NapoleonSolo leads ISWHAT?! ******* plays vocal drums and sings in ROY NATHANSON's SOTTO VOCE ******* rocks with the GOONDA crew ***** transmits electronic rhythm with the BURNT SUGAR ARKESTRA
Influences
THE SOURCE, LIFE, wind, rain, sunshine, darkness, Wayne Dyer, Eva Zeisel, Hamid Drake, Ed Blackwell, Malcom Little
..
NapoleonSolo & Archie Shepp play "DIG" as featured on the new ISWHAT?! "Big Appetite" album & Phat Jam "Live In Milano" (from ISWHAT?! fall tour 2007)
Napoleon Maddox is a hip hop vocalist from Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. Also
known by the stage name NapoleonSolo, he is a proficient rapper,
beatboxer, and singer, and leads the live Hip-hop group IsWhat?!
Formed in the fall of 1996, ISWHAT?! has shared bills and/or
collaborated with Antibalas, Saul Williams, KRS ONE, The Herbaliser,
Tumi & the Volume, Hocus Pocus, Authur H, The Roots, Brother Ali,
James Blood Ulmer and others. With IsWhat?!, Napoleon has toured the
United States and Europe; in 2007 the group performed with Archie
Shepp in Italy. Mr. Shepp appreciated the sound & feeling of this
concert that he offered to release it as "Phat Jam", a new project on
his label.
Unlike most hip hop artists, Maddox generally performs with acoustic
instruments, including double bass and saxophones.
He has recorded with Hamid Drake and also toured with the New York
City-based duo Transmitting (Jane LeCroy and Tom Abbs). He has worked
with Chuck D, Henry Grimes, Bojan Z, David Krakuer, Oliver Lake,
Claire Daly, Ming+FS, Karsh Kale, and Magic Malik.
Maddox also works supporting or is a member of Sotto Voce (featuring
Roy Nathanson, Curtis Fowlkes, Tim Kiah, and Sam Bardfeld), Burnt
Sugar Arkestra, The Fonda/Stevens Group, and JC Hopkins Biggish Band.
Between 1994 and 2001, he hosted The Social Factor, a hip-hop/urban
issues radio program, on WAIF in Cincinnati. The show featured live
and pre-recorded interviews with personalities such as Spike Lee,
Channel Live, Jurassic 5, Rahzel, The Roots, Jay-Z, Big Jaz (Jaz-O),
Group Home, Mos Def, Watts Prophets, The Last Poets, Burning Spear,
and Souls of Mischief. The phone lines were open for on air call-ins
regarding current events, community affairs, and political discourse.
The show also featured the music of such groups as Self Scientific,
KAM, Steel Pulse, Natural Resources, Gang Starr, Ras Kass, Nina
Simone, Lester Bowie, Boogie Down Productions, Nas, and Rahsaan Roland
Kirk.
In 2008 he performed at the Vision Festival. In February 2009 he
hosted a workshop at the Bridge Centre in Stoke on Trent, England, as
part of Sing Up, the Music Manifesto National Singing Programme. It
was attended by year 5 students from St Augustine Catholic Primary in
Meir. He taught them how to beatbox and they developed their own raps.
His 2009 schedule includes performances in France and Estonia.
Maddox was named "Best Jet-Setter" in the 2009 Best of Cincinnati awards.
Discography
===With IsWhat?!===
*2003 - You Figure It Out... (Hyena Records)
*2006 - The Life We Chose (Hyena Records)
*2008 - NuTakes (Hyena Records/digital release)
:::With Archie Shepp/Phat Jam:::
*2009 - Milano Concert/PHAT JAM {music of ISWHAT?! & Archie Shepp}
(Harmonia Mundi/ArchieBall)
++++With Roy Nathanson++++
*2005 - Sotto Voce (Intuition; rereleased in 2006 by Aum Fidelity)
*2009 - Sotto Voce "Subway Moon" Enja/Yellowbird
==With Transmitting==
*2007 - Dark & Full of Life (DrummerMan Records)
*****With Claire Daly******
*2004 - Heaven Help Us All (Daly Bread)
---With The Fonda/Stevens Group---
*2005 - Forever Real (482 Music)
***With Kryon***
*2003 - Blue Gold (Compagnia Nuove Indye)
___With WingNut___
*2003 - Live at Art's Bar & Billiard, Cincinnati 2/27-28/03 (Wingnut Jazz)
Laululahing - BEATBOX proov from Mikk Rand on Vimeo.
Napoleon Maddox est un chanteur de Hip hop originaire de Cincinnati,Ohio, Usa. Napoleon Solo (son nom de scène) est un rappeur, beatboxer et chanteur reconnu. Il est également le leader du groupe ISWHAT ?! formé en automne 1996. Avec ISWHAT ?! a partagé la scène et/ou collaboré avec Antibalas, Saul Williams, KRS ONE, The Herbaliser, Tumi & the Volume, Hocus Pocus, Authur H, The Roots, Brother Ali, James Blood Ulmer et d’autres encore. Toujours avec ISWHAT ?!, Napoléon est parti en tournée à travers les Etats Unis et l’Europe. En 2007, le groupe a joué avec Archie Shepp en Italie. Archie Shepp a vraiment apprécié le son et l’ambiance de ce concert. Il a baptisé cette collaboration« Phat Jam », et en a fait un album dernièrement sorti sur son label.
Contrairement à la plupart des artistes de Hip hop, Napoleon Maddox s’accompagne généralement d’instruments acoustiques incluant contrebasse et saxophones. Il a enregistré avec Hamid Drake et a été également en tournée avec the New York City-based duo Transmitting (Jane LeCroy et Tom Abbs). Il a travaillé avec Chuck D, Henry Grimes, Bojan Z, David Krakuer, Oliver Lake, Claire Daly, Ming+FS, Karsh Kale, et Magic Malik.
Maddox collabore régulièrement avec Sotto Voce (Roy Nathanson, Curtis Fowlkes, Tim Kiah, and Sam Bardfeld), Burnt Sugar Arkestra, The Fonda/Stevens Group, et JC Hopkins Biggish Band.
Entre 1994 et 2001, il anime The Social Factor, une émission de la radio WAIF à Cincinnati sur le hip hop et les problèmes urbains. L’émission proposait des interviews en direct ou enregistrés avec des personnalités comme Spike Lee, Channel Live, Jurassic 5, Rahzel, The Roots, Jay-Z, Big Jaz (Jaz-O),Group Home, Mos Def, Watts Prophets, The Last Poets, Burning Spear, et Souls of Mischief. Les auditeurs pouvaient réagir en direct sur des évènements en cours, des affaires publiques, ou des discours politiques. Lors de cette émission, on pouvait également entendre de la musique comme Self Scientific, KAM, Steel Pulse, Natural Resources, Gang Starr, Ras Kass, Nina Simone, Lester Bowie, Boogie Down Productions, Nas, et Rahsaan Roland Kirk.
En 2008, il a joué au Vision Festival. En 2009, dans le cadre de Sing Up, programme national musical, il a animé un atelier au Bridge Center à Stoke-on-Trent en Angleterre, organisé pour des élèves de l’école primaire St Augustine. Il leur a enseigné le beatbox et ils ont développé leur propre rap.
En 2009, il joue en France et en Estonie.
NAPO ... Congratulations on a very successful tour !!! Europe is "Mad Hungry" for the BIG APPETITE CD ... still #1 on Radio France ... awesome things are developing as a result !!! OSNR is very proud !!!
Thanks again ... Rick Pennington & the whole Nu Ronin Crew
Online Now!
