Northern State (band)

Northern State is an female hip-hop group from New York, United States. The group consists of members Julie “Hesta Prynn” Potash, Correne "Spero” Spero, and Robyn “Sprout” Goodmark. The group is named after the Northern State Parkway, one of the highways on Long Island, New York State.

Sprout, Spero and Hesta Prynn attended Half Hollow Hills High School West and graduated in the 1990s.

In 2002, the group released "Hip Hop You Haven't Heard," a four song collection that was given a four star review by Rolling Stone magazine and whose songs ended up in remixed form on the 2003 released EP Dying In Stereo. They worked with Pete Rock, ?uestlove from The Roots, Har Mar Superstar, and DJ Muggs of Cypress Hill to help them on their second release, All City, which was released on Columbia/SME Records, but due to disagreements, the group left the label.

Northern State just announced that their new album “Can I Keep This Pen?” will be released on Ipecac Recordings on August 14th, 2007.

“Can I Keep This Pen?” is their third proper album, following “All City” (Columbia Records, 2004), and “Dying in Stereo” (Northern State Records/Startime/Wichita UK, 2003). They have shared the stage in the US and Europe with The Roots, Le Tigre, Talib Kweli, De La Soul, The Gossip, Gym Class Heroes, Tegan and Sara, and Cake.

They teamed up with producer Chuck Brody of Shitake Monkey (Wu Tang Clan, Yoko Ono etc.) and Adrock from the Beastie Boys to make the new album. It has rock songs, hip hop songs and other kinds of songs- pushing the limits more than ever in terms of what hip hop might sound like, what a rock song might sound like, and what Northern State might sound like.

“Can I Keep This Pen?” includes songs about their friendship (“Better Already”), the president (“Cowboy Man”), the apathy that surrounds us (“Cold War”), as well as what may be the first Northern State love song (“Away, Away”). Their classic old school hip hop sound runs through the album, weaving its way through an electro-rock current. They did an unprecedented amount of singing, there are more guitars than ever, as well as several references to horses.

They have some talented friends like Mr. Murray Hill, Kaki King, and Katie Cassidy who stopped by to play on the album. And they are no longer allowed to hold “writing meetings” at the Rodeo bar.

Mike Patton and Greg at Ipecac heard the new record and loved it. Northern State is thrilled to finally be working with a label that encourages them to be as weird as they are.

…Can I Keep This Pen?

External links

• Shitake Monkey website
• myspace.com/northernstate- official myspace page
• northernstate.net - Official Web site
• Live in Denton, Texas
• Liberadio(!) Interview with Sprout