Dumbfoundead
Encyclopedia
Jonathan Park (February 18, 1986), better known by his stage name Dumbfoundead, is a Korean American
battle rapper originating from the Los Angeles Underground's Project Blowed
. He is well known for his affiliation with the West Coast
division of Grindtime and his participation in Jumpoff's 2007 World Rap Championships; both of which have given rise to his status as a strong web presence. He did a stint as the opening act for Epik High
's Map the Soul tour. Dumbfoundead is a member of the hip hop trio Thirsty Fish and the Los Angeles battle crew the Swim Team.
, Argentina
, Jonathan "Dumbfoundead" Park (Korean Name: Park Sung Man) moved to Mexico then Koreatown, Los Angeles at the age of three. He was often seen as a class clown by his peers at an early age, and was exposed to hip-hop at 10 upon entering a community center in MacArthur Park and meeting Los Angeles "OG's" such as Mark Luv of Zulu Nation, Poppin' Chuck, Cre8 (RTN), and EZ Rock (Rocksteady). He has many great influences in his life which include his brilliant sister Natalie Park. She works for Apple computers and invents computer parts daily. This first experience with hip-hop allowed him to develop the technique of freestyling and to educate himself on hip-hop's history and roots. A year later, he was taken to Project Blowed in South Central, LA by a high school friend. Here he would continue to hone his abilities as an emcee amongst the influence of "Blowdians" such as Otherwize, Riddlore, NoCanDo
, P.E.A.C.E., and many others, eventually earning the title of "Blowdian" himself. One of Dumbfoundead's signature lines is "Get your bars up".
, and a larger group, Swim Team, with members Sahtyre, VerBS, Alpha MC, Open-Mike Eagle, Lyraflip, Psychosiz
, Rogue Venom, DJ Zo, Kuest One, Dos Tres, and Uhuru
. In 2007 Thirsty Fish released the album Testing the Waters
, and in 2008 Swim Team released Ocean's Eleven
. May 10, 2011 Thirsty Fish released Watergate
.
was released on November 1st, 2011.
Dumbfoundead frequently collaborates with other artists; including Epik High, a popular Korean rap/pop group. He is featured on two full length tracks on the Epik High album e, "Maze" [2009] and "Rocksteady" [2009], and was featured as the opening act for the USA Map the Soul Tour in 2009. Since its inception Dumbfoundead has been a regular performer at the annual Asian Hip Hop Summit. Dumbfoundead has performed with many other notable artists such as Atmosphere
, Jin
, Traphik
, E-40
, Drunken Tiger
, Jay Park
, The Living Legends
, Aceyalone
, GZA
, Jeru the Damaja
, Pigeon John
, WC
, Abstract Rude
, Del
, Myka 9
, KRS One, Busdriver
, and many others.
He has also had cameos in several works including DJ Honda's "Let it Out" featuring Rakaa Iriscience
, Money Harm aka Marvin Moore in 2009, Abstract Rude's - "Thynk Eye Can" (featuring Aceyalone & Myka 9
) in 2010, "Al Bundy" by Intuition in 2010, and the Fresh Coast Documentary in 2008.
and sharp humor that has become synonymous with his style as a battler. He often competes in competitions with fellow Swim Team rapper Sahtyre. An example of this is the 2007 World Rap Championships.
With the Tantrum battle being his debut of Grindtime, Dumbfoundead went on to battle Illusion-Z, F.L.O., TheSaurus, and Pumpkinhead in the Grindtime circuit, losing only to two time World Rap Championship and Scribble Jam
champion The Saurus.
Dumbfoundead also went to Toronto
, Canada to battle in King of the Dot, often seen as the Canadian equivalent of Grindtime. He lost in a battle against Canadian rapper Kid Twist.
Dumbfoundead is known as a comedic emcee for his jokes, disses, and rebuttals in battle. His videos have become quite popular the media sharing site youtube.com.
.
In 2010, Dumbfoundead played a significant role for Knocksteady,a hip hop oriented movement based in Los Angeles. Knocksteady aims to "push new music and media to the masses via select musicians and artists to create a unique lifestyle brand that promotes positivity and originality without losing sight of the greater social power."
Thirsty Fish
Swim Team
Other collaborations
Korean American
Korean Americans are Americans of Korean descent, mostly from South Korea, with a small minority from North Korea...
battle rapper originating from the Los Angeles Underground's Project Blowed
Project Blowed
Project Blowed refers to an open-mic workshop, its affiliated hip hop crew, and the two compilation albums released by that collective. The Leimert Park workshop is the longest running open-mic for Hip-Hop in the world.-The Good Life:...
. He is well known for his affiliation with the West Coast
West Coast hip hop
West Coast hip hop is a hip hop music subgenre that encompasses any artists or music that originates in the westernmost region of the United States, as opposed to East Coast hip hop, based originally in New York alone...
division of Grindtime and his participation in Jumpoff's 2007 World Rap Championships; both of which have given rise to his status as a strong web presence. He did a stint as the opening act for Epik High
Epik High
Epik High is a South Korean indie hip hop group from Seoul, South Korea. The group is composed of Tablo, Mithra Jin and DJ Tukutz...
's Map the Soul tour. Dumbfoundead is a member of the hip hop trio Thirsty Fish and the Los Angeles battle crew the Swim Team.
Early years and influences
Born in Buenos AiresBuenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, Jonathan "Dumbfoundead" Park (Korean Name: Park Sung Man) moved to Mexico then Koreatown, Los Angeles at the age of three. He was often seen as a class clown by his peers at an early age, and was exposed to hip-hop at 10 upon entering a community center in MacArthur Park and meeting Los Angeles "OG's" such as Mark Luv of Zulu Nation, Poppin' Chuck, Cre8 (RTN), and EZ Rock (Rocksteady). He has many great influences in his life which include his brilliant sister Natalie Park. She works for Apple computers and invents computer parts daily. This first experience with hip-hop allowed him to develop the technique of freestyling and to educate himself on hip-hop's history and roots. A year later, he was taken to Project Blowed in South Central, LA by a high school friend. Here he would continue to hone his abilities as an emcee amongst the influence of "Blowdians" such as Otherwize, Riddlore, NoCanDo
Nocando
Nocando is a West Coast battle rapper and member of the hip hop group Customer Service. He is the 2007 Scribble Jam champion, host of Los Angeles club the Low-End Theory, and is currently on Alpha Pup Records....
, P.E.A.C.E., and many others, eventually earning the title of "Blowdian" himself. One of Dumbfoundead's signature lines is "Get your bars up".
Project Blowed
As a member of the Project Blowed collective, Dumbfoundead is also a part of the group Thirsty Fish along with "Blowdians" Open-Mike Eagle and PsychosizPsychosiz
Michael Greenwood is an American video game designer known by the stage name Psychosiz as a West Coast rapper and member of hip hop groups Customer Service and Thirsty Fish....
, and a larger group, Swim Team, with members Sahtyre, VerBS, Alpha MC, Open-Mike Eagle, Lyraflip, Psychosiz
Psychosiz
Michael Greenwood is an American video game designer known by the stage name Psychosiz as a West Coast rapper and member of hip hop groups Customer Service and Thirsty Fish....
, Rogue Venom, DJ Zo, Kuest One, Dos Tres, and Uhuru
Uhuru
Uhuru may refer to:, a Lake Victoria ferry in East Africa*Uhuru , campaigns for and achievement of national independence in Africa especially in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania*Uhuru Kenyatta , Kenyan politician...
. In 2007 Thirsty Fish released the album Testing the Waters
Testing the Waters
Testing the Waters is a water-themed studio album by American rap group Thirsty Fish, released March 5, 2007 on Bell Rang Records in affiliation with Project Blowed.-Track listing:- Reception & Album Deal :...
, and in 2008 Swim Team released Ocean's Eleven
Ocean's Eleven
Ocean's Eleven may refer to:*Ocean's 11 , the original heist film starring all five members of the Rat Pack*Ocean's Eleven , a remake of the above film with George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Matt Damon...
. May 10, 2011 Thirsty Fish released Watergate
Watergate (album)
Watergate is the sophomore studio album by American rap group Thirsty Fish, released May 10, 2011 on Mush Records. The album is executive produced by Busdriver of Project Blowed and is a follow up to the 2007 album Testing the Waters.-Track listing:...
.
Solo work
Under an independent label, DFD has released three albums: Super Barrio Brothers, Fun With Dumb and Clockwise. A solo album titled DFDDFD
DFD is a three-letter acronym which has multiple meanings:* Dark, Firm, Dry, meat having a pH above 6.* The National Rail code for Dartford railway station, Kent, England....
was released on November 1st, 2011.
Dumbfoundead frequently collaborates with other artists; including Epik High, a popular Korean rap/pop group. He is featured on two full length tracks on the Epik High album e, "Maze" [2009] and "Rocksteady" [2009], and was featured as the opening act for the USA Map the Soul Tour in 2009. Since its inception Dumbfoundead has been a regular performer at the annual Asian Hip Hop Summit. Dumbfoundead has performed with many other notable artists such as Atmosphere
Atmosphere (music group)
Atmosphere is an American hip hop group from Minneapolis, Minnesota. The group is composed of rapper Slug and DJ/Producer Ant...
, Jin
Jin (rapper)
Jin Au-Yeung , who performs under the stage name MC Jin, is a Hong Kong hip hop rapper, songwriter, and actor. Growing up in the Miami, Florida area, and later living in New York City, he decided to reside permanently in his motherland, Hong Kong...
, Traphik
Traphik
Traphik , also known as Timothy DeLaGhetto, is a rapper, comedian, and videographer. Aside from rapping, Traphik also makes online parody and comedy videos.-Filmography:-Youtube Channels:...
, E-40
E-40
Earl Stevens , better known by his stage name E-40, is an American rapper, entrepreneur, and investor from Vallejo, California. He is also part of the rap group The Click and the founder of Sick Wid It Records. His solo debut album, Federal, was released in November 1992, after The Click's debut...
, Drunken Tiger
Drunken Tiger
Drunken Tiger is a critically acclaimed Korean/American hip hop group which debuted in 1999 and has since released eight albums.As of 2009, Drunken Tiger's central figure is Korean American Tiger JK...
, Jay Park
Jay Park
Park Jaebeom , also known as Jay Park, is an American recording artist, dancer, rapper, music producer, b-boy, songwriter, composer and actor...
, The Living Legends
Living Legends
Living Legends is a rap group composed of eight hip hop artists from California. Beginning in the early 1990s, the crew garnered a following by recording, promoting, and performing their music independently...
, Aceyalone
Aceyalone
Eddie Hayes, better known by his stage name Aceyalone, is an American rapper.He is a founding member of the Freestyle Fellowship. Apart from his role in Freestyle Fellowship, Aceyalone is also a member of Haiku D'Etat and The A-Team , and he is a co-founder of Project Blowed.After releasing a...
, GZA
GZA
Gary Grice , better known by his stage names GZA and The Genius, is an American hip hop artist and founding member of the seminal hip hop group the Wu-Tang Clan. He has also appeared on his fellow clan members' solo projects and has maintained a successful solo career...
, Jeru the Damaja
Jeru the Damaja
Kendrick Jeru Davis, known as Jeru the Damaja is an American rapper and recording artist who has worked extensively with Guru and DJ Premier of Gang Starr, whom he has known since high school.-Biography:...
, Pigeon John
Pigeon John
Pigeon John is an American hip hop rapper raised in Hawthorne, California and based in Los Angeles, California.-Biography:Pigeon John is a Los Angeles area rapper who has recorded four studio albums as a solo artist, as well as several others as a member of the groups like L.A. Symphony and...
, WC
WC (rapper)
William L. Calhoun Jr. , better known by his stage name WC , is an American rapper. He was born in Texas, but moved to South Central Los Angeles at an early age. He originally was a rapper in the group Low Profile, and later formed his group WC and the Maad Circle, which also included fellow rapper...
, Abstract Rude
Abstract Rude
Abstract Rude is an American rapper, from Los Angeles, CA. He is the MC for the hip hop group Abstract Tribe Unique , alongside dancers Zulu Butterfly Prince and Irie Lion Locks, Turntablist DJ Drez, and Underground Hip Hop producer, Fat Jack...
, Del
Del tha Funkee Homosapien
Teren Delvon Jones , better known as Del the Funky Homosapien or Del tha Funkee Homosapien, is an American MC.-Early life and beginnings: 1990-1997:...
, Myka 9
Myka 9
Myka 9 is a musician/rapper from Los Angeles.-History:Originally known as Microphone Mike, in the 80s he was a member of the MC Aces with Aceyalone and Spoon Iodine. As one of the founding members of Freestyle Fellowship, Myka 9 was instrumental in the scene at the Good Life Cafe in the early 90s...
, KRS One, Busdriver
Busdriver
Busdriver is a rapper from Los Angeles currently signed to Epitaph Records and Fake Four Inc-History:...
, and many others.
He has also had cameos in several works including DJ Honda's "Let it Out" featuring Rakaa Iriscience
Dilated Peoples
Dilated Peoples is an American hip hop group from Los Angeles, California. The group achieved notability in the underground hip hop community, although they have had little mainstream success in the US, with the exception of the song "This Way," a 2004 collaboration with Kanye West and Xzibit...
, Money Harm aka Marvin Moore in 2009, Abstract Rude's - "Thynk Eye Can" (featuring Aceyalone & Myka 9
Haiku D'Etat
Haiku D'Etat is a hip hop supergroup trio consisting of Aceyalone & Myka 9 of the Freestyle Fellowship, and Abstract Rude, the leader of Abstract Tribe Unique . Abstract Rude previously worked with Aceyalone as the A-Team. All three artists are heavily affiliated with the Project Blowed, group...
) in 2010, "Al Bundy" by Intuition in 2010, and the Fresh Coast Documentary in 2008.
GrindTime/King of the Dot/Stomping Groundz
Dumbfoundead's first popularized Grind Time battle was with fellow Asian emcee Tantrum and received high praise—achieving some of the highest numbers of views for Grind Time battles of its era. Many have attributed his victory to his relaxed swaggerStylistics (linguistics)
Stylistics is the study and interpretation of texts from a linguistic perspective. As a discipline it links literary criticism and linguistics, but has no autonomous domain of its own...
and sharp humor that has become synonymous with his style as a battler. He often competes in competitions with fellow Swim Team rapper Sahtyre. An example of this is the 2007 World Rap Championships.
"... he had the weirder eerie f***ing kind of wit... that weird dirty extra evil kind of f***ing punchline..." - Jamie DeWolf, one of the judges of the Tantrum vs. Dumbfoundead battle.
With the Tantrum battle being his debut of Grindtime, Dumbfoundead went on to battle Illusion-Z, F.L.O., TheSaurus, and Pumpkinhead in the Grindtime circuit, losing only to two time World Rap Championship and Scribble Jam
Scribble Jam
Scribble Jam was an annual hip hop music festival hosted in Cincinnati, Ohio. Dubbed "America's largest hip hop festival", it was co-founded in 1996 by "Fat" Nick Accurso, and Jason Brunson, founders of graffiti magazine Scribble, and DJ Mr Dibbs, in the parking lot of a local nightclub...
champion The Saurus.
Dumbfoundead also went to Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada to battle in King of the Dot, often seen as the Canadian equivalent of Grindtime. He lost in a battle against Canadian rapper Kid Twist.
Dumbfoundead is known as a comedic emcee for his jokes, disses, and rebuttals in battle. His videos have become quite popular the media sharing site youtube.com.
Acting career
Dumbfoundead announced in one of his video blogs that he would have a small role in a film titled DetentionDetention (2011 film)
Detention is a 2011 American comedy-horror film directed by Joseph Kahn, and co-written with Mark Palermo. The film premiered March 2011 in Austin, Texas at SXSW. Detention stars Josh Hutcherson, Dane Cook, Spencer Locke, Shanley Caswell, Walter Perez, and Erica Shaffer...
.
Other ventures
In early 2009, Dumbfoundead hosted 'Kollaboration Hip Hop' and was also an interviewer during the R16 B-boy Festival in Seoul, South Korea. He has been featured on CNN, NBC Los Angeles, Fox 11 and Gizmodo for spearheading the LA Underground scene and creating such pieces as Jam Session 2.0 (released on January 20, 2010), which networked 8 artists in different locations to create one song. His ongoing YouTube series, entitled "The Homies", features fellow artists and peers and allows them to showcase their abilities. Features include P.E.A.C.E. of Freestyle Fellowship, DJ Zo, Open Mike Eagle, and PK of Kollaboration.In 2010, Dumbfoundead played a significant role for Knocksteady,a hip hop oriented movement based in Los Angeles. Knocksteady aims to "push new music and media to the masses via select musicians and artists to create a unique lifestyle brand that promotes positivity and originality without losing sight of the greater social power."
Discography
Solo work- Fun With Dumb (2009)
- DFDDFDDFD is a three-letter acronym which has multiple meanings:* Dark, Firm, Dry, meat having a pH above 6.* The National Rail code for Dartford railway station, Kent, England....
(2011) (#6 Heatseekers Albums, #41 Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, #24 Rap Albums)
Thirsty Fish
- Testing the WatersTesting the WatersTesting the Waters is a water-themed studio album by American rap group Thirsty Fish, released March 5, 2007 on Bell Rang Records in affiliation with Project Blowed.-Track listing:- Reception & Album Deal :...
(2007) - WatergateWatergate (album)Watergate is the sophomore studio album by American rap group Thirsty Fish, released May 10, 2011 on Mush Records. The album is executive produced by Busdriver of Project Blowed and is a follow up to the 2007 album Testing the Waters.-Track listing:...
(2011)
Swim Team
- Oceans Eleven (2008)
Other collaborations
- Super Barrio Brothers (2005) (with 8-Bit Bandit)
- Clockwise (2010) (with WaxWax (rapper)Michael Jones, better known by his stage name Wax, is an American musician, rapper, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer. He became a YouTube star after uploading several of videos of himself rapping and singing, and signed with Def Jam Recordings in March 2011...
) - Cut + Paste (2010) (with DJ Zo)
- A New Kind of Sexy" (2011) George WatskyGeorge WatskyGeorge Watsky is a poet and rapper from San Francisco, California. Watsky performs slam poetry, and was featured on Season 6 of Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry on HBO...