musson is an artist who lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. He was born in Bronx, NY.
Harry Bauer Rodrigues, known professionally as Baauer, is an American record producer and DJ, best known for his double platinum song "Harlem Shake".
"Harlem Shake" is a song recorded by American DJ and producer Baauer. It was released as his debut single on May 22, 2012, by Mad Decent imprint label Jeffree's. The uptempo song—variously described as trap, hip hop or bass music—incorporates a mechanical bassline, Dutch house synth riffs, a dance music drop, and samples of growling-lion sounds. It also samples Plastic Little's 2001 song "Miller Time", specifically the vocal "then do the Harlem shake", which is an allusion to the dance of the same name. Baauer added a variety of peculiar sounds to the song so that it would stand out.
Thomas Joseph Rozdilsky, better known as TJR, is an American DJ and music producer.
Henry Alfred Steinway, better known by his stage name RL Grime, is an American record producer and DJ. RL Grime specializes in trap and bass music and is a member of the Los Angeles electronic music collective WeDidIt. His debut Grapes EP was released in April 2012 on WeDidIt. RL Grime premiered a popular Halloween mix in October 2012, which have continued to be released annually through 2023. His follow-up EP High Beams was released in July 2013 on Fool's Gold Records, which debuted at No. 8 on Billboard's Dance/Electronic Albums chart, and No. 1 on the iTunes Electronic Chart. RL Grime has produced remixes for Benny Benassi, Chief Keef, Jamie Lidell, and Shlohmo. His second studio album, Nova, was released in 2018. In February 2019, RL Grime announced the founding of his record label Sable Valley.
Aa is the debut studio album by American record producer Harry Rodrigues, under his alias Baauer, released by LuckyMe on March 18, 2016. It has guest features by Future, G-Dragon, Leikeli47, M.I.A., Novelist, Pusha T, Rustie, Tirzah and TT the Artist.
Mayday is a 2016 studio album by German electronic music artist Boys Noize. It features guest appearances from Benga, Remy Banks, Poliça, Hudson Mohawke, and Spank Rock.