Doomtree
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Doomtree is a hip hop collective based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Members of Doomtree bring various bases of knowledge and musical backgrounds together to create alternative-influenced rap and hip hop music. Nearly as prominent as the influence of hip-hop in their music is that of punk and their lyrics are frequently introspective and self-degrading. They often do shows with fellow Minnesota hip-hop label Rhymesayers Entertainment. Emcees perform solo or with one another, each contributing a different approach to their music. Doomtree's self-released, self-titled debut album as a group was released on July 29th, 2008.
History
The formation of Doomtree has been described by its members as a gradual process.[1] The initial line-up saw P.O.S. and MK Larada, friends from high school, making songs with other local artists such as Cecil Otter and Beautiful Bobby Gorgeous; soon enough Sims and Lazerbeak, fellow Hopkins High School alumni followed. Mike Mictlan, having also attended high school with P.O.S., became an official member when he moved back to Minneapolis from Los Angeles.[2] Dessa joined after having a chance encounter with P.O.S., who was living down the street from her at the time along with Sims, Turbo Nemesis and MK Larada.[3]
Emcees
- P.O.S. (Stefon Alexander) has released three albums under the Rhymesayers record label in conjunction with the Doomtree label. His first album, Ipecac Neat was originally released in 2003, and made its Rhymesayers debut in 2004, Winning The Minneapolis Star-Tribune's "Best Local album of the year". In 2006, he repeated this feat with his critically acclaimed Audition. He also performs with the punk rock group "Building Better Bombs". His Third album, Never Better Was released on February 3rd, 2009. In the past, POS has used the pseudonym "Emily Bloodmobile" for production work. For the time being, POS has retired that nickname.
- Sims (Andrew Sims) released his first full length album in July 2005, Lights out Paris, it received 4.5 out of 5 stars in URB Magazine (2005) and 4 out of 5 stars at okayplayer.com (2005). He has appeared on the POS is Ruining My Life tour 2006, The 2007 Vans Warped Tour, as well as at SXSW in 2008. His new album, The Veldt, is expected to be released in early 2009.
- Dessa (Maggie Wander) released one of Doomtree's several False Hopes albums and often performs live with violinist Jessy Greene (who is featured on P.O.S's Audition). She is an accomplished spoken word poet. In 2009, she released a book of creative non-fiction, entitled "Sprial Bound", doomtree's first print offering.
- Mike Mictlan (Mike Marquez) has released Doomtree False Hopes albums Deity for hire and Deity for Re-hire. Mictlan released collaboration album, Hand Over Fist, with Doomtree producer Lazerbeak on September 23, 2008.
- Cecil Otter (Jake Smith) released Hung Over-seas, a Doomtree False Hopes album in 2003. He was also a finalist in a national spoken word competition inspired by the 2004 presidential election. He released another album, Cecil Otter's False Hopes, in 2005. In late 2006 Cecil Otter released a limited edition version of his follow-up album, Rebel Yellow, at the second Doomtree Blowout. A remixed and expanded version of Rebel Yellow was released on August 26, 2008. He was signed to Sage Francis's record label, Strange Famous, as of January 2009.
Producers/DJs
- Paper Tiger has produced for Doomtree emcees and often spins records for Doomtree performances. He also provides graphic design for various flyers and other Doomtree visuals. His False Hopes album was released at the 3rd Annual Doomtree Blowout.
- MK Larada has produced many tracks for Doomtree emcees and is also Doomtree's resident artist.
- Lazerbeak (Aaron Mader) has produced many tracks for Doomtree emcees as well as several other Minneapolis hip-hop artists, including Toki Wright. He is also the guitarist of Minnesota indie band The Plastic Constellations. He released an album entitled Hand Over Fist with emcee Mictlan. He also produced a track on Mac Lethal's recent album on Rhymesayers, 11:11.
- Turbo Nemesis is the most common Doomtree DJ to spin at performances.
Affiliated Artists
- Tom Servo has produced tracks for Dessa and Sims.
- Violinist Jessy Greene often contributes to Doomtree projects.
Performances
Doomtree artists are highly active in the Twin Cities hip-hop community, with at least one emcee performing a show somewhere in the metro area at least every 3-4 weeks; in addition, every December, the entire crew takes the stage at First Avenue for their annual "Doomtree Blowout". The last of which occurred on December 6, 2008.
In 2007, the crew released a full-crew False Hopes.
Discography
Studio Albums
| Year | Album | Chart positions | Sales/certification | |||||||||||||
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| U.S. | CA | AUS | NZ | UK | IRE | ITA | GER | BRA | DEN | SWE | SPA | NOR | EU | |||
| 2008 | Doomtree
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