Styles of Beyond
Styles of Beyond jest amerykańskim składem hip-hopowym wywodzącym się ze sceny Los Angeles. Grupę tworzą Ryan Maginn (Ryu), Takbir Bashir (Takbir), Colton Fisher (DJ Cheapshot) oraz producent Vin Skully. Członkowie poznali się w 1994 roku, co zaowocowało pierwszym albumem - "2000 Fold" - w roku 1997. Następnie przyszedł czas na przebojowy "Megadef" z 2003. W przerwie w pracy nad kolejnym albumem SoB zawiązali współpracę z Shinodą, kolegą z młodych lat. Stali się jednym z głównych filarów projektu Fort Minor, pod którego nazwą wydali mixtape "We Major" oraz longplay "The Rising Tied".
W swojej karierze mają na koncie współpracę z zespołem Rockowym Celldweller, z którym stworzyli razem kawałek "Shapeshifter" - jeden z lepszych na ścieżce dźwiękowej do gry Need for Speed: Most Wanted. Ryu był jednym z artystów zaproszonych do udziału w projekcie Reanimation.
W 2007 roku zaliczyli obecność na soundtracku do kasowego filmu Transformers i wydali kolejny mixtape; tym razem sami, chociaż z tym samym producentem. "Razor Tag" zapowiada nadchodzący w 2008 roku album "Rocket Surgery".
Co mają wspólnego z LP?
Z LP - nic; z FM - wszystko! Gdyby nie oni album "The Rising Tied" nie brzmiałby tak, jak brzmi. SoB koncertowali z Fort Minor na całym świecie dając przy okazji także własne, zupełnie odrębne koncerty. Oprócz tego, Mike Shinoda jest dobrym znajomym całego składu, udziela się na albumach Styles of Beyond; nie tylko jako raper, ale także producent. Najnowszy album SoB ukaże się dzięki Machine Shop Recordings, wytwórni będącej własnością Linkin Park.
Styles of Beyond are an underground rap group from Los Angeles, California. Its roster consists of MCs Ryan Maginn (Ryu) and Takbir Bashir (Tak), Raisin Fisher (DJ Cheapshot), and producer Vin Skully. They have released two LPs and were heavily featured on Mike Shinoda's Fort Minor release, The Rising Tied. They are currently signed to Shinoda's Machine Shop Recordings label. They are also associated with the Demigodz supergroup which features similar artists such as Apathy, Celph Titled, and 7L & Esoteric.
Styles Of Beyond collaborated with Celldweller for a track entitled "Shapeshifter" which was featured on the game Need For Speed: Most Wanted and will also appear on the upcoming Celldweller album.
They are currently working on their third LP (for which they haven't decided on a title yet, according to their updated MySpace blogs) as well as the Demigodz debut LP. Both of which are scheduled for release in 2007 (but were originally going to be released in 2006).
How does the underdog know when his time has come to win? After cultivating a decade-long career steadily streaming relevant recordings slightly below the radar and building their reputation as reliable to flow fierce and witty over all-time classic tracks, (epitomic.com 08/01), Styles of Beyond has put in the work and is ready to make their mark. Finally, these underground champions are poised to take their message to the masses. Being the underdog helps build character. It also makes success that much sweeter.
Well-known and respected among hardcore hip-hop heads, MCs Ryu and Takbir and producers DJ Cheapshot and Vin Skully earned their stripes from their famed appearances on the Wake Up Show - a breeding ground for respected rhymers and supreme lyricists, including Eminem, Jay-Z and The Notorious B.I.G. What followed are two landmark independent albums, the visionary debut 2000 Fold and seething follow-up Megadef. Indeed, the groups exceptional, genre-busting work with producers Divine Styler (Everlast, Swollen Members), The Crystal Method (Ryu was the voice of the groups hit single, Name Of The Game), as well as legendary beatsmith J Dilla (Busta Rhymes, Common), has set the stage for SOBs breakthrough.
After reconnecting with longtime friend, Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park, SOB contributed their signature rhymes on several tracks from Shinodas Fort Minor album, including the single Remember The Name. With this, an international tour to Asia, Europe, United States and Australia soon followed. Performing in front of tens of thousands of fans, SOB gained legions of followers and invaluable experience. Now, the quartet has the perfect platform and increased visibility as they work on their breakout album, title TBD.
The album cleverly flirts with the concept of opposites - playful and militant, which is based upon everyday ironies, Takbir says. Ryu adds, Theres a side to us that wants to vent. We let it out. Although still in-progress, the album covers those angles and everything in between. Building off of a 1950s song, Damn features Ryu and Takbir detailing the ironic twists and turns of their musical careers, while on the jocular Sugar Honey Iced Tea, the duo bounces to an anxious beat, detailing things that make you do a double-take much like the titles acronym.
Clearly, the aim of the album is about the juxtaposition of opposites. The album promises to be the best of both hip-hop worlds: it promises to make the casual rap fan nod in enjoyment while garnering the respect of the most discerning underground heads. A relentless pummeling of carefully constructed bangers with a fundamentalist hip-hop heart, the collection features a multitude of enjoyable extremes: gunplay meets old-school references;comedy meets aggressiveness; lyrical technicality meets belligerent drunkenness. Without ever losing sight ofits distinctive brand of hip-hop, SOB has something for everyone.
The album sets a new hip-hop standard with straight skills and a focused mind on the craft and concept of each song. Styles Of Beyonds driving, drum-based production and the exciting interplay between the lyrically adventurous Ryu and Takbir, who are comfortable rapping about aliens, emotion, or microphone prowess, sets the stage for the reclamation of hip-hop.
We figured we wanted to use this opportunity to make a statement rather than use it to do what everybody else is doing, Ryu says.Our goal is to change the game. Thats been our intention since the beginning, to do something different. I think the Machine Shop camp sees that in us, adds DJ Cheapshot. Rather than us just being this cookie-cutter rap group, theyre seeing a bigger picture and seeing us as hopefully one of the groups on the forefront knocking down barriers and stepping over the lines, doing something revolutionary.
The impending release of the highly anticipated 2007 album promises to deliver the genre-stretching, innovative music that helped make SOB underground champions. These underdogs are about to have their day.