Background Noise Crew: Press

Back in late January, Background Noise Crew rapper The Quiet Dude released his album Taketh Away. Despite dropping at a time when most music fans are caught up in holiday hoopla or yearly recap lists, Taketh Away managed to generate plenty of positive press, a testament to the strength of the music on the project. If you haven't listened to the album yet, check out the music video for "Belonging" above, and then hit the jump to stream/download the album.

 

 

Off of T.Q.D‘s latest project, Taketh Away, comes the video for “Belonging.” The Background Noise Crew member delivers some serious and artistic rhymes with this single and fits in nicely with the rest of his third album. Stream and purchase Taketh Away now via Bandcamp.

I’ve hear of emo-hip hop, but this is the real freaking deal, a painful, album-length exploration of mortality, loss, and introspective sadness. Yet the beats and rhymes are still cool, bringing back the best of the backpack era.

There's something about the quiet ones; when they do open their mouths, they always seem to have the most poignant ways of assessing the situation. T.Q.D., aka Bloomington rapper The Quiet Dude, has never shied away from serious songwriting topics, but his new album in particular, Taketh Away, centers around some particularly dark themes and works through feelings like grief and remaining empathetic during tough times quite poetically.

Taketh Away, T.Q.D.'s first album in three years, drops tonight with a CD-release show at Hell's Kitchen. In honor of the album release (and the fact that we just added his track "Infancy" to the rotation of our Local Current stream), we thought it'd be a good time to find out more about The Quiet Dude.

Local Current: I know you are a Minnesota native. Where specifically were you born and raised?

T.Q.D.: I was born in Bemidji, but other than year number one: raised in Bloomington.

When were the songs on Taketh Away written? Were there any particular themes or ideas that you wanted to focus on for this effort?

The entire album was written in one month: December of 2010. I told Vividend, who produced the whole album, that I wanted to select the beats and have them completely sequenced before I did any writing. I think doing that made me more comfortable with the beats and shortened the writing process.

I always like making downer/introspective material, but on this one I wanted to focus specifically on death, loss, and grief, because I've experienced a lot of it in recent years.  More importantly, I wanted to be less personal and more direct. For example, on the song "Liverpool's Last Stand," rather than the standard "I miss you/looking down on me from above," I focus on the fact that my friend who was killed, left behind a wife, rather than harp on how I felt. Grief and loss aren't the only topics I address on the album, but that is the overall theme. Oddly enough, my favorite song on the album, "Audio Problem," doesn't explore death. It's the story of a friend of mine who almost died (thankfully didn't) dealing with anorexia.

Tell me about your involvement in the Background Noise Crew. For those unfamiliar, what do you feel that the artists have in common?

Background Noise Crew is a label formed four and a half years ago consisting of myself, Analyrical, ToneKrusher Smith, Phingaz, Status Reign, and Egypto Knuckles. Egypto is the only one who doesn't rap. I rap, occasionally produce, and handle grunt duties like website maintenance, writing newsletters, and so on.  We've had our ups and downs over the years, but remain a family and I couldn't ask for a better group of friends...plus, I'd like to think we're all talented too.

What we have in common is a love for hip-hop and an appreciation for different styles.  At times we might overlap, but in general we have very different ideas in terms of the kind of music we like to make. I'm glad to say that has never been an issue among us.

One track that stands out for me on Taketh Away is "Insomnia." What was the inspiration for that track?

The song title is pretty direct. I've been an insomniac for as long as I can remember. It's pretty rare that I have a good night sleep, so as you might imagine, that effects everything else in my life. When I got the beat, the only thing that popped in my head for a few hours was the phrase "pretend until I'm awake," which ultimately became part of the hook.

I almost didn't get the beat at all. Vividend announced online that he was selling off old beats that had been sitting on his hard drive for years. Thankfully, I saw the post immediately and called him asking why he was selling "my" beat: the rest is history.

How did you get the name The Quiet Dude?

I'm a quiet person in general.  I'm not shy, but I don't have a ton of interest in small talk, which is often mistaken for shy. My first name when I started rapping in high school was Reserved, but I decided to change it when I was working on my first full length. I just wanted to think of something that stayed in the same territory of being quiet, but less lame. It was either T.Q.D or Silence...I'd like to think I made the right choice.

As someone who has been rapping and participating in the Twin Cities hip-hop community for many years now, what are your thoughts on the health of our scene? Are there any areas where you think we could use some improvement, or where we are particularly strong?

I think the scene has come back from a lull.  The closing of The Dinkytowner had a bigger impact than many people would like to admit. For a lot of artists in town, that was the place you could go and maybe you didn't get the exact date you wanted, but you could always get a slot.  I noticed a lot of people disappeared for a while, but now new venues have popped up and some older venues book hip-hop that didn't previously, so I think the live scene has come back.  Also, people are making better albums too.

The only area of improvement I'd suggest, probably effects a lot of other scenes.  Sometimes there can be too much jealousy and too many self-appointed victims.  When I say victims, I mean people who get salty about this person or that person getting shine that they think should be reserved for them.  Hard work and putting your heart is to your music is noble, but the doesn't mean you're better than the big names and even if you are, the fans don't have to like your music. Sometimes folks forget that being a popular rapper is not a right.

After taking some time away from music last year, T.Q.D. of the Background Noise Crew sat down and wrote his latest album Taketh Away in under a month. "I don't like to work on things slowly. My attitude is, let's get it done," says The Quiet Dude. "I've never made an album this fast. I know what I need to say,". Listening to the record gives the impression the topics have been stewed over and are finally seeing full expression.

Lyrically and sonically, this is a dark album, with themes of death and loss circling throughout. A self-described reserved speaker (Reserved was also his first rap name), T.Q.D. has a lot to say when prompted properly, and he is most comfortable delving into the dark side of life. "That's all I really want to talk about. That's all I can think about is serious stuff. I love focusing on the negative. That sounds weird, but I just do. I'm always looking at that negative angle. There are people who make music where I'm like, you know what? That's just too happy for me. It's making me depressed with how happy it is,". Ironically, though, the songs come off as somewhat upbeat in that the rapper clearly enjoys inhabiting the difficult space he's created. 

"I've always wanted to make De La Soul's Stakes Is High. There's maybe one song on there that's light-hearted, the rest of it is pretty serious. But it's presented in such a way that it's a very light-hearted feel. That's something I'm striving for," His third official album since beginning to rap in the late '90s (not including a slew of "Appetizer" records which serve as mixtapes of sorts), this album is T.Q.D.'s most direct and cohesive project since 2006's Not Yet. The album's production, handled entirely by Salt Lake City's Vividend, manages to find a musical vibe that's an appropriate backbone, as likely to incorporate plodding drums and sorrowful pianos as it is twangy banjos and whistling. The album was fully selected and sequenced before one word was written, and T.Q.D. sinks right into each beat naturally with some powerful and heavy subject matter.

But this is definitely not downer music, and T.Q.D. aims to prove how hard his introspective sensibilities hit in a live setting at his CD release tonight. The night is packed with solid performers, including The Tribe and Big Cats!, Analyrical, 925ve, and Rich Garvey, all of whom share the headliner's penchant for real and personal lyricism and his quality stage show.

"I'm generally a pretty quiet person."

Coming from David Johnson, 28, who has battled through speech issues since childhood and goes by the name the Quiet Dude (T.Q.D.), this isn't the most surprising self-description. However, add in the fact that T.Q.D. is a local MC set to release his third studio album, "Taketh Away," this week, and suddenly the dots become a little harder to connect.

Hailing from Bloomington, where he began rapping in the late '90s, T.Q.D. was fascinated by hip-hop lyricists and was inspired to give rap a shot after hearing gangsta rap pioneer Kool G Rap. It wasn't G Rap's jarring street image or "mafioso rap" that drew T.Q.D., but a connection he heard through the rapper's enunciation.

"I don't know how familiar you are with his catalog, but he definitely has a pretty noticeable lisp," he said. "I grew up with a bunch of speech problems."

Those issues were tied to a heavy lisp Johnson spoke with as a child. Although he worked on and gradually overcame the impediment, he didn't consider getting rid of it a necessary step when he began to rap. "Everyone has to become comfortable with their own voice," he said.

The speech problem is hinted at in T.Q.D.'s stage name (which replaced the equally sheepish Reserved, his first rap alias), but it doesn't distract from his music and is rarely noticeable in his delivery.

While the impetus to step behind the mike came from G Rap, T.Q.D. said he identifies more with the direct lyrical style of De La Soul. Although T.Q.D.'s recent songs have lightened up a bit compared with older lyrics that he described as "cryptic," almost all of "Taketh Away" addresses topics from love to day-to-day struggles in a serious tone. Lines such as "Plain to me, we all can see/ Pretty exterior within she bleeds," from his favorite new track, "Audio Problems," capture the candid attitude present throughout the album.

For his first album, "Not Yet," T.Q.D. recorded with Doomtree members P.O.S. and Cecil Otter, an experience that continues to affect his work. Otter "probably gave me my best advice," he said, recounting how the local star suggested that as a relative unknown, T.Q.D. should shorten his tracks to get his message across more quickly. "I've kind of taken that to heart." He has been encouraged by the success of his former collaborators and hopes to build on that with his newest effort.

The CD release party for "Taketh Away" takes place Friday at Hell's Kitchen. "I'm probably more excited than I've ever been," T.Q.D. said, largely because it's been three years since his last album. Assuming his enthusiasm translates to his performance, T.Q.D. is becoming anything but a quiet dude.

Following the release of Status Reign’s Brutally Honest LP (which includes such standouts as “Dedicated” and “The Chorus“) comes a new release from another member of Minneapolis’ Background Noise Crew, T.Q.D. Serving as an aptly titled lead-up to more new material which should drop later this year, The Appetizer 3 is an “odds-and-ends collection” which does well to show off a variety of different aspects of the MC’s style. In this edition of Influenza T.Q.D. explains the development of the new EP, in particular focusing on a remix of “Desert Sky” which has matured into its present shape over the course of the past four years. The Appetizer 3 is available as a free download via Bandcamp.

When I was thinking about what I thought the third volume of my Appetizer EP series would sound like, I decided I wanted the EP to be five to seven self-produced remixes of previous songs that I felt showed potential, but didn’t quite turn out the way I wanted. I didn’t follow through on that plan completely, but I ended up making a couple remixes. I’ve always enjoyed a good remix to an okay songs. Most songs are fine just way they are or are so bad they can’t be saved, but some just need a little extra seasoning.

The original “Desert Sky” was a collaboration between myself and a good friend of mine named Bob Benson in 2007. His graduation assignment from IPR was to produce and engineer a song for another artist and I was chosen. The beat he made had a synth feel with some guitar. He also sang a hook and bridge as well. He said he wanted lyrics that fit in to the inspire/overcome category. Even though I wasn’t going to say no, as someone who prefers downer music, it was a challenge, but one that I welcomed. It never ended up on an album, but was released digitally on a certain not-so-hip anymore social networking site. The song turned out okay in my view, but I always thought it could be better with a few changes.

Fast forward to earlier this year when I brainstormed this EP and it was time. Even if I didn’t do any other remakes for the EP, I felt like this one had to be made. I had trouble cooking up my own beat, so I tried out a few others I had and a beat I had just bought from Arsenic seemed to fit like a glove. I rearranged the words a bit, changed the hook and I was ready to go. The beat I used for the remix was definitely more uptempo and lighter than my usual choices, but when shopping for beats, I had to have it and knew I’d end up using it for something.

It was one of the easiest recording times I’ve had. Everything was done in one take. It just felt right and I’m happy with the way it turned out.

Brutally Honest, the debut album from Minneapolis emcee Status Reign, is a 60-minute whirlwind tour of style and sound. Not only does he pull it off, he kills it. We sat down with Status Reign last August to talk about the upcoming album and, nearly a year later, I feel comfortable saying that Brutally Honest completely delivers on the massive promise of the tracks we heard then.

Like Background Noise Crew labelmate Analyrical, Status Reign took a while to grow on me. To that end, I’ve been sitting on this album since late April and, even after I finally made a concerted effort to sit down and write this thing, I’ve struggled to both be concise and give credit where credit is due. My biggest complaint with most artists is that there isn’t enough going to on to keep me interested. (cough*RayLamontagne*cough)

I can’t say the same thing about Status Reign and, while that makes the album a million times more rewarding to listen through, it also makes it a million times harder to pin down.

Brutally Honest is all over the board, but in the best way possible. From the ghostly chorus, stuttering drums and sideswipe scratches of “Hold On,” (I flashed back to Dilated Peoples’ “The Platform”) to the synth-heavy “Tonight,” and the lazy summer beats of “Damn I’m Breakin’,” Status Reign treads a lot of different water, and he’s a strong enough lyricist to carry them all with ease.

As far as lyrics go, Status Reign should appeal to fans of Sage Francis (I actually think Status Reign has a smoother flow) and Aesop Rock. He’s weighty without sacrificing rhymes and mixes the poignant and playful seamlessly. In fact, between the three, I think Status Reign strikes that middle ground most effortlessly.

For hip hop fans, this is the kind of album that justifies your dedication to the genre. For everyone else, this might be a reason to give it a try.

Its not often you come across a rapper that was influenced by 80's hair metal and synth pop but that is exactly the formula that Status Reign has based his new album around. In fact, what is prevalent is the inevitable stroke of hip-hop, the odd influx of jazz and even a smidgeon of electro in what is quintessentially a rap album for a new generation.

Friends with benefits are dodgy ground for anyone but rather than the implicit meanings behind the words, for Status Reign - friends with benefits are simply those that have helped him in his life to date and what better way to thank and honour them than by name checking them all on album opener Dedicated? Its not much of a song; more a list of those that Status Reign has to thank; the kind of thing you would otherwise find on an album sleeve and although Status Reign raps it - it is nothing really very revolutionary. The lyrics are easy and the rap requires little effort. What is interesting though is the layers and compilation of his music. Opening with a sunny jazz vibe, the track almost trips over itself with hip hop beats as it progresses whilst Status Reign raps over the top. There is nothing left out to enable him to get his lyrics heard but instead the track is full of feel-good rhythms that help lift your mood.

The Chorus is a more different proposition. More akin to the typical urban music you hear in the mainstream every day, it sounds more like a track created by 50 Cent than it does an underground rapper. The rap slows down and the general feel of the song turns more to hip hop than anything else. It is a prime example of how Status Reign can adapt his music to suit various audiences and whilst it is likely a future hit for him, it depicts the image of an urban hip-hop artist rather than the rough-around-the-edges rapper he is attempting to convey from the opener.

What is unique about this album is that no track sounds the same. Status Reign leaps effortlessly from genre to genre and where Tonight (which boasts multiple remixes on the album) is more the deep rap song you would expect from the man who has been plying his trade for numerous decades, Purpose is a rawer and faster anthem that lends its hand to the stylised trend setters of mainstream rap like Eminem and TI.

Status Reign also enters the stereotypical pop genre, slowing down the music and the rapping for future chart anthem Club Broke. It opens to a slow, winding, teasing rhythm, right out of the Black Eyed Peas' book of pop music creation and maintains its tempo throughout. He switches the raw vocals in The Chorus to softer, gentler tones that compliment the background music rather than dominate it. It is another example of Status Reign's unrivaled flexibility within a genre that he rips wide open to acknowledge every influence.

Thieves In The Night and Where Its At; both towards the end of the album, are perhaps the songs that are most like the kind of underground rap you would expect to hear from Status Reign but by the time you hear them you are almost a little bit disappointed. For it becomes obvious when playing the release that this is not just an underground rap outing; it is a more experimental and different beast that shows Status Reign to be an artist of the entire urban scene rather than just the rap variety. As talent goes, he has bags of it and if this album becomes the trend setter that it promises to be, then the rap genre can only ever be heading for even more reshuffling and even greater things.....

The cover of "First Date," the debut album by Minnesota rapper Analyrical, isn't that inspiring. So imagine my surprise when I put this on and was greeted by opening track "The Sky Is Burning." The beat is a built around a guitar riff, and Analyrical attacks the mic with an aggressive flow that manages to be confident without trying too hard, declaring himself mad liberal and a fan of Chipotle in the same verse.

The production is strong throughout - Producers B-Mc C, Arsenic T. Larsen, Dmitry Killstorm, Ecid, Katrah-Quey, Spanphly, Orikal, and Vividend all contribute beats to the album. I was surprised to see so many different producers in the credits because all of the songs have a similar jazzy feel to them. Listening more closely you can hear that Arsenic's beats are both built around guitar lines and Katrah-Quey's beats both lean in an R&B direction, but the songs all work well together. It's a good sign for hip hop when you can have seven unknown producers on an album and all of them are making above-average beats. Their beats are the real strength of the album, carrying Analyrical's rhymes over fourteen tracks.

I could tell Analyrical was from Minnesota even before I heard "66612," the shout-out to his home town. He doesn't throw a bunch of "doncha knows" or "golly you betchas" into his rhymes, but his style and subject matter is as much of a giveaway as the Minnesota accent. Like fellow MN mainstay Atmosphere, Analyrical's rhymes are a combination of personal stories, shit-talking, and partying. Like most Minnesota hip hop, it has nothing to do with East Coast crack rap, Southern trap rap, or West Coast Gangsta rap. He'd rather rap about his girl troubles than play up life on the streets, and unlike Jay-Z, one of Analyrical's 99 problems is definitely of the female persuasion. While he is drinking champagne on the cover of his album, his version of partying is more like having some beers while listening to hip hop at an open mic at a local club rather than ordering bottle service at a strip club. In short, this is dude rap, made for, by, and about dudes.

For the most part he is honest and checks his cockiness, although his inner douchebag rears its ugly head on a few tracks. Maybe I've just been watching too much "Jersey Shore," but when Analyrical drops a line like "You can bring the beef, bitch, I leave it tenderized," or "I'm from 66612 if you don't like it bitch, fuck you," you expect his next line to be "come at me, bro!"

Those criticisms aside, "First Date" is a promising debut. Analyrical shows off some skills on the mic, and he's backed by a solid team of producers. Fans of MN hip hop and/or dudes should give Analyrical a listen. Let's hope he's even more impressive on his second date.

When it comes to a musical presence in Minnesota, people would usually resort to the Purple One as being the only musical presence from the area. Well, more than celebrating the presence of Brett Farve with the Vikings, Minnesota can also be excited about a hot independent hip-hop music scene that’s produced great producers and emcees like M.anifest as well as Analyrical as he drops his latest project First Date.

Usually when being assigned artists you’re not aware of, there’s a sense of hesitation that takes over. Luckily for me, my fears were nipped in the bud as Analyrical impressed with my first listen.

Instantly impressive were songs like “Pre-Game” and “Count Up” which, along with the other cuts on here, were produced by fellow talented Minnesota acts. That means you hear beats from Arsenic, Ecid, Span Phly, and Phingaz, of the Background Noise Crew. And, thankfully, Analyrical does the backdrops justice. His style is a hybrid of battle raps with boom-bap backdrops. To be more precise, his delivery can be compared to sounding more like a Chino XL over a Jay-Z. Also, the comparisons to Atmosphere and the Rhymesayers roster is going to be difficult to escape.

Other moments of excellent indie-hip-hop are heard on songs like “Sky Is Burning”, which demonstrates an excellent use of a vocal sample and gradual progression of layered samples. In a digital hip-hop climate, indie artists can usually get caught up in being disposable, so it’s refreshing to hear that time was invested in this effort.

Ultimately the production is one of the key elements of the project. And picking proper beats isn’t something that all emcees can say they have an ear for. Insert Nas or Canibus comments here. To say that Analyrical is overshadowed by the production will be too harsh, but the production is playing the role of Lebron James on this project. In particular, the jazz-inspired tracks are perfect for fans of Native Tongues inspired music, such as “66612”. But the project isn’t without its flaws.

Sometimes the choruses may seem to go a bit on the tedious side on some of the tracks, but other than that, it’s a minor flaw in an offering that will make me check him out again in the near future. If there’s attention that needs to be paid to Minnesota artists, it’s hard to imagine that Analyrical wouldn’t be on the short list of people to peep. Don’t say I didn’t tell you.

First Date is a strong, if somewhat limited, debut for Analyrical. The St. Paul MC, originally from Kansas and who did a stint in Eau Claire before coming back to Minnesota, is a member of the Background Noise Crew. Led by CEO, producer, and living hip-hop encyclopedia Egypto Knuckles, the crew also includes producer Phingaz, and MCs Tonekrusher Smith, Status Reign, and T.Q.D. (who released his own debut album this year, Clench, Grit, Breathe).

Analyrical embodies much of what it means to be a Twin Cities MC, though sometimes to the point of predictability. He namedrops the appropriate venues on both sides of the river (Dinkytowner, Turf Club, and even the historic online forum DUNation), as well as including a Twin Cities dedication song (“66612”). On this song, with Rudy Van Gelder-sounding jazz drums dominating Spanphly’s production, he talks about all the different types of MCs in the Cities, the “backpackers , abstract gangsters, and all the like.” He’s certainly not a gangsta rapper, yet is hard to pigeonhole just as a backpack rapper, even though most of the characteristics are there.

Production duties on First Date are handled by a cast of characters, including fellow BNC-member Phingaz on “Put ‘Em Up,” as well as Katrah-Quay of 4Shades, Dimitry Killstorm, and fellow St. Paul MC and producer Orikal. There are great musical details spread throughout the album, whether it be the 8-bit sounding snares on “Sky is Burning,” the brake drums on “Put ‘Em Up,” or the accordion melody on “Penance.”

In addition to the TC rep song mentioned above, the album is laced with plenty of lyrical wordplay and one-liners, giving songs like “Tick Tick” and  “Sky is Burning” their verbal punch, an effect helped by his lower-than-expected voice. On “More Than,” he echoes many an MC who want to make their work “more than” just music, more than just rap. There’s the emo-ish conclusion of “Penance,” with a vow to own “up to all my bullshit,” with apologies “to all my ex-lovers and all the jobs I ever quit.”

Unfortunately, none of these songs really serve to separate Analyrical him from the dearth of MCs currently vying for stages throughout the Cities. There definitely is a sound to Twin Cities hip-hop, but when an artist veers too close to it, as Analyrical seems to on First Date, the listener is left wanting a greater balance between reppin’ one’s home town and developing a style and voice regardless of geographic location. All that being said, though, there’s definitely enough here to a warrant a second night out.

Sometime victor of national rap battleground “Grind Time,” Eau Claire Battle Champion, one of the founding members of the Background Noise Crew and 2009’s Twin Cities Hip-Hop Awards’ “Best Kept Secret” are all notches in local rap star Analyrical’s belt. And he’s about to add one more: first solo album. With a title like First Date, you can bet Analyrical will be taking us out for than just dinner and a show.

To compare Analyrical’s First Date to an album by say, Eminem, wouldn’t be fair. Eminem can only manage one or two good songs per album. Most of the songs on First Date on the other hand, could easily find their way into my rotation. The strongest component First Date's songs is by far the music. From the standard rap style in “Sky Is Burning,” “Tick-Tick” and my favorite track, “Cruisin’” to the deeper electronica of “Pre-Game” and pensive tones of “Poet Laureate” and “More Than.” First Date pulls off a wide variety of styles, yet has a cohesive feel to it.

A couple of general observations about style. There was one point where I was listening to my album shuffle, and I heard “Sky is Burning” from First Date. I had to check to see what the name of the song was, as I had been listening to the Gorillaz prior to this album. “Sky” came on, and I seriously thought I heard Damon Albarn’s 2-D character singing background. The rest of the album has some similarities to the BNC Everybody Does This but stretches into many other styles. Stylistically both in terms of rap and music, it's as if someone has pieced together Royksopp, Eminem, Ludacris and Sir Mix-a-Lot. Seriously. Analyrical’s flow and sometimes background music has a style, confidence and playfulness that somehow seems like a functional mélange of these styles and more. This lends the album accesiblity and makes it enjoyable.

As far as lyrics go, it’s easy to see how Analyrical’s been able to hold his own when battling. There’s no hint of hesitation in any of his rhymes. He has some fascinating lyrical choices, such as a very descriptive and erotic song in "The Panther" and some Star Wars references elsewhere. The words “Padawan” and “Jedi Knight” are always a nice surprise, though it has been done before. The variety in the vocabulary is also pretty diverse as well, and thankfully not too far into GMAT territory.

First Date appears to be a good foundation for a relationship with Analyrical’s music. Strong music and concrete rhymes make for an album that I can listen to all the way through and also makes for an album that should appeal to a wide audience. If you’re a fan of any of the above mainstream artists it’s worth checking out. It’s not an exact match by any means, but the comparison is close enough.

Proving that hip hop and rap doesn’t have to be ear busting loud, T.Q.D.’s (short for The Quiet Dude) new album “Clench, Grit, Breathe” is full of subtle sounds and smooth rhymes. But don’t listen to it without a decent sound system or you might miss some of the catchier beats and background melodies.

When I first listened to this disk, it was on my cheap PC speakers, and I didn’t really hear much beyond some of the higher melodies and the lyrics. This album didn’t come alive until I played it in the car or with my headphones. There the restrained beats and finer elements came to life. Many of the tracks have a much deeper sound and in some cases revealed an emotional edge that wasn’t there before. Once the finer points present themselves, the album becomes a pleasant surprise.

Without judging T.Q.D. by his previous albums, his vocals on “Clench, Grit, Breathe” are solid and consistent. For much of the album his vocals are fairly smooth and laid back, which complements the music. His voice also has intensity on a few songs when it needs to. T.Q.D. has a good voice that rhymes with authority and offers no apologies. It is what it is, and it fits the music more often than not.

Looking at some of the tracks more closely, “Baby Boy” and “Fall Asleep” offer up smooth vocals while “Fall Asleep” has a lonely melody that is quite catchy. “Contradiction” later in the album has a similar feeling while staying fresh. Continuing with the more emotional tracks, “Second Fiddle” carries on the emotional tone with lyrics rather than music, being about a misfit son surviving while the favored son has passed on. It evokes the tragic feelings of Anthony Hamilton’s “Georgie Parker” while doing something new.

Bringing on the intensity, “Hide & Seek” has a tough beat with haunting background vocals, while bringing out a touch of Dr. Octagon in the last part of the of the song. Followed by the song “Speed Bump” probably the rawest track. The vocals have plenty of pain and anger while the music is reminiscent of Ennio Morricone at times. “Pity” also has strong vocals with another excellent melody. By far though, “Saunter” is the most memorable track. The mournful cry of the cello provides a great contrast with the vocals and adds to the gravity of the song.

“Clench, Grit, Breathe” brings out some strong emotions for those who listen deep. A decent sound system is a must for this album, or you’ll miss the good parts of this album. T.Q.D.’s style is unique and befits the moniker of “The Quiet Dude.” Quiet dudes may be hard to hear at times, but when you hear what they have to say it’s usually worth listening to.

The flirty keys on ‘Let The Funeral Begin’ beckons the listener to accept an audible odyssey into the realm of David Lee Johnson, Jr., known as, T.Q.D. to his loyal legion. T.Q.D.’s , Clench, Grit, Breathe will be appreciated. The Quiet Dude is Minnesota’s poetic MC: he’s integral to its expanding soundscape. As the musical journey proceeds, an oxymoronic presence is felt, this closed-mouthed individual is a natural storyteller.

T.Q.D.’s use of his endless vocabulary is laudable. The effortless way the lyrics tumble from his lips creates inviting vignettes for the listener. Yet when it’s forced like on, ‘Baby Boy’ or ‘Hide And Seek’ the track suffers. These are two instances of acrimony: the lyrics and the production duel for the spotlight.

Overall, Clench, Grit, Breathe, is a satisfactory sophomore effort. ‘Ask Me In A Few Months’ and ‘Red Black And Blue White’ ft Phingaz are enjoyable examples of the undeniable talent that T.Q.D. possesses. The subtle production on ‘Contradiction’ is heaven, simplistic manipulation of sounds, combined with complex lyrics, elevates the track. ‘Saunter’ reflects the feelings of loneliness. An isolated, old-Western, lullaby is the backdrop to this stream-of-consciousness, lyrical delivery.

Harnessing an ambiguous sound, T.Q.D. is a mixture of a creative Fiona Apple, an early, melancholy Tech N9ne, and an expressive Cee-Lo Green. ‘Speed Bump’ is the highlight of the entire album. The cunning ability that T.Q.D. uses as he attacks the subject of rape is genius. The repetitive ‘NO’ is futile as the victim tries to cope with situation and the ramification that follows. Clench, Grit, Breathe displays the evolving lyrical maturity and the potential of T.Q.D

Rappers who come from Minnesota, home to the now well known hip-hop labels/collectives Rhymesayers and Doomtree, are often subjected to elevated expectations – and rightly so. The area is rich with creative talent, often blending various musical styles with ridiculously intricate wordplay and storytelling to craft some of the most intriguing American hip-hop albums of the decade. 2009’s Clench, Grit, Breathe marks T.Q.D’s sophomore solo project, coming after a solid debut and a collaborative EP.

At times working with members from the Doomtree collective, T.Q.D raps with a raspy voice, delivering well thought-out rhymes in a similar style to Doomtree’s own P.O.S., who has recorded with T.Q.D in the past. The lyrical style on Clench, Grit, Breathe shows a creative growth that has taken place since his first two projects. T.Q.D has adopted a story-telling rap scheme that works to his favor, although it remains unclear to what extent his stories represent personal experiences (after all, he is known for personal recordings). Furthermore, his story-telling creates a somewhat neo-noir-ish feeling full of dark chills, and suspect situations, which is especially evident on “Fall Asleep.”

The album has its share of lighter moments too, which provide interesting distinctions from track to track, showing that T.Q.D clearly has a versatility to create different atmospheres with his lyrics. And it is in this manner that T.Q.D’s Clench, Grit, Breathe is a rollercoaster of an album, leaving the listener with highs and lows of sharp contrast. From a production standpoint, the beats move the stories along at a quick pace to ensure interest throughout, and even incorporate various unexpected instruments in order to craft unique soundscapes which complement T.Q.D’s rhymes and ideas very nicely. Sure to be a mainstay in the Minnesota hip-hop scene for years to come, T.Q.D’s sophomore album is a well-placed step in the right direction, and leaves space for him to build upon for future projects.

Not even four months into the year, and we've already got two solid-to-great CDs from introspective local underground MCs whose aliases look like arcade game high-score entries. Not that P.O.S. and T.Q.D. are jostling for supremacy on some King of Kong business; they're similar enough to invite fan-base crossover yet different enough to stake out their own corners of the scene. T.Q.D. stands for "The Quiet Dude," but his new CD, Clench, Grit, Breathe, reveals his as an increasingly misleading name: The record is filled with the kind of suppressed frustration and anxiety that its title hints at, bristling with a snarling tension and lyrical insight that falls halfway between long-simmering, detailed ruminations and stream-of-consciousness abstraction. With its backdrop of brooding, soul-jazz-inflected, golden-age sounds, it's an ideal late-night soundtrack for driving with nowhere to go—though its meditative atmosphere might sound a bit more intense with a room full of other listeners to take it all in.

The Mad Bloggers - Q

Background Noise Crew, Sampler Vol. 1: The Background Noise crew reached out to us with this free sampler. The crew out of Minnesota, describes their sound as, “pretty different since we all got a bit of diversity in the crew. When we form together, you'd be hard pressed to say we sound the same when together cause we all bring different styles to the pot,” said Egypto Knuckles, part of the Background Noise Crew. Other members include: ToneKrusher Smith, Analyrical, Status Reign, Phingaz and T.Q.D.

Rap Reviews - Pedro "DJ Complejo" Hernandez

There is no denying the Midwest's ability to create rap stars. Despite there never being a time when Midwest rap ruled the game, there has never been a shortage of Midwest rappers in the limelight. Perhaps more surprising is the fact that the Midwest does it in more than one style. MC Breed, Bone, Dayton Family, Eminem, Esham, Common, Kanye West, Twista, Atmosphere, Hi-Tek. Granted, the Midwest boasts a much larger geographic area than other regions, but despite lacking universal love, emcees from the Midwest do have a decent chance at the glory of a rap star. The Background Noise Crew (BNC for brevity's sake) makes no attempt to hide the fact that they've been influenced by Minnesota's biggest rap stars, Atmosphere. They even compare their latest release to the "Sad Clown Bad Dub" series, meaning it is a collection of odds and ends the crew has recorded over the last 8 months. The questions that remains is whether "Everybody Does This Vol. 1" will indeed follow suit and lead to another Midwest success story.

With a six man crew, consisting of 4 emcees, 1 producer, and 1 emcee/producer, it is difficult to keep track of who is who, thankfully the crew had the forethought to break that down in the liner notes. They get automatic points from me for that. "Funk Yo Monk (We Red Hot)" is a big posse cut produced by Phingaz. Phingaz puts together some deep, thumping bass and country/rock guitar licks for an unusual, but dope combination. The emcees themselves shine on other tracks. "DNA" features Analyrical where he drops some lines about his love for rap:

"I feel a slight tingle, a slight itch
Only way to see the day with the flick of a light switch
Work a nightshift, my mind takes a slight drift
Caught up in a cipher, wish
Everyday was like this"

"Wizard of Law" features Status Reign getting his concept song on:

"And that's it, I can't get any closer to home
If I did, I'd riddle fists in the door
No explaining cause it's easy to find guilt in a metaphor, ain't it
So explain why it's my fault that your running out of patience
Deep breaths seem less important in the long haul
And how important is that net when you headed for than long fall?"

Tonekrusher Smith uses his solo to explain what it means to be a "Part Time Rapper:"

"All across the room with the confidence of a tyrant
Hijack the stage and snatch your shit up like a pirate
Peaceful man, but don't make me get violent
When you spit those flows, those flows they refine me
All by my lonesome, it's like I'm in confinement
Be original, the best you do is consignment
I should be rich for the service that I'm providing"

TQD gets his shine on in the form of "Carry Along" where he drops his flavor of somewhat abstract rhymes:

"It's like standstill standoff
Stand pat, mounted in place
Til I declare I'm back
It's concealed and peeled
Too physically real
And outright lies
By an outward appearance
Paraded out, just like interference"

Even Phingaz gets a solo track where he returns with his thick guitar licks and love for bass on "Here For You."

"The scenery we pass we'll never see again
So we store it up as memories and don't let go of them
A wonderful spell, thinking that the river should go straight
Set goals and desires to control out own fate
But all the pain we experience is a result of our expectations
Because it's the river's nature"

Despite being listed as part of the group, Egypto Knuckles gets one production credit on the 15 track affair, but he sure takes advantage of it. "5Play" is a funky uptempo mix of deep bass lines, reggae and jazz inspired synths, and lively handclaps. To be honest it may be the best produced track on the album.

After consuming "Everybody Does This Vol. 1" the listener gets a vague feel for who the Background Noise Crew is. Each member has his strengths and weaknesses. Personally, Egypto Knuckle's one production credit made me a fan. As far as rappers are concerned, Tonekrusher Smith's ability to be so nonchalant while talking trash was appealing as was the emotion in Status Reign's voice. To others, TQD's abstract rhymes may be their preference or they might prefer Analyrical's straight forward punch lines. Some might even choose Phingaz as the most talented due to his ability to play double roles and produce the bulk of this compilation. Things get even trickier when you realize this crew also has subgroups, three to be exact, consisting of different combinations within the group. When people encounter large crews they usually rush to the Wu-Tang comparisons, but in this case I think the Background Noise Crew is more like another crew, Living Legends. The left coast collection of emcees and producers started out just as unheralded and overlooked back in the 1990s. Much like BNC, Living Legends has concentrated more on individual efforts rather than crew records over their lifetime. Whether BNC will one day evolve and grow as the Living Legends did is anybody's guess, but the foundation is there.

City Pages - Nate Patrin

A name like "Background Noise Crew" might seem kind of self-effacing, but it's accurate in at least one sense: this recently-established local hip hop collective's been rocking shows around town so frequently they might as well be part of the scenery. What time they haven't been spending mastering their craft onstage has been presumably spent in the studio, since the crew's new comp Everybody Does This Vol. 1 reveals a dedication to quality hip hop over a wide range of personalities and styles: there's the deluxe shit-talk of ToneKrusher Smith, the classic underground poetic abstraction of T.Q.D. and Phingaz (who collaborate as Green Sketch), the smooth, R&B-infused drama of Status Reign, and the versatility of Analyrical, who covers all those bases and more. Come early to catch some other local hip hop notables, including Carnage, the Watchmen and Kanser's Big Zach, before sticking around for these heirs apparent. They deserve some time in the foreground.

Culture Bully - Chris Deline

Approach Influenza as a series which serves to help give insight as to where music is born; these are the thoughts, influences and the inspirations directly from the mind of the artists. Here, Phingaz of Minneapolis’ Background Noise Crew dissects the group’s interpretation of the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Funky Monks.”

On “Funk Yo Monk (We Red Hot)”:

I had the idea to remake a bunch of Red Hot Chili Pepper songs for a while – “Funky Monks” (off of Blood Sugar Sex Magik) was at the top of my list. The original song has such a hard hitting bass and drum line – [it] just cooks through the whole song. So I decided to replay the guitar and slap in a huge kick drum with hand claps. I’d been listening to Camp Lo a shit-ton around that time and loved “Krystal Karrington.” The beat has this nasty chain-like shaker in it, I wanted a similar sound in the “Funk Yo Monk” song. I grabbed my house keys, a shaker and a tambourine and just went to town.

I sang the first part of the first verse of the original song. It’s perfect and I think it works as a hook by its lonesome. I sent it out to the whole crew and said “You have to spit 16 bars on this – no exceptions.” They all came back with the crazy stew of styles and such. It’s a good thing everybody comes so differently – it clocks in over six minutes but you don’t really notice it cause every ones style is so different.

Status Reign is a perfect starter for a song like this – he always has a crazy amount of energy in his verses, so him up front was the most obvious choice. Everyone had to match up to him. TQD’s verse is a HUGE stand out. If people aren’t familiar with his cataloge – he NEVER sounds like this. It’s nice to hear him switch up his style a bit. Tone always cracks me up with his verses – he had this rhyme pattern that was just jumping out of my ears, so I told him we should really capitalize on that. So Analyrical, TQD and I all yelled along with his pattern to give it that ‘large gang’ effect. We must have done about five tracks of us all yelling. I think Analyrical spits my favorite verse – I really dig it when MC’s play around with letters, patterns and sounds. I’ve never heard so many S’s and P’s in a verse before. Phaust is my homeboy – we’ve been though some shit, put out three Albums with Sinthesis and he is part of the BNC extended family. He always blows me away with his verses. He can be super cryptic and vague [or] he can be direct and literal. I picture him spiting this verse with a stupid grin on his face. Like he just stole two packs of cigs from the corner store and sweet talked his way out of it.

The Great Adventures of...Prince Fat Money - Jordan Selbo

Give 'em Room: Background Noise Crew doing it BIG

For all my uninformed trawlers out there not from Minnesnowta, the Twin Cities is so thick with rap royalty that I have no reservations calling it the center of Midwest Hip Hop (Fugg Kanye). You cain't throw a medium-sized stone on the southside of Minneapolis without hitting a dope MC. In that vein, the Background Noise Crew is just a group of six young men that just wants to make dope rrrap. Putting it work for a minute, their simmering (on the low-low) activities have recently boiled over into plenty of creative product for a listening public eager for something hype.

First check out their site for the really real and concert updates: http://www.backgroundnoisecrew.com/

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The latest heater is "Room to Operate," another raw yet refined platter of illness. (unfortunately this techno dinosaur still hasn't figured out how to post audio to the ole blog, so go to the Web site and listen for yerself herbs)

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If that weren't enough, the multi-venomous unit is releasing a series of six "webisodes" (more like clever visual commercials definitely worth checking out), the first two of which are already up on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/backgroundnoisecrew. Floss at least once a day kiddos.

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All this is centered around Background Noise Crew's newest series of releases, a "Sad Clown Bad Dub-like series" called "Everybody Does This." Self-awareness is sorely lacking in the game.

The Fat Money gives love to all who are out there working hard to give the world good new Hip Hop. Extra propers

City Pages (Gimme Noise) - Nate Patrin

For the past several months, one local upstart rap crew has been spending a lot of time and work establishing their name around town. Background Noise Crew is an assemblage of some of the Twin Cities’ up-and-coming producers and MCs – Egypto Knuckles, ToneKrusher Smith, Phingaz & TQD (who work as the duo Green Sketch), Analyrical and Status Reign – who combine a classicist indie-rap D.I.Y. ethos with a tireless hustle and a lot of inter-crew brainstorming. So far their efforts have given us Green Sketch’s debut EP So Long for Now, but there’s plenty more to come later this year. This e-mail interview with the crew outlines who they are, what they’re about and where they're headed.

What sets Background Noise Crew apart from some (or all) of the other crews that are working around the Twin Cities area?

EGYPTO KNUCKLES: Our relationship with crews and the scene as a whole represents our drive to show off the diverse scene and the many different styles that are represented within the scene. My whole production ethic is built from such forefathers as DJ Premier, Pete Rock, El-P, and Madlib. I want to be at that point where every song I make is somewhat poignant and reflective of the thoughts of the specific songwriter at that time. The way a rapper utilizes onomatopoeia or syllabic structure has always been a thing for me, and I certainly want to bring that out of an artist. One thing I regret is not using my DJ muscle to scratch records within my tracks, but that will slowly change within time.

TONEKRUSHER SMITH: The Frugalis McSpiteful album coming out on April 1 is going to be different because the whole album is sick. Literally. The beats are as dirty as the lyrics. The album will make you laugh or wince with uncomfortability.

PHINGAZ: My production methods are unorthodox and I don't fear new territories or sounds. The Green Sketch EP doesn't show that as much as I would have liked it to, but there are sprinkled moments here and there. Looking back on my previous projects I feel like I've pushed myself each time in new creative ways to write music. So of course I will continue to do that with Green Sketch and the rest of the Background Noise Crew. TQD is a little more known for his quieter (pun intended), darker, softer side, while I usually come off as a fool. With time and some growth our vocal and lyrical play can turn into a dual sided mash-up, me tipping the scales toward a more carefree fun loving side, while TQD can keep us grounded in emotions and feelings we all have.

TQD: Since anything can be labeled, I'm sure you can find a pigeonhole for each member of Background Noise, but I think you'd be hard pressed to lump us together as "all sounding the same". Individually, we all make music that sounds a little different from each other, but what ultimately bonds us is the fact that we respect those differences, and occasionally find ourselves somewhere in the middle.

ANALYRICAL: I think Background Noise is the first crew in a while to be extremely innovative and unique with our promotional tools and our live performances. When we put on a show, it involves so much more than grabbing a mic and rapping to a crowd. We support each other so much and really try to make things interactive for the audience. We have sketches, we have props, we have live guitar remixes of songs, and the list could go on and will continue to grow as we get more comfortable and experienced as a crew.

STATUS REIGN: I think the biggest difference between Background noise crew and most other cliques in Minneap right now is that everything that we do is done by committee, and then once a decision is made it undergoes trial by fire. With so many individuals focused in on the "for the good of the team" mentality, more often than not we have very solid plans and directions no matter what the project is, but more importantly we have a group of individuals willing to sacrifice for the success of others.

Could each of you give a brief summary/breakdown of your personality and what you bring to the group?

EGYPTO KNUCKLES: I started out producing the Beat Box on 770 Radio K, and then hosted the show for 7 more years. Aside from that I’ve been working at large, building different friendships within the scene and trying to help network with folks on a daily basis to help the scene build more of a unity. With my production style, I bring more a sense of the good feel of the Golden Era of Hip Hop, which is between 1987-1996 as a whole, where the beats and samples were rugged and overflowed with mood and presence.

TONEKRUSHER SMITH: Egypto Knuckles and I came up with the character Frugalis McSpiteful together. We thought it would be funny to make an album about an anti-hero. Hip hop now is about how fly I am, how fly my girl or car is, so we thought about making an album that was to the contrary.

PHINGAZ: I've been a part of many projects (Sinthesis [just released our 3rd Full Length!], The Mixed-Up Tape, Vividend, Capaciti), they all vary quite a bit from one another. I'm constantly pushing myself to find new and interesting ways to make/write music and to promote it and share it with people. I don't really feel comfortable referring to much of my music as a certain 'genre' because I don't try to write music for any particular one. It all gets blended together into a large melting pot that demands quite a bit from the listener, but it’s usually worth the journey. I'm one of Background Noise's 'in house' producers and I run the studio. I record all the music and mix it. I'm usually joking, but often take things way too serious at the same time. If you get me and Frugalis in a room together, we will rarely say anything worth writing down. Or believing for that matter. Good ish.

TQD: I am probably the most serious of the crew members, personally and musically speaking. I tend to gravitate towards things that are dark and I think that provides a balance to some of the other members of Background Noise who may come with a lighter sound of music and/or personality. I think it's fair to say that regardless of who we all were before forming Background Noise, we've managed to rub off on each other. I also bring record keeping skills to the crew. I serve as the secretary of Background Noise, so I plan our meetings, update everyone on news, and make sure I'm keeping what we discuss and plan to do well documented.

ANALYRICAL: I think I bring a positive sensibility to Background Noise. I love and respect the origins of hip-hop and thankfully Egytpo Knuckles has really helped me tap into my love for the history and cultural relevance. As the rest of the crew would tell you, I wear my heart on my sleeve. There's no doubt about it. I'm a pretty passionate guy and it is reflected in my music and the way I carry myself. Lyrically, I am still wavering in between straightforward honesty and philosophical wordplay. I sometimes just say exactly what is on my mind, then on another song I will bring up questions and ideas, and leave it to the listener to decide for themselves. It's fun and thought-provoking to explore both routes.

STATUS REIGN: As far as my personality goes, I'm a big fan of finding the devil in the details. I really try and be the best at everything I do, and whether or not that ends up being the case, I think my end products show the markings of working toward something specific. I'd much rather cut down from 100 tracks to find 15 good ones than make 20 and keep them all for an album. Right now Case Of The Mondays (consisting of myself and Analyrical) is working on our album for release in mid July. It’s gonna be a collection of jazzy and fun music that goes over well for live shows, mixed with some more serious introspective tunes that shed light on who we are as people. Following that, the release of my solo album Brutally Honest which is more or less self explanatory in terms of content is slated for Nevruary of 2018... proving further more how much I'd like to put into it before I consider it finished.

What's the weirdest thing about you?

EGYPTO KNUCKLES: The weirdest thing about me, sometimes it’s the samples I use and sometimes it’s the way I utilize the samples to my advantage. People in the crew found out recently that I chop everything manually, which earned me a crazy look. That and I probably claim permanent residency at Yafa off 41st and Central.

TONEKRUSHER SMITH: I have a hole in the crotch of almost all of my underwear. I don't know. I've been trying to figure that one out for years.

PHINGAZ: Although I have no relation to Wisconsin, I love cheese.

TQD: For someone who doesn't say a whole lot, I'm rather opinionated.

ANALYRICAL: The weirdest thing about me I can think of is my meticulous cleanliness and organization. My apartment has no posters or anything on the walls. I separate pens and markers. Everything is lined up in a linear fashion. I have all my socks facing the same way in my drawer. I don't know how weird it is to me personally, but every time a person who has never been over before sees my place there is always a comment or two about it.

STATUS REIGN: When I'm on a video game playing kick my basic necessities are narrowed to Vault soda, pizza, profanity and cigarettes.