Baba Israel and Yako met through DJ Center at a loft party in Brooklyn New York city. Baba was rhyming and yako got on the drums, piano, and just about every other instrument around. There was an instant musical connection and after going on national tour with DJ logic they knew that they would be making music for a long time. After a three year period of making music with DJ center they have now continued on in the great tradition of musical duos.
OPEN THOUGHT PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS THE NEW ALBUM FROM
BABA ISRAEL AND YAKO
BEATBOX DUB POETICS
This dynamic duo brings together two artists with a range of skills that combine to produce quality Hip Hop and an exciting and high energy show.
Baba Israel is an emcee, beatboxer, and hip hop didgeridoo player known for his freestyle ability, powerful lyrics, and booming beatbox beats. He has joined forces with Yako, a multi-instrumentalist and graffiti artist who plays bass, triggers beats, cuts, and beatboxes with the best of them.
Baba Israel and Yako’s new album Beatbox Dub Poetics reflects over a year of hard work and collaboration with some of NYC’s finest emcees, beatboxers, singers and musicians! It is a journey through reflective and hitting lyrics, beatbox artistry, soulful vocals and deep bass and musical touches! The album features the lyrics, didgeridoo, and beats of Baba Israel and the bass, keys, guitar, and beats of Yako and special guests: Core Rhythm, Duv, Toli Nameless, Breez Evahflowin, Subtstantial, Kid Lucky, Midi, Masai Electro, D-Cross, Creature, Dana Leong, Jason Lindner, Marcus on cuts, Sparlha Swa, DJ Kuttin Kandi, Maya Jupiter (Australia), Morganics (Australia)
Together Baba Israel and Yako have toured the states playing colleges and clubs as well as internationally at the Big Day Out tour in Australia with Afrika Bambaataa, Aesop Rock, and Mr. Lif and the Low Lands festival in Holland. Baba Israel has released music with Meta Bass n Breath on Bomb Hip Hop records and was featured on the Ming and FS album Subway Series. He has released a full length album called MIND MUSIC on Velour Records which received strong reviews and consistent top 20 Hip Hop CMJ radio play. Baba Israel has performed with Full Circle on Broadway at The New Victory Theater, and was featured on BET's 106 and Park. He has been seen in Hip Hop films such as Freestyle, Breath Control, Hip Hop for Hope, and his music was featured in the Freshest Kids Documentary. Baba has shown in up in DVDs from Chuck D, Roc Raida, and the VH1 Hip Hop week.
The 2003 album Force of Life with Baba Israel, Yako and DJ Center was released as a single in the US, Japan, and Europe by Bay Area label Wide Hive and as a full length record to critical acclaim in Australia and New Zealand on Earshot Recordings.
Old Press:
Lyrically flowing, musically innovative political hip-hop in the old-school tradition of Public Enemy and KRS-One." - Chicago Sun-Times, Sept. 21, 2001
"Baba, A true Poet" NY TIMES
"Mission District-based Wide Hive presents well-cured cuts from Brooklyn hip-hop threesome Open Thought. On "Force of Life," lush beats, bass plucks, trumpet puffs and turntablist flair serve as the funky foundation for MC Baba's life-affirming lyrics about staying focused despite the obstacles we encoutner in our day-to-day lives. The flipside track, "Cold Cut," tells an all-too familiar story about a jailed inner city youth whose only crime was being black and in the wrong place at the wrong time."
-By Bill Picutre -SF Examiner - Wed. December 10, 2003
“They inspire you to continue your destiny because they are certainly finding theirs." -Derek Beres- GLOBAL RHYTHM MAGAZINE
"Possessed of one of the most pleasing voices and softest accents in hiphop – ex-Metabass MC Baba has a uniquely empathic attitude to hiphop – as well as impeccable freestyle and beatbox skills."
-Dale Harrison- Cyclic Defrost (Australia)
"A poet's heart with an emcee's bozak" CMJ magazine
"Flanked by a well-hued balance of programmed beats and live instrumentation, Baba encapsulates the flair for prose he's honed on the Nuyorican circuit within a formidable shell of mic skills." - Shout NY, November 2001.
"The album's hot- knowledge in the lyrics, and all the beats are on point. There are more than a handful of hot verses, and the album isn't just another cookie cutter representation, so the replay factor is high on this one."- Yellow Rat Bastard, Fall 2001.
"Baba is far from your ordinary emcee. Rather than discuss his numerous hoes in different area codes, Baba feeds our minds with mysticism. With an album this well reounded it is quite evident that Baba graduated with honors."- The Island Ear, Dec. 9, 2001.
"Here and there, in the pockets of the hip-hop scene still buried too deep to fall prey to the greedy, sharp-clawed grasp of commercial culture vultures, a slew of beatboxers, DJs and emcees are still living and breathing the true-school. [Mind Music] is one of the brightest and bravest full-length hip-hop releases in recent memory."- Silja J.A. Talvi, Gadfly, Sept. 2001.
"...a fine, socially conscious and just-released new album, Mind Music."- Time Out New York, July 12-19, 2001.
"Very cool, very laid back, very groovy, very good music."- Ken Wohlrob, Bully Magazine
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