TOM WILLIAMS (Voice) is from Medford, MA. Like most Bostonians his age, he was initially exposed to hip-hop through breakdancing, but quickly grew to love the music behind the style. Growing up literally on the other side of the (commuter rail) tracks, he found a lot to relate to in the rap music of the day. His “South Bronx” was South Medford, his version of “The Bridge” was the Ball Sq. Bridge. An award-winning freestyle BMX competitor, he would often do bike routines to tracks from Mantronix or D-Nice. His biggest musical influence has always been KRS-One and BDP, though Public Enemy, NWA and De La Soul can be heard in his walkman to this day. With a self-deprecating sense of humor delivered with more charm than swagger, Tom’s raps are a refreshing break from all that bling-bling, “I’m this, I’m that, and you’re not” stuff out there now. Tom is all about the anti-bling.
MATT REYES (Music) has been involved in the Boston hip-hop scene since 1985, when he and his home studio / production house World One played an integral role in the development of many local rap acts. Fans of Boston’s first rap radio shows “Lecco’s Lemma”, “Street Beat” and “Rap Explosion” heard Matt’s music on tracks from White Magic, Diamond 2, MCDJ Force, Coolie J, COD Crew, and TuffEnuff. He was profiled in Ric Kahn's article "Suburban Rap Attack" in the March 4 1988 issue of the Boston Phoenix. He’s since produced tracks for Poetic Soldiers, Justice CDC, Kingsmythe, 7L&Esoteric, Nabo Rawk, Akrobatik, Maine T, Act 1 / Squeeze, D.Scribe, T-Ruckus, Rip-Shop and The sHaPeShIfTeRs. TYPE 4 is currently benefiting from everyone else growing up and moving on. Matt never grew up.
DJ DAYLATE (Vinyl) started off as the biggest T4 fan on the planet, and now he’s DJing for us. This is kind of step down for him, considering he used to be the webmaster for Skunk.com. But we’re glad to have him around. He pretty much saved T4 from extinction by creating a TYPE 4 website, sparking an online buzz and spreading our music to a whole new generation of fans worldwide. Oh and the reason he’s “DayLate” is because Tom’s always a “DollarShort”…
Influences
Hip-Hop 1983-1989, Lecco's Lemma, James Brown, KRS-ONE, Elvis Presley, Funkadelic, Mantronix, The Meters, RUN-DMC, Led Zeppelin, Beastie Boys, Pink Floyd, Kurtis Blow, Sly & The Family Stone, Double Dee & Steinski, Johnny Cash, Bob Marley, Afrika Bambaataa & The Soulsonic Force, Toots & The Maytals, De La Soul, The Art Of Noise, Public Enemy, The Beatles, Jack Kerouac.
Sounds Like
Beastie Boys, Sublime, Jurassic 5, Beck, U.N.K.L.E., Pharcyde, Princess Superstar, Paul Barman, Deltron 3030, Northern State, Galactic, Handsome Boy Modeling School, Black Grape, Pop Will Eat Itself, Porn Theatre Ushers, Long Beach Dub All-Stars
TYPE 4 has been around in one form or another since 1990. We started out as a simple rap group with two lead vocalists, inspired by our shared love of hip-hop from its glory years of 1983-1989. Several releases followed on cassette and vinyl. Over the years, we evolved to include live instruments, and to include funk and rock touches in our music. This combination of sound was best heard on our first album “Trailmix”, released in 1997 on our own independent label. The album was extensively and positively reviewed in magazines and played on radio stations across the country.
With this positive feedback spurring us on, we took to the road in the summer of 1998, buying a schoolbus, ripping out the seats, putting in bunks and a bike rack and touring all over the country. Starting in Boston at The Middle East and Mama Kin, then to New York’s CBGBs, we went on to play all over New England, out to Colorado, Utah, Arizona, California, jamming in the forest, frightening natives, giving out way too many CDs for free, and spreading the word of “Trailmix” wherever we went.
Upon returning home, we recorded a new album, “For Sale”, which started our turn back to more traditional hip-hop production. Playing on the road with seven members of a band had turned out to be a bit complex at times. This evolution toward simplicity was accelerated by the loss of one of our lead vocalists in 2001, and our drummer a year later. Recovering and restructuring followed, and the result is the sound of our current album “As Is”, finally finished after too many years, and available on iTunes, Amazon, eMusic, Rhapsody etc. We're also halfway through work on a new album "Written In Red", due to be released in early 2010. In the meantime, please give our current sound a listen, check out our website (www.TYPE4.biz), and if you are curious for more, we’ve a couple decades’ worth of cool Boston hip-hop funk for you. Thanks for your time, and please let us know what you think of TYPE 4.
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I just wrote 2 ur other pg...Matt? Or does Tom live here? Well, hugs 2 both y'all...Thx for the b'day wishes. Keep in touch, u guys R flakes! Cali calls... ;x
::raises can of natties ice::.....heres to all Hegnas...and seriously....we need to trim down the overgrowth at Boston City....that place should be a National Fuckin Monument...
great to see you guys still kickin tunes...I remember back in the day in South Medford listening to you guys on blank cassettes...lol....keep up the good work
Hey whatcha all think of my short video? It was just something I was messing around with. I wanted people to hear more Type 4. You guys need to get on the radio. My bro hooked me up with a burned CD way back and I ve burned so many copies to keep it alive. Where can I get a CD?
