c'beyohn

If you are at all on the underground scene in Atlanta, GA, you probably have run into this young artist. Once a member of the group, the Fresh Air Foundation, this artist has figured out a way to bring balance back to hip-hop while exhibiting his own particular brand of cool. Thus, The Keep It Cool Collection was in order. I purchased my CD directly from the hands of this rap artist. After seeing him perform on stages throughout the city, I realized that C’Beyohn has created an image for himself that virtually oozes 70s blaxploitation superstar. This is perhaps the thing that drew me to his onstage persona. Offstage, he as accessible as his music is on stage. Very infrequently does an underground artist create a brand for himself that can be identified no matter what he’s wearing, or who he is with. I have grown to appreciate C’Beyohn’s particular brand of cool. There is really no one in the underground scene who can dress the part and be the part, without taking nostalgia over the top. He has a way of blending all the things that people love about the 70s into a form that is digestible for people who were not around during this time. This isn’t to say that C’Beyohn is stuck in a time warp. Surely that is not that case. But his stage presentation is so authentic that you just might think that he’s much older than his driver’s license reads. As for the actual collection, you will be a happy camper if you take listen to #8, “Change”. With a rumbling hip-hop beat and intricately used samples, C’Beyohn’s voice cascades over the percussion. His lyrics are at once smart and clever…bringing a smile the lips with his subtle brand of wry wit. Listen to this collection and keep your eyes out for this hidden star of Atlanta’s underground music scene. He might not be underground too much longer.
Rating: 9 - Famous

Memphis' rap sound has historically been defined by the trappings of what came to be known as "crunk": gut-busting bass, skittering 808 hi-hats, horror-movie string figures and shouted exhortations. However, over the decades, the underground scene has supported crews and artists that tend toward the jazzier, more cerebral end of the hip-hop spectrum — Iron Mic Coalition, Tunnel Clones, Knowledge Nick and the like.

The MC/producer C'Beyohn also came up in that underground conscious hip-hop stream, honing his style and flow on a series of self-released albums over the past 10 years. I caught C'Beyohn's show Thursday evening at The Dizzy Bird, the new "live music lounge" that occupies the old Hattiloo Theatre space on Marshall, and with some new material and revamped accompaniment provided by the Chinese Connection Dub Embassy, it's clear that he's ready to continue progressing his art.

C'Beyohn focused on material from his April 2013 album Special Relativity, some of which has evolved musically as the rapper has deepened his collaboration with CCDE, a technically proficient combo that has become Memphis' hip-hop house-band answer to The Roots. For an upcoming EP featuring new arrangements of Special Relativity tracks along with a few new originals, C'Beyohn has deemed the group The Bill Killahs.

"I allowed them to put a little spin on things," C'Beyohn told me. "I produce all the music that's on the project, and my plan was to go live with it. I've been playing with Chinese Connection for a little over a year, and since then we had an instant connection, and I was able to host The Word (a long-running open-mic night), and I was able to get them a gig, so just from there we've been doing shows together, and we're getting ready to record a project too. So it made sense for them to have a different name, a separate identity to open up new opportunities for them."

The show opened on an aggressively jazzy tip with a rework of "Savvy 2 (The Clothes Minded)" from Special Relativity with a jump-up rhythm that reminded me of the soul-jazz/drum-and-bass fusion of 4Hero's 1998 Two Pages album. A lithe young model took a spot on a riser and grooved to the music as artist Jazmine Bailey applied designs in blacklight paint to her bare skin. C'Beyohn tapped out a few sounds on a keytar to introduce the next tune.

"Old bullies, make some noise!" C'Beyohn said. "Retired bullies?" Then it was into the joint "Bully," also off of Special Relativity. C'Beyohn's sister Brooke Bailey Lanfaire (no relation) took the vocal part originally recorded by Tonya Dyson as her brother repeated the refrain "Tired of you messin' with me." It was a poignant commentary on a cycle of resentment, violence and abuse. ("Guess I wanna be how I remember my dad.") Brooke Bailey also repeated her Special Relativity vocal turn on a radically reworked "Betta (I Can Do)."

A couple of homage/covers that were among the highlights of the night provided useful perspective on where C'Beyohn is coming from, especially with the jazzier direction he's going with Chinese Connection Dub Embassy: a reading of Donald Byrd's "Think Twice" in the style of the late hip-hop auteur J Dilla, and a take on Roy Ayers' "Searching" that featured interesting chord voicings from the backup band.

C'Beyohn returns to The Dizzy Bird this Thursday for another show. Doors open at 7, and cover is $12 in advance, $15 at the door. Bring your own adult beverages, as the venue doesn't have a bar. For more information, visit cbeyohn.com and thedizzybirdlounge.com. - Mark Richens