|
|
|
|
He’s as comfortable rapping on a Dr. Dre track as he is collaborating with long-time partners Tha Liks and Dilated Peoples. That’s right. Defari represents hip-hop and all of its disparate forms with equal skill and intensity.
Through out his stunning second album, Odds And Evens, Defari proves why he’s one of the most important rappers to emerge from Los Angeles in the last decade. In fact, after a distinguished career built on respect and dedication to his craft, Defari beat the odds and is finally getting even. “It’s something that really explains my journey” Defari says of his new album title. “When you hear the album, you’ll get a culmination of not only my maturity, but my journey throughout this game.”
Executive produced by Defari, Evidence and E-Swift, Odds and Evens features production from Evidence, E-Swift, Fred Wreck, Barbershop Kiz, Nucleus and Porse. Despite the rock-solid beatwork, Odds and Evens stands as one of the most lyrically impressive hip-hop albums of all time.
“For The Love” is a father’s day anthem, dedicated to the people who adore and appreciate the influential men in their lives. “Diamonds In The Rough” reveals how Defari met his wife, while “Cold Pieces” spreads love to the ladies of Los Angeles. “Los Angelenos” is about being an inner city cat in LA and Defari displays his boasting skills on “Spell My Name” and the title track “Odds and Evens.” “I’m all over the place on this record,” he says. “I’m taking people in so many different modes. I_ve got songs about struggling, about unwinding and partying down, about relationships, about respecting the elders in your life.”
Defari knows plenty about respect. He earned it as soon as he stepped into the rap game in the mid 1990s with “Big Up.” From there, he released a string of sensational singles on influential independent ABB Records before signing with legendary rap imprint Tommy Boy. Focused Daily, his first album, arrived in 1999 and became a critical favorite thanks to such songs as “Likwit Connection” and “Never Lose Touch.”
But just as soon as Defari was establishing himself as a prime-time hip-hop player, Tommy Boy started crumbling. As the label disintegrated, Defari’s clout continued rising. He appeared on Dr. Dre’s Chronic 2001 album, as well as releases from Xzibit, Dilated Peoples and Tha Liks, among others.
Now set to release Odds And Evens on his own Herut Music, which has a joint venture deal with High Times Records, Defari the rapper-CEO knows where to focus his attention.
“I’m marketing everything that I do to my core fanbase,” he says. “I’m doing everything for the people that supported me since day one. Focused Daily is officially blown out of the water. There’s no sophomore jinx here.”
|
|
|
