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Tonedeff Bio:
He's won a string of distinguished battles, though he's far from just a battle rapper. He's garnered a rep for his signature, rapid-fire delivery, yet he's considerably more than just a fast rapper. He sings and produces-though not quite a singer nor producer-and is the founder of QN5 Music, though you wouldn't just call him a label head. He's the artist you can't quite categorize.
Perhaps most impressive is that he does all of these things, and well. With a background as colorful as his talents, Tonedeff grew up in Chicago, IL, before moving to Miami, FL, for the remainder of his adolescence. While it was in Miami that he began recording and performing, it wasn't until relocating to Queens, NY at 21 that the well-traveled emcee really began making noise. He won a string of battles, including the Braggin' Rites MC Battle and NYC's notorious Da Cypha battles, to name a few. At the same time, he built a name for himself by opening for esteemed acts such as the Common, Royce Da 5'9, Blackalicious, Beatnuts, Brand Nubian and Rahzel.
Where most up-and-comers hit a stalemate, however, Tonedeff had only just begun. After forming the independent label QN5 Music in 2000, he released a series of work including the enhanced Hyphen EP, Happy F*ck You Songs with Extended F@mm (along with PackFM, Substantial, and Session), the now-infamous "Clear 'Em Out" 12" single with KRS-One, and countless guest spots for artists such as Masta Ace, DJ JS-1, CunninLynguists and Immortal Technique. 2003 saw him grace the pages of The Source Magazine, MTV airwaves in a commercial for Hip Hop Week and the release of his Underscore EP. In 2005, Tonedeff released his critically acclaimed Archetype album which further cemented his place as one of Hip Hop's truly daring boundary pushers and visionaries. Fresh off the QN5 Spring Cleaning National Tour in In 2006, he took the grand prize in Lollapalooza's Last Band Standing competition, beating out over 2,000 bands of all genres from all over the world.
Combining beauty, talent and artistic innovation, Tonedeff is set to awaken hip-hop with a distinctively new sound. Following the QN5 mantra of "the New Hip-Hop," the multi-talented artist breathes new life into a dwindling art form, taking the reigns in the pursuit of new ideals as the originator, the new standard, the archetype.
Listen to track 7, "Porcelain"
Listen to the exclusive DJ Kno Remix of "Porcelain"
1 - Overture
2 - Archetype
3 - Masochist
4 - Let's Go
5 - Disappointed
6 - Loyal
7 - Porcelain
8 - Issawn
9 - Quotables feat. Substantial, Wordsworth, PackFm, Session, Supastition & Rise
10 - Politics
11 - Pervert
12 - Heavyweight
13 - Children feat. Anetra
14 - Case Closed
15 - Gathered
*One of the many positive reviews for this dope album, don't sleep!
It's a testament to the loyalty of an artist's fan base when a debut - years in the making - can still generate a good deal of hype. Granted, Tonedeff had his hand in numerous other projects along the way (both inside and outside of his QN5 label) including guest roles on Cunninlynguists material and work with the politically volatile Immortal Technique. After prolonged anticipation swirling around the first full-length from the Queens-based emcee, 2005 finally saw Tone unveil his musical blueprint - his Archetype.
But if he really wants to be a prototype for the hip hop world to build on, I'm afraid other emcees have a lot of work cut out for them. Tone's versatility has few parallels, from "Let's Go" to an sullenly revealing look into his love/hate relationship for hip hop on "Masochist."
Besides Tone himself, a select few other producers offer beats with varying degrees of success, the best of which coming from fellow QN5 mate Kno on "Loyal." Tone delves into the hurt of friendships betrayed over a slow progression of tones and drum kicks, complete with a helium-laced chorus like those heard all over Kno's work with Cunninlynguists.
But the true pinnacle of Tone's debut comes on the beautifully mellow "Porcelain," a look into unrequited young love spit with pinpoint precision: "7 years of frustration then hit her ears with abrasion/ As I laced her with my tale of lust, tears and anticipation, her reaction was a face of fakeness."
Archetype is an engaging trip from start to finish, but don't get too comfortable or else Tone's rapid-fire style makes it easy to miss out on his high-caliber lyricism. His flow is truly one of a kind, though, covering up for the occasional musical misstep.
Dope Tonedeff music video "Move In, Ride Out"!!
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