next shows:
Spaceland w/ Chester French - Thursday, 8/14
The Roxy w/Melee - Saturday, 8/23 (click below for tix):
click below to purchase
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click the flyer below for a FREE download of our project So Far (The Collection) now!!!
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Inverse.
Two emcees straight outta Cali (Toby & Tunji) + beats from M-Phazes, Kno (of CunninLynguists)/APOS Music, 9th Wonder, DecapBeats, Cook Classics, Styalz Fuego and more...That California underground hip hop. Word.
Inverse is as real as it gets. Through songs that are upbeat, emotional, bracing and oftentimes lighthearted accounts of their true life experiences, the two California-bred rappers share distinct similarities and differences that form the basis and balance for their music. Rapping under their given names, emcees Toby and Tunji appear extremely different on the surface - one white, one black; one from a Jewish household, the other raised Muslim; one raised in Los Angeles, the other in the bay area by Nigerian parents. What they share is a passion for music that transcends any labels. With their honest brand of soulful, straightforward hip hop, the group is part of a newly emerging generation of artists born in the '80s, raised by hip hop in the '90s, and poised to help revitalize the culture in the 2000s.
Formed in early 2001, the group cut early demos and songs with Swedish producers Soul Supreme (KRS-One, Big Daddy Kane, Pete Rock) and K-Laz while still in their teens, leading to internet acclaim and video airplay on MTV Europe (for “The Reason,” chosen as the single from K-Laz’s album The Soulsnatcher). The group spent the next few years playing shows all over California and forming alliances with rising hip hop artists QN5 Music (Tonedeff, CunninLynguists, Pack FM, Extended Famm, etc.), Brother Ali, Little Brother and Trek Life. Choosing to hone their mic and songwriting skills before officially releasing any music, the group recorded and shelved several songs before preparing their first project So Far, a collection of old and new songs and collaborations with close friends that introduces Tunji and Toby to the world. Not to be confused with their forthcoming debut album, the group describes So Far as “a look at who we are, what we’re about, and what we’ve been working on - 14 original songs, some old, some new, all Inverse.”
Readying their debut album Long Day's Journey for a 2008 release, Inverse draws on influences as far-reaching as OutKast, Michael Jackson, Nina Simone, Atmosphere and The Beatles, but most importantly from themselves and the world around them. Executive produced by A Piece Of Strange Music (the production duo of Deacon The Villain and Kno), the album will feature collaborations with Brother Ali, CunninLynguists, 9th Wonder, M-Phazes and more. The music is refreshingly honest, soulful and raw, anchored by poignant, personal rhymes and catchy melodies. Tunji and Toby rap truthfully about happiness, pain and everything in between, sounding only like themselves. Though only just getting started, Inverse stands poised to help usher in the next phase of hip hop music – just make sure you remember the name.
"Look Around" (with Kno on the beat) is featured on QN5's new album Asterisk 4 - check it out below:
"Til' The End (C.A.L.I.)" (featuring Trek Life and Deacon The Villain, with Kno on the beat) is featured on two compilations - CunninLynguists' mixtape Sloppy Seconds 2 and Om Records' Hip Hop Discovery Vol. 1 - check them both out below:
Inverse performing "HipHopSoul" live with Noah King @ The Roxy- 2008
After the very first chords of the song So Far I couldn't helb but fell in love with your stellar sound. I checked out the rest of your heart gripling creation and I'm thoroughly enthralled to discover such a gem. Brilliant! I Hope I'm not the first fan from London, UK.
