Animal Farm
Gig Seeker Pro

Animal Farm

Portland, Oregon, United States | INDIE

Portland, Oregon, United States | INDIE
Band Hip Hop

Calendar

This band has not uploaded any videos
This band has not uploaded any videos

Music

Press


"Animal Farm Talks Portland Hip-Hop Scene, New Album 'Culture Shock'"

(AllHipHop News) Having released their critically acclaimed project Culture Shock this past summer, Portland based Hip-Hop group Animal Farm, recently spoke with AllHipHop.com about their most recent project and the Portland Hip-Hop scene.

“I feel like it’s a big scene here in a smaller city and with that dynamic, there’s mad people really stepping up their quality and people are making more stuff that lasts and that has a lot of substance behind it,” Fury told AllHipHop.com about the Portland Hip-Hop scene.

Portland is often overlooked as a hotbed of Hip-Hop in the United States, especially since Seattle, just north of the city, has long been known to be a musical mecca of the Northwest.

But Portland is catching up with respect to the quality and number of commercially viable groups that it is able to produce, Animal Farm being one such group.

“I feel like really Portland is the final frontier,” producer and MC Gen.Erik told AllHipHop.com. “There is still tons of talent here that is untapped and there are a few select acts that are trying to put the city on the map.”

But don’t think that Portland just started making Hip-Hop music.

Cool Nutz is one of the pioneers of Portland Hip-Hop has nine solo albums to his credit, having worked with the likes of E-40, BG, Tech N9ne, Kurupt, Ras Kass, Baby Bash, Mac Dre, The Grouch, Mistah Fab, C-Bo, and more.

“At least a few times a week you can check out a Hip-Hop show, or bigger acts that are in town and theres just a lot of Hip-Hop that pops off here,” Fury said.

Taking three years to piece together a project that features Talib Kweli, X-Ecutioners’ DJ Rob Swift as well as Abstract Rude, the “True School Hip-Hop” group is making headlines across the net after putting in the hard work to make this project a reality.

“We used Gen.Erik’s beats as the canvas for the music,” Fury explained. “We get called 'True School' or 'Golden Era Revisionists' and all that golden era Hip-Hop is cool, as long as you put your heart into the music its cool, but we didn’t so much listen to that style of Hip-Hop as much as we were developing our styles.”

The album Culture Shock is a social critique according to the guys, not just about Hip-Hop, but also about the world in general.

“You can tell it’s a social critique specifically on Hip-Hop and on the world and how people tend to focus on things that aren’t as important like celebrity statuses,” Serge explained to AllHipHop.com. “For us growing up in the golden era of Hip-Hop, we felt people really had to have skills to the table and you couldn’t just do a song in 2 seconds and put it on the internet. That mentality really helped us put out a dope project.”

One of the stand out songs on their project is the well known hit song, “Test of Time”, that features the talents of Brooklyn MC Talib Kweli.

“Well it’s a big record, and to be able to get on a record with Talib, for someone that we were influenced by and as far as the concept its pretty self explanatory for standing the test of time and we wanted to make something that would last.” Gen.Erik says. “We threw an afterparty for Rock the Bells and Talib came through and then we opened for him when he came in town, so we did a few shows with him and to get a look on the verse, its just great, its truly an honor to have him on the track.” - AllHipHop.com


"STRENGTH IN NUMBERS"

The members of Portland-based rap group Animal Farm grew up idolizing such legendary rap outfits like De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, Organized Konfusion, Wu-Tang Clan and The Roots. But when Gen.Erik, Hanif Wondir, F-1 and Serge Severe started making moves as a unit, there weren’t many modern-day rap groups to look to for inspiration.

That’s because in the last decade-plus, the rap business has focused on producing solo artists, leaving groups struggling to gain a foothold in an industry that seems to have little interest for them.

“It’s a lot easier to brand one person, stick them in a box and be like this is who they are,” Gen.Erik says. “With us, it’s really been important with our music to show all sides of our personality and that’s really the benefit of doing it independently. We don’t have anyone telling us, ‘OK, this is the type of rapper you are.’ If we want to do a party track, we’ll do a party track. If we want to do something that’s political, that’s what we’ll do. We don’t have anyone bossing us around, telling us what our personality should be.”

Down to Business
But what Animal Farm does have is internal push, something that makes its recently released “Culture Shock” album so compelling. The collection includes the soulful rap business expose “Down To Business” and the spirited lyrical exercise “Test Of Time” with Talib Kweli. As is evident on these cuts, the group members work together to make its material as strong as possible.

The same policy extends to the group’s renowned stage show. “It’s been really important for us because we can feed off each other’s energy and that really allows us to put on a much liver stage show and engage the crowd more,” Gen.Erik says. “I think that a lot of artists today are kind of getting lazy, just walking around the stage. It’s always a key point of how we sell ourselves, our live show. We really focus on that.”

Animal Farm has also had to focus on the reality that as they strive to push the group forward, individual acclaim and attention will likely take a back seat. “In order to be in a group, you really have to put your ego aside because it’s not just about you shining,” Gen.Erik says. “It’s about working together to make a project that everyone enjoys. To be able to sustain that is a really tough thing because there’s different personalities. Everyone has their own preferences. We’ve been lucky to be able to do this, to get along and to have a good time along the way.”

“We’re just lucky enough to be tight as friends,” adds Hanif. “We’ve known each other long enough that we know can work together and keep building.” - Red Bull USA


"Artist Spotlight: Animal Farm"

Whether culture shocking the industry or making parody of it, Animal Farm is no doubt the indie scene’s best kept secret. - KevinNottingham.com


"Shock to the System: Animal Farm Create Their Own Culture"

WHILE THERE ARE MANY examples of acts who cultivate a fanbase locally and then translate that momentum beyond their immediate geography, it's rare to witness the reverse scenario. Not to suggest that Animal Farm—emcees Gen.Erik, Hanif Wondir, Fury, Serge Severe, and DJ Wels—are completely ignored in Portland. However, considering that the local hiphop outfit has recently been blessed with radio play from DJ Premier, DJ Eclipse, and the BBC, as well as positive co-signs from the likes of URB, Nah Right, and pretty much every rap blog worth paying attention to, it's safe to say that their hometown has some catching up to do.

Of course, international success doesn't happen overnight. In addition to creating the soulful production and emceeing as Gen.Erik, Animal Farm's Erik Abel pulls extra duty as manager of the group. "It has been a slow grind. Really slow," he explains. "After years of doing whatever shows we were offered and handling all of our own booking, PR, marketing, etc., we are finally receiving some national and international attention. It feels great. I personally quit my job about two months ago and have been working night and day to get our music heard, and it's been amazing to get some validation that I haven't been wasting my time all these years."

Though it's been three years since their debut release, it's apparent that Animal Farm has a quality-over-quantity mentality, which is made evident in their latest record Culture Shock. Taken as a whole, a thematic manifesto emerges in the album, one that celebrates the DIY spirit and laughs at the weasels that go pop. Guest spots from independent hiphop legends Talib Kweli, Rob Swift, and Abstract Rude further hammer this point home.

"Unlike an artist tied to a record deal with a major label, we are able to explore all sides of our personalities in our music," Abel says. "We could make a song about the military industrial complex one day and a track about douchebags at the club the next. I think a lot of creativity has been lost in the current music assembly-line business model." - Portland Mercury


"Playlist: Animal Farm "Down to Business" in the USA Today"

The Portland, Ore., hip-hop collective skewers rap conventions on this funky track from the upcoming Culture Shock.
- USA Today


"Animal Farm “Test of Time”"

Talib Kweli jumped on this soulful track with Portland’s hip-hop kings Animal Farm with predictably strong results. If they keep growing joints like this down on the farm, the Pacific Northwest could be a new mecca for true-school rap.
- Okayplayer.com


"Animal Farm: An effort worthy of the hip-hop spotlight"

With a few notable exceptions, Portland hasn't produced many hip-hop acts that have been able to catch fire nationally. This isn't for a lack of talent, but just the unrelenting politics of a musical genre that keeps the charts rich in anointed superstars but poor in out-of-left-field successes.

That could all change with the release of the second album by Animal Farm. One of the most consistent and inviting local releases of 2011, "Culture Shock" provides a solid argument for training the national spotlight on our local MCs and producers.

Much of the credit for this LP's triumph should be given to the group's producer, Erik Abel (known as Gen.Erik here). He breaks no new sonic ground, but suffuses everything with a warm glow reminiscent of the many soul, R&B and disco tracks that Abel uses as source material for these head-bobbing tracks.

Animal Farm's three MCs, Fury, Serge Severe and Hanif Wonder respond with line after line of potent, savvy rhymes. They spin out a whirlwind of nostalgic recollections ("My folks used to party way back in the day/discotheque house parties/I was learning the ways ... parachute pants with the thigh high ties/bunny hop pop a wheelie on the sidewalk top") to keep up with the Soul Train-style bass lines and quick stabs of a sampled horn section. And for the brilliant and cheeky "Pop Music," they suture a dizzying array of musical references -- Linkin Park, Black Crowes, Counting Crows, Brandy and Sisqo come up in the first four bars alone -- while all the while insisting that "we might blow up, but we won't go pop."

There are potential entry points for the skeptical via fine guest appearances by Talib Kweli and Rob Swift, but even without those, this album stands strong, and will likely pull Animal Farm into the quick-moving waters of the hip-hop mainstream.

- The Oregonian


"Animal Farm- Culture Shock Review"

Portland, OR quartet Animal Farm draw inspiration from hip-hop's golden era for sophomore album Culture Shock. Resident producer/MC Gen. Erik crafts sample-heavy, melodic beats while he, Hanif Wondir, Fury and Serge Severe flex fluid, old school flows. Single "Test of Time," with Talib Kweli, deserves rotation at your next b-boy battle, while Project Blowed rep Abstract Rude kicks a welcome 16 on the reggae-inflected "Music For Idiots." Animal Farm shine on BBQ-ready tracks like the buoyant "Back in the Days," but struggle with weightier issues ? the ham-fisted social critique of "G.U.N.S." is especially cringe-worthy. Listeners seeking game changing beats and rhymes should keep looking, but Culture Shock's merry rhymes and soulful production are a sure shot for rap scholars. Fans of Ugly Duckling, Jurassic 5 and People Under the Stairs will find much to savour here.
(Focused Noise) - Exclaim Magazine


"Animal Farm: Culture Shock"

Culture Shock is the second full-length album from Portland, Oregon-based crew Animal Farm, following 2008’s debut The Unknown. The new record has a handful of guests and an up-and-coming producer, but what matters are the grooves, the beats and the lyrics, and the band comes through on all fronts. “Down to Business” uses twangy guitar and a rising bassline to underline its message of mainstream hip-hop’s infleunce on its audience. The indie/alternative/underground vibe runs through many songs, most notably “DIY”, which chronicles the band’s approach to producing and releasing its own music. But words are only part of the story, and the variety of grooves ranges from reggae beats on “Music for Idiots” to the soulful vocals backing “G.U.N.S. (Generation Under No Shield)” to the funky bass/guitar stylings of album closer “Can’t Give Up”. As a bonus, there is a blissful lack of braggadocio: “My service that I ignite through these verses / Try to always remember that I might not be perfect”. When was the last time you heard a rapper say that?

- Popmatters.com


"Animal Farm "Culture Shock" Review"

Animal Farm, product of the hip-hop movement coming out of the Pacific Northwest, Portland in particular, are undoubtedly interested in becoming as famous as the source of their literary moniker. Animal Farm, the novel by George Orwell, offered a critique of the Communist movement and the events that culminated in World War II, albeit through a thinly veiled allegory featuring farm animals as primary characters. The group, however, pose questions just as forceful and poignant as the book they’re named for in their second album Culture Shock, although they mask nothing in allegory and are as up front about their opinions on contemporary hip-hop as an emcee is when trying to best a competitor in a freestyle battle.

Animal Farm’s Gen.Erik, Hanif Wondir, Fury, Serge Severe, and DJ Wels don’t pull any punches. Straightaway, one is able to get a sense of their whole ethos, through cuts like “Music For Idiots” featuring Abstract Rude in which the crew sing over the hook “We don’t make music for idiots/Shots from the heart so tell me if you feelin it/The radio, whatever they playing yo/Video channels ain’t even playing no freakin videos.”

A solid verse from Abstract Rude includes the relevant question “What would this world be if there were no more conscious rap songs?” Animal Farm seem ready to answer this question on the succeeding song “Pop Music,” a track with a bouncy, lush background that the squad get their “What They Do” on with and sarcastically avow the aspects of their coveted genre in which they disdain the most. Where Snowball, Napoleon, and Co. fail because of their egos, the guys of this century’s Animal Farm recognize the lure of the celebrity ID and address it. Fury’s opening bars exemplify the grind of the independent artist and the tempting benefits of mainstream appreciation: “Chilling in Lincoln Park, counting some Black Crows/Drinking on Brandy and washing it down with Sisqo/Thinking on how to get on top, this game yo/ Feeling Led Zeppelin weight and less promising than Skid Row.”

Crafty lyricism exemplifies this release by the guys from Portland, with the infectious zeal for hip-hop that’s as instantly apparent and possessive of endurance as true as that of another famous Oregonian, runner Steve Prefontaine. The Talib Kweli-assisted “Test of Time” is an album highlight and is packed with a sample laden, horn-heavy, solid beat that is indicative of the group’s sound. Other guests include Rob Swift and DJ Wicked. The group’s insistence that there be a variety of opportunities for hip hop artists in various media venues is notable but certainly echoes the concerns of many a rapper before them, making their observations less potent. Although more variety in beat-type would make this effort more refreshing, the group appears to hold a place in hip-hop’s future although unlike their name’s conceiver, they have a less dystopian, more hopeful view of the coming days for the genre despite their criticisms.

- Okayplayer.com


Discography

Animal Farm "Culture Shock" 2011
Animal Farm ft. Talib Kweli "Test of Time" 2011
Animal Farm "The Unknown" 2008
Animal Farm ft. KRS-One "Peace" 2008
Focused Noise Mixtape 2008
Cleveland Steamers "Treasure Chest" 2006

Photos

Bio

Somewhere within a city known for its indie rocking, coffee drinking, bike riding hipsters, the True School Hip-Hop group Animal Farm has spread its infectious sound and won over a wide variety of listeners. Portland, OR’s favorites are back with their new album, Culture Shock. The album features a host of legends including Talib Kweli, X-Ecutioners’ DJ Rob Swift, and Abstract Rude, and has received rave reviews from Okayplayer, PopMatters, Exclaim Magazine, USA Today, and much more. The new album recently peaked at #3 on the CMJ College Radio Hip-Hop Charts.

The first single, “Test of Time”, which features the incomparable Talib Kweli, has been featured by URB Magazine, Rcrdlbl.com, Nah Right, 2dopeboyz, djbooth, hiphopsite, hiphopdx, okayplayer, and hundreds more, and received over 10,000 online plays in its first week alone. The song also hit #1 on the Rapattacklives college radio chart. According to Okayplayer, “Talib Kweli jumped on this soulful track with Portland’s hip-hop kings Animal Farm with predictably strong results. If they keep growing joints like this down on the farm, the Pacific Northwest could be a new mecca for true-school rap."

The follow up to “Test of Time” was Animal Farm’s hilarious first video, “Pop Music”, which chronicles the rise of a pop star and his fall from glory. In “Pop Music”, Animal Farm’s Fury, Serge Severe, Gen.Erik, and Hanif Wondir use clever wordplay by utilizing the names of numerous pop acts to tell this entertaining tale. The video has been featured on the Smoking Section, On Smash, Hypem, KevinNottingham.com, and many more.

Culture Shock was entirely produced by group member Gen. Erik, whose production has appeared on MTV and a new behind the scenes Powerade commercial with NBA Superstar Chris Paul. Animal Farm’s “Back in the Days”, which appears on Culture Shock, was also recently featured on NBC and MTV2's coverage of the Dew Tour.

Animal Farm first burst onto the scene in 2008 with the album The Unknown, which earned the group high acclaim from XLR8R magazine and URB Magazine’s Next 1000 column, partially due to an unforgettable guest appearance by the legendary KRS-One. The album was also featured on a number of prominent websites, including hiphopdx.com and okayplayer.com, and received radio play throughout the US, peaking at #3 on the CMJ Radio Hip-Hop Charts, where Animal Farm remained in the Top 10 for seven straight weeks.

Animal Farm has risen to defy the odds and create a dedicated following by sharing stages with significant Hip-Hop acts to touch down on Northwest soil in the past five years, including Common, Method Man, Redman, LMFAO, GZA, RZA, Ghostface Killah, Wiz Khalifa, N.E.R.D., KRS-One, The Cool Kids, De La Soul, The Game, Del, Dead Prez, Talib Kweli, Ozomatli, and more. They have also toured and participated in festivals such as CMJ Music Marathon, The Dew Tour, MusicFest NW, SXSW, and NW Reggae Fest, to help build their buzz.

Animal Farm’s Hanif Wondir, Fury, Serge Severe, Gen.Erik, and DJ Wels are quickly gaining an International fan base that are coming to the same conclusion as the popular Hip-Hop blog KevinNottingham.com, which proclaimed "Animal Farm is no doubt the indie scene’s best kept secret".