The Palm-Wine Drinkard is a novel published in 1952 by the Nigerian author Amos Tutuola. The first African novel published in English outside of Africa, this quest tale based on Yoruba folktales is written in a modified Yoruba English or Pidgin English. In it, a man follows his brewer into the land of the dead, encountering many spirits and adventures. The novel has always been controversial, inspiring both admiration and contempt among Western and Nigerian critics, but has emerged as one of the most important texts in the African literary canon, translated into more than a dozen languages.
Chairlift was an American synthpop band. Caroline Polachek and Aaron Pfenning formed Chairlift in 2005 while living in Boulder, Colorado, and Patrick Wimberly joined them when they moved to Brooklyn in 2007. In 2008, Chairlift released their debut album Does You Inspire You. Pfenning left the band in 2010, and as a duo, Polachek and Wimberly released two more albums: 2012's Something and 2016's Moth before announcing the end of Chairlift in December 2016.
Rich Forever is the second mixtape by American rapper Rick Ross. It was released on January 6, 2012. It became one of the most downloaded hip hop mixtapes of all time. The mixtape spawned one commercial single, "Stay Schemin'" and features guest appearances from Diddy, 2 Chainz, Wale, John Legend, Nas, Kelly Rowland, Styles P, Birdman, Meek Mill, French Montana, Pharrell, Future, Stalley and Drake.
Himanshu Kumar Suri, better known by his stage name Heems, is an American rapper from Queens in New York City. Best known for being part of the alternative hip hop group Das Racist, Suri is also the founder of Greedhead Music, an independent record label. In 2012, Suri released his first solo mixtape, Nehru Jackets, on his Greedhead imprint and in conjunction with SEVA NY, a community-based organization from Queens of which Suri is a board member. Suri has also written about music and all things South Asian for the Village Voice, Death and Taxes magazine, Fuse, Stereogum, and Alternet. In August 2015, Heems announced that Fox had bought his story rights for a potential sitcom, and that he was working on the pilot. He is currently a member of Swet Shop Boys along with actor and rapper Riz MC and producer Redinho.
Nehru Jackets is the first solo mixtape by rapper Himanshu. It was released on Himanshu's own Greedhead label on January 17, 2012.
Astronaut Status is the ninth mixtape by American rapper Future. It was released on January 12, 2012. The album features guest appearances from rappers Gucci Mane, Young Jeezy, Ludacris and Rocko. Future previously stated Streetz Calling would be his last mixtape, before his debut full-length album Pluto, but instead released Astronaut Status in 2012, making it his last official mixtape. "Itchin'" peaked at #2 on the Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Since the release of Astronaut Status, it has been downloaded over 250k times on DatPiff, certifying it platinum. Astronaut Status also charted at #50 on the Billboard Heatseekers Chart.
51 is the second solo mixtape by rapper Kool A.D., formerly of the rap group Das Racist. The mixtape, released in April 2012, is a follow-up to Kool A.D.'s debut solo mixtape, The Palm Wine Drinkard, which was released in January 2012.
Greedhead Music is an independent record label founded by Himanshu Suri of Das Racist. Initially, Suri founded Greedhead Music as a management and recording company in 2008 to manage Das Racist. Greedhead's first releases were the group's 2010 mixtapes, Shut Up, Dude and Sit Down, Man. Das Racist's first commercially available album, Relax, was also the first commercial release on the Greedhead imprint. Greedhead has since released solo mixtapes by both Kool A.D. and Heems. The label has also released works by Dash Speaks, Weekend Money, Keepaway, Lakutis, Big Baby Gandhi, Le1f, Antwon, and Meyhem Lauren, as well as non-hip-hop acts like singer Safe, Scottish bhangra act Tigerstyle, and comedian Joe Mande.
Alec Reinstein, better known by his stage name Despot, is an American hip hop artist from Queens, New York City. He was signed to rapper El-P's label Definitive Jux in 2004. Despot has been a part of the New York underground rap scene for over a decade. Despot is associated with the Smart Crew collective and a co-owner of Santos Party House.
Wild Water Kingdom is the second solo mixtape by rapper Heems. It was released on Heems' own Greedhead label on November 14, 2012.
Dedication 5 is a mixtape by American rapper Lil Wayne, hosted by DJ Drama. The mixtape was released on September 1, 2013. It is the fifth installment of Lil Wayne's "Dedication" series, following its predecessors The Dedication, Dedication 2, Dedication 3 and Dedication 4. It's also the fifth installment of Lil Wayne's "Gangsta Grillz" series. The mixtape features guest appearances from The Weeknd, Chance the Rapper, Jae Millz, Future, Birdman, Mack Maine, T.I., Vado and Kidd Kidd among others.
BBU is an American hip hop group from Chicago, Illinois. It consists of Jasson Perez, Richard "Epic" Wallace, and Michael "Illekt" Milam. The group's name is an acronym for "Bin Laden Blowin' Up" and "Black, Brown and Ugly".
63 and 19 are mixtapes by Kool A.D, released as a double-album on February 7, 2013. The albums include collaborations with Pictureplane, Young L, SKYWLKR, Keyboard Kid, Trackademicks, Fat Tony, Mike Finito, Lakutis and Spank Rock as well as a beat Ad-Rock of the Beastie Boys originally made for Das Racist.
Faces is the eleventh mixtape by American hip hop recording artist Mac Miller, and his last mixtape to ever be released under the name Mac Miller. It was released online for free on Mother's Day, May 11th, 2014. The mixtape is the follow-up to Miller's second studio album Watching Movies with the Sound Off (2013), and is considered by many fans to be his best work for its dark and personal exploration of Miller's struggle with drug addiction.
Aleksey Weintraub, better known by his stage name Lakutis, is a Russian American rapper from New York. He has collaborated with Das Racist, Hot Sugar, and Kitty. He has also toured with Le1f and Antwon.
Eat Pray Thug is the debut studio album by American hip hop artist Heems. It was released on Megaforce Records on March 10, 2015. Music videos were created for "Sometimes", "Damn, Girl", and "Pop Song (Games)".
Big Baby Gandhi is a Bangladesh-born American rapper from Queens, New York. His first mixtape, Big Fucking Baby, was released in 2011 to highly positive reception from music critics. As a result of the attention he got from his first mixtape, Gandhi was signed to Greedhead Music, on which he released his second mixtape, No1 2 Look Up 2, in 2012. Artists featured on No1 2 Look Up 2 include Das Racist, and Fat Tony. In early 2013, he posted on his Tumblr that he would retire from making rap music after 2013. On December 6, 2013, he released his first full-length album, Debut.
Bell Hooks is the second mixtape by American hip hop group BBU. It was released on Mishka and Mad Decent on February 21, 2012. Mixed by DJ Benzi, it features guest appearances from GLC, Mic Terror, and Das Racist. Its title derives from the pen name of a feminist writer Gloria Jean Watkins. Music videos were created for "The Hood" and "Outlaw Culture", the former of which was included on Stereogum's "5 Best Videos of the Week" list.
