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Northern State

 
Artist: Northern State
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Northern State

Group Members:

Correne "Guinea Love" Spero, Robyn "DJ Sprout" Goodmark, Sprout, Spero, Hesta Prynn

Similar Artists:

Yo Majesty, Fannypack

Influenced By:

Luscious Jackson, Liz Phair, Beastie Boys, Queen Latifah, Public Enemy, Joni Mitchell
  • Formed: 2000, Long Island, NY
  • Genres: Rap
  • Representative Albums: "Dying in Stereo", "Can I Keep This Pen?", "All City
  • Representative Songs: "Dying in Stereo", "All the Same", "Signal Flow (You Can't Fade Me)

Biography

The New York-based rap trio Northern State are no funky divas. Julie "Hesta Prynn" Potash, Correne "Guinea Love" Spero, and Robyn "DJ Sprout" Goodmark formed the hip-hop-centric rap outfit in 2000. They're college-educated and slick in checking rhymes, rearing to give rap a new face in the new millennium.

Potash, who earned a degree in theater and served on Hillary Clinton's 2000 senatorial campaign, first met Spero and Goodmark while attending Half Hollow Hills High School in Dix Hills, Long Island, in the early '90s. Spero, who's studied audio engineering, has a degree in women's studies from Oberlin College. Her pal Goodmark was a hippie who had an interest in the environment. She ended up with an environmental education degree and became a kindergarten teacher. Each had a fondness for Liz Phair, Queen Latifah, De La Soul, and Grand Puba. While hanging out at a party one evening in mid-2000, Spero and Goodmark thought it'd be funny if they were rappers. They went on to spend the next six months in Potash's East Village apartment writing songs and perfecting a hella cool, New York, white-girl-bred rap style.

Northern State made their stage debut at Luna's Lounge in April 2001. They played over 20 shows in and around New York City by the year's end, and quickly the press jumped on Northern State's impressive presentation. The Village Voice and Rolling Stone were touting them by fall 2002. During that time, Northern State was in the midst of finding a label. A four-song demo tape entitled Hip Hop You Haven't Heard had been recorded earlier in January. Their first proper full-length, Dying in Stereo, appeared on Star Time in June 2003 to rave reviews. Columbia signed the group soon after and released the trio's next record, All City, in 2004. After becoming frustrated with the lack of artistic freedom Columbia provided the group, they wiggled their way out of the contract, and teamed up with Ad-Rock from the Beastie Boys and producer Chuck Brody of Shitake Monkey to make their third album, Can I Keep This Pen? After hearing the finished result, Mike Patton at Ipecac signed the girls to the label's eclectic roster and released the record in August 2007. ~ MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide
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Wikipedia: Northern State (band)
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Home > Library > Miscellaneous > Wikipedia
Northern State
Origin Long Island, New York, U.S.
Genres Alternative hip hop, Indie rock[1]
Years active 2002–present
Labels Ipecac Recordings/
Website NorthernState.net
Members
Spero, Sprout, Hesta Prynn

Northern State is a female hip-hop/indie rock group from New York, United States. The group consists of members Julie "Hesta Prynn" Potash, Correne "Spero" (previously "Guinea Love," due to her Italian heritage) Spero, and Robyn "Sprout" Goodmark.[2][3] The group is named after the Northern State Parkway, one of the highways on Long Island, New York State.

Contents

Biography

Sprout, Spero and Hesta Prynn attended Half Hollow Hills High School West and graduated in the 1990s. The group was first formed as a joke, Spero stating in 2003 "It was hilarious. Could you imagine three white girls from Long Island opening up their mouths and acting like they could rap?".[3]

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 EP Dying in Stereo. For their second album, All City, the group worked with Pete Rock, Questlove from The Roots, Har Mar Superstar, and DJ Muggs of Cypress Hill. It was released on Columbia/SME Records, but due to disagreements, the group left the label.[2]

Northern State released their most recent album, Can I Keep This Pen?, on Ipecac Recordings on August 28, 2007. They collaborated with producer Chuck Brody of Shitake Monkey (Wu-Tang Clan, Yoko Ono, etc.) and Adrock from the Beastie Boys to make the new album.[2]

They have shared the stage in North America and Europe with The Roots, Le Tigre, Talib Kweli, De La Soul, The Gossip, Gym Class Heroes, Tegan and Sara, and Cake.[2] Their songs "Better Already" and "Iluvitwhenya" were featured in season 4 episodes of the hit show Grey's Anatomy.[4]

The band appeared on an episode of Washington-based television show "Pancake Mountain" alongside Tegan and Sara. Hesta Prynn has also appeared in a commercial for SILK brand soy milk and in Kaki King's music video for "Pull Me Out Alive"

Hesta Prynn's brother, Brian "Big G" Potash, was a founding member of the 1980s Jewish mock-rap group, Jews With No Soul, rapping under the moniker, Matzah Bri.

Discography

Albums

EPs

  • Hip Hop You Haven't Heard (2002)
  • At the Party (2005, Wichita)
  • Better Already (2007, Kanine)

References

  1. ^ http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:wxfpxqw0ld0e
  2. ^ a b c d Northern State
  3. ^ a b Morton, Pascal (2003) "Rise of the B-Girl", X-RAY, April 2003, Swinstead Publishing
  4. ^ http://northernstate.net//nsp/live/news_live.php

External links


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Artist. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
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