Damuttss

Artist Information

Biography

After being on hiatus da muttss are currently in the recording phase of their second full length CD. Cincinnati-based hip-hop group Da Muttss have released their first full length CD “Conversations Over Blunts, Blacks, Sodas & Brews”. The music is filled with ambient & electronic sounds with an organic hip-hop feel. The albums Native Tongue inspired sound takes the listener back to the hip-hop sound of the 80’s and early 90’s. “Conversations…” consists of fifteen quality tracks ranging from nice mellow grooves to club tracks. The lyrics steer clear of negative misogynistic topics and embrace hip-hop from a positive slant.

“Though together just a couple of years, this sharp crew has already become a go-to Hip Hop squad on the local scene (they got the call to open for The Roots and Cypress Hill, for example). Unique soundscapes, puncturing beats and exceptional lyrics makes these cats, er, dogs one of the finer local Hip Hop acts right now.”

CityBeat – September 2005

Da Muttss last project “Conversations Over Blunts, Blacks, Sodas & Brews” was the culmination of two years of performances & recording. It is a true representation of who they are, from performing at open mic nights at local venues to opening for the likes of Cypress Hill and The Roots. Da Muttss manage to keep the same passion through and through. “Conversations…” themes range from just hanging out to social economic situations of today. As producers of the majority of “Conversations Over Blunts, Blacks, Sodas & Brews”, Da Muttss are well versed in all the facets of their fifteen-song debut LP.

Da Muttss two members are Ben “bimu” Bishop, Rodney “El Born” Brown. The group formed in 2003. Bimu brings production, writing, and MC skills to the table. He has a degree in audio/video production and is well versed with studio operations. El-Born brings an East Coast feel to the group. Born in Orange, New Jersey he’s a triple threat contributing his production, MC, and DJ skills. He’s also worked as a member of “Killarmy’s” street team and understands marketing and promotions from the street level up. They’ve played many shows from local holes in the wall to hosting a party for Grand Master Flash.

Instrumentation

Bishop "Bimu" Mulatto, mc, producer
Rodney "El Born" Brown, mc, producer
Cliff Jones "Mixxed Vibes", producer

Discography

2005 LP CONVERSATIONS OVER BLUNTS, BLACKS, SODAS & BREW

2003 SINGLE 'THE AIR’S BETTER DOWN HERE'
da muttss appeared on the Freekbass Album, executively produced by Bootsie Collins.

Links

Audio

• SATURDAY
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• U & Me
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• Cali/ NY
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• White Trash
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• Stereo
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• Rap Unies
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Video

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Press

• A Year to Hear The best local music releases of 2005 [+ Show ]
  

  A Year to Hear The best local music releases of 2005 CityBeat (Cincinnati) June 28, 2005 Compiled...A Year to Hear
  The best local music releases of 2005
  CityBeat (Cincinnati) June 28, 2005
  Compiled By Mike Breen
  http://citybeat.com/2005-12-28/music.shtml
  
  Da Muttss: Conversations Over Blunts, Blacks, Sodas & Brews
  
  The key to the success of Conversations -- the first long-player from this imaginative Hip Hop squad -- is versatility. With a plethora of styles and skills, Da Muttss have created an album that never gets its wheels stuck in the mud of predictability. Practically every member multitasks, sharing DJ, MC and production duties. While lesser acts would give in to the "too many cooks" adage and conjure up something distractingly unfocussed, Da Muttss manage to use their varying abilities to concoct an album that grabs and holds the listener's attention from start to finish. It's like a funky, dizzy fun-house ride, where every turn offers something fresh and interesting. (MB)
  da muttss mid point music preview
  Citybeat (Cincinnati) Sept. 13th 2006
  da muttss (Cincinnati)
  One of Cincy Hip Hop's finest, da muttss have captured the hearts of the local music scene by playing to any audience they can get in front of, their skilled, diverse output drawing many fans from outside of their genre. The three-MCs/one-DJ crew's debut full-length, Conversations Over Blacks, Blunts, Sodas & Brews, was one of the best local albums released in Cincinnati in 2005. On that release, clever, cliché-free wordplay and creative, ambient soundscapes combine for an enthralling listen from start to finish, bringing a kaleidoscopic view of Hip Hop that takes influence from the best of the best, old and new. Their live show is equally entertaining and infectiously energized.
  Dig It: A Tribe Called Quest, The Roots, Mos Def. (MB)
  

• Bark Equals Bite [+ Show ]
  

  Bark Equals Bite CityBeat (Cincinnati) October 24,2005 By Mike Breen Local Hip Hop foursome Da...Bark Equals Bite
  CityBeat (Cincinnati) October 24,2005
  By Mike Breen
  
  Local Hip Hop foursome Da Muttss celebrate their new full-length, Conversations Over Blunts, Blacks, Sodas & Brews, with a show Friday at The Mad Frog.
  The key to the success of Conversations -- the first long-player from the crew -- is versatility. With a plethora of styles and skills, Da Muttss have created an album that never gets its wheels stuck in the mud of predictability. Practically every member multitasks, sharing DJ, MC and production duties. While lesser acts would give in to the "too many cooks" adage and conjure up something distractingly unfocussed, Da Muttss manage to use their varying abilities to concoct an album that grabs and holds the listener's attention from start to finish. It's like a funky, dizzy fun-house ride, where every turn offers something fresh and interesting.
  From the first seconds of the album, it's clear that Da Muttss aren't your typical Hip Hop group. No Scarface samples here -- instead, the group lifts quotes from Blue Velvet and Bill Murray in Stripes. And, lyrically, the members can be social commentators or clever word-playas, each motif presented with above-par ingenuity, never resorting to the usual posturing clichés. The beats and sonics of the tracks are spellbinding -- the rubbery scratches over a bombastically distorted bass grind on opener "If These Teeth Could Talk," the serpentine flute flutter on "One, 2, 1, Two," the raining electronic drizzle of "Can You Feel It?" With tracks littered with effects and often startling sonic ornamentation, there's almost a psychedelic aspect to Conversations, but, like with everything else in Muttssville, don't get too comfortable -- the trip's colors are ever mutating, and one thick bass rumble is enough to snap your ears out of the clouds in an instant.
  Among the many highlights are the last call lament, "No Mo Brews," which is interwoven with a '60s-ish "la, la, la" sample that is both creepy and jolly, the inventive "Beathog," which is laced with frigid electro-minimalism to great effect, and "Hajimimajite," with a chorus hook that blissfully recalls Digable Planets at their finest. The group takes some cues from the old Native Tongue collective (De La, Tribe, etc.), particularly in their memorable chorus chants, but the different MCs bring to the table so many assorted flows and delivery styles, it's refreshingly difficult to pin them to just one thing. It's East meets West meets South, classic vs. contemporary, tough vs. cerebral, traditional vs. experimental, all rolled into one captivating mix. (myspace.com/damuttss) . ©
  

• Heros of the Zeroes [+ Show ]
  

  Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009 Heros of the Zeroes Fifty reasons why music fans were lucky to liv...Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009
  Heros of the Zeroes
  Fifty reasons why music fans were lucky to live in Cincinnati in the ‘00s
  By Mike Breen
  
  
  As we approach the beginning of a new decade, I decided to try to think of 100 reasons why I've enjoyed covering Cincinnati music over the past 3,650 days. At first I was worried I might not be able to come up with enough. A couple of hours into an “off the top of my head” list, I considered changing it to 1,000 reasons.
  After some hard editing choices (apparently adding 300 pages to this week's issue of CityBeat was an unreasonable request), 100 reasons were settled upon. And it still all didn’t fit. So here are 50.
  
  For the remaining reasons (there are probably at least 10,000), stop reading lists and get out to the clubs. Don’t listen to me, don’t listen to haters — listen to the music makers.
  
  • Ass Ponys fans saddened by that band’s unceremonious disappearance found a more-than-apt substitute with Wussy, Chuck Cleaver’s subsequent group that featured co-singing/writing/fronting partner Lisa Walker. The band’s three albums in the ’00s received national acclaim from big-time media outlets and were among the best releases of the decade, local or otherwise.
  
  • If you ask most guitar players who the best guitarist in Cincinnati is, most will say themselves, but many will be truthful and say Scotty Anderson. Anderson’s deft, creative blend of Jazz finesse and Roots music naturalness is untouchable. Anderson should be internationally recognized as a true guitar hero.
  
  • After the demise of Radio Down, Northern Kentucky got an even better Alt/Punk/Indie/Metal/Hip Hop playhouse with the birth of The Mad Hatter. The club — and shows at other venues by Mad Hatter Productions — has brought to town a lot of artists who might otherwise have left Greater Cincinnati off the itinerary.
  
  • After an amazing debut release, Hip Hop collective Damuttss went through some inner turmoil and sadly fell apart. Still, Conversations Over Blacks, Blunts, Sodas & Brews remains one of the best locally-produced Hip Hop albums ever.
  
  • Long before the current economic crisis, some area venues gave local music lovers one of the greatest gifts of all — free shows on a regular basis (without cheaping out on paying the bands). Thank you Northside Tavern, The Comet, Juney’s Lounge at the Southgate House and every other venue that understands that no cover means more bar sales.
  

Setlist

Stereo
Live
Rap Unies
White Trash
Saturday
U & Me
Status Quo

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