Im not afraid to challenge myself and experiment. "We merge with the mainstream to show them that artists like me still exist and can be relevant today.
He also seeks to satisfy his core audience and keep his character fresh with today's times. "If you don't think about the whole spectrum of everybody, youre only going to be in one count."Īt this phase of his already prolific career, El Da Sensei is proving he has not gone anywhere. "I wanted to make a sound between mainstream and underground that I can go to any club and perform", he says.
El's mindset in recording The Unusual was one of growth and focus. Production is handled by a select group of respected beat crafters - Illmind, Jake One, Saukrates, DJ Revolution, K-Def and J Rawls. on "Nothin' To Lose" and Boot Camp Click's Sean Price on "No Matter". The Unusual features guest spots from rap veterans O.C. With this album I just wanted to go back to basics and bring a certain kind of fire back to myself." "I felt like Relax, Relate, Release was a little bit personal for everybody. "I definitely didnt want to come like the last album", explains El. The project was picked up by the world-renowned Fat Beats Records, and will bring a new edge to the New Jersey emcee that fans know and love. Now El Da Sensei is back in the saddle, gearing up for the February 2006 release of his second solo album, The Unusual. He spent the following three years touring overseas, visiting locations like Croatia and Amsterdam, and focusing his energy on his next great endeavor. The collection of songs revisited El's lust for the bare-essence of Hip Hop music, and delighted critics who had been missing that classic sound. In 2002, El Da Sensei released his first solo album entitled Relax, Relate, Release. He dropped the white label singles "Frontline" and "Got That", and spent a little time working on his personal life. El continued his journey towards lyrical mastery on his own, traveling the world and appearing on numerous compilations in various countries including Japan, Norway and Germany. Soon after the second release, El Da Sensei and Tame One decided upon an amicable break up.
Not long after, The Artifacts returned home to drop their second album Thats Them, which included headphone masterpieces like "Art of Facts", "The Interview" and "The Ultimate". The Artifacts hit the road with a then relatively unknown rapper from Chicago, Common Sense, along with Organized Konfusion and The Beatnuts. Their debut album produced the memorable songs "Wrong Side of the Tracks", "Dynamite Soul" and "C'mon Wit Da Get Down", setting the stage for the Best Of The Underground tour. In an era when Hip Hop was a mosh pit of over-the-top styles and flavors, The Artifacts offered fans the most organic presentation of beats and rhymes that true-school fans could ask for. He partnered with Tame One to form the group Thats Them, but later changed the group moniker to The Artifacts. In his teens he battled as a dancer, and later began entering emcee battles. After over a decade of creating essential Hip Hop music for his loyal fans, El Da Sensei is preparing to release his sophomore solo album, The Unusual, on Fat Beats Records in February 2006.Īs a graffiti artist, B-boy, beat boxer, and lyricist, El Da Sensei channeled his diverse talents through his music. El Da Sensei entered the scene as one half of The Artifacts with his partner Tame One in 1994 when their debut album, Between A Rock And A Hard Place, brought them worldwide attention. Not surprisingly, the sounds on Relax Relate Release are reminiscent of those that dominated in the Artifacts' heyday "So Easily is held down by sinewy upright bass and crashing cymbals, and El shines over the breezy flute change-up on "Eternally. While you won't find mind-bending flows here, El Da Sensei's consistent lyrics over the capable production mark him as a passionate practitioner and devotee of hip-hop culture.Newark, New Jersey was dubbed New Jerusalem for the unique Hip Hop sounds pioneered by the likes of Queen Latifah, Redman, Naughty By Nature, Lords Of The Underground and The Artifacts. Sticking to the formula that he started with, El Da Sensei details his b-boy credentials while underscoring the tension between art and commerce on "So Think Again. By allowing ample room for his DJ Kaos to flex his razor-sharp cuts throughout, it's evident El Da Sensei is overly cognisant of representing hip-hop's elements. The duo's verbals over the snaky saxophone loop and gritty funk of that 1994 single led to two albums of their brand of dynamite soul before their break-up, and El Da Sensei's subsequent appearances have been on intermittent twelve-inches. Along with Redman's cousin Tame One, El Da Sensei established himself in the Newark, NJ, crew the Artifacts, who debuted with "Wrong Side Of The Tracks, one of the relatively few hip-hop tracks dedicated to graffiti bombing.
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