Graph Nobel
Encyclopedia
Graph Nobel is a Canadian indie/alternative
/pop
musician and songwriter. Her music is "hip-hop
inspired with punk rock
abandon".
Born and raised in Toronto
, Ontario
to Trinidadian parents, Graph Nobel began writing music early, at the age of 14, then performing studio recordings at 17. Nobel tributes several genres as an influence; as is evident in her performances which encompass various genres normally regarded as incompatible.
and calypso
and soca
of the Trindadian culture, as well as reggae
music. Graph Nobel began theatre at a young age allowing her an early introduction to the arts. Graph Nobel discovered hip hop
in her teenage years, which inspired her to explore her creative abilities as an artist. Graph Nobel, upon reflection of her growth as an artist, cites the video for “Bonita Applebum
” by a Tribe Called Quest
as a muse for such creative possibilities. Writing her first songs at the age of 14, Graph Nobel would begin to perform studio recordings 3 years later under the Canadian producer 2Rude.
Nobel Graph’s hip-hop inspired ambition of becoming an emcee led her to move to New York, in hopes of immersing herself in the city’s hip hop scene. After returning from New York
, Nobel continued to explore new genres and push creative boundaries. However, Graph’s passion to explore new sounds conflicted with the interests of her female hip-hop group, Gravity, causing the group to split on creative differences. Nobel would later find the multi-instrumentalist
, producer Martin "Doc" McKinney, producer of Esthero
, Res, Sting, Hawksley Workman
, and The Weeknd
(Nobel would later write songs and record with Esthero, Hawksley and extensively with Res).
Nobel became part of Black Corners collective, a collection of artists who chose a “progressive approach to music”, avoiding the boundaries of a single genre. Together, Nobel and Doc experimented with various genres including rock, hip-hop and electronica. In the process, Nobel developed a distinct sound, incorporating atmospheric guitars, hip-hop beats, heavy bass lines, samples, string arrangements and innovative programming.
Graph Nobel continued to work with Doc until 2006. In 2007 Nobel made recordings with labels Aftermath
(Dr. Dre
, Che Vicious, Mark Batson
) and BME (Lil Jon
).
In May 2008, Nobel became the third member of the electro rap group Idle Warship
alongside (Talib Kweli
and Res) releasing their "Party Robot" mixtape (October 2009). Nobel has also worked with Muja Messiah, Simon Wilcox
, Pharrell Williams, N.E.R.D.,The Neptunes,The Clipse, Questlove, Chantal Kraviazuck, Kardinal Official.
Notable collaborations include recordings with:"Wikked Lil Grrrls" lead single off of Esthero's "Wikked Lil Grrls" album featured in the film Miss Congeniality2 also on television shows Boston Legal, Las Vegas and in commercial spots for Sex in the City and Desperate Housewives. Hawksley Workman's “Smoke Baby” from Lover/Fighter, G. Love
on “Love” on War Child’s Peace Songs, Artists For War Child with fellow Canadians Jully Black
, Esthero
& Keshia Chante
on “Life” from Much Music’s Much Dance 2004 compilation and BrassMunk
, Tone Mason
, and G. Stokes on “The Throwback”. Nobel has also performed on stage with artists The Roots
, Sam Roberts
, Cody Chesnutt
, Metric
, Ron Sexsmith.
In 2002, Graph Nobel received CBC’s Galaxie Rising Stars Award.
She has also penned the theme song for the television show Guinevere Jones (YTV) and a Target Store back to school campaign.
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
/pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
musician and songwriter. Her music is "hip-hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
inspired with punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
abandon".
Born and raised in 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...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
to Trinidadian parents, Graph Nobel began writing music early, at the age of 14, then performing studio recordings at 17. Nobel tributes several genres as an influence; as is evident in her performances which encompass various genres normally regarded as incompatible.
Life and career
Graph Nobel, born in Toronto to Trinidadian parents, was exposed to the musical styles of parangParang
Parang is a popular folk music originating out of Trinidad and Tobago, it was brought to Trinidad by Venezuelan migrants who were primarily of Amerindian and African heritage, something which is strongly reflected in the music itself. The word is derived from two Spanish words:'Parranda', meaning...
and calypso
Calypso music
Calypso is a style of Afro-Caribbean music that originated in Trinidad and Tobago from African and European roots. The roots of the genre lay in the arrival of enslaved Africans, who, not being allowed to speak with each other, communicated through song...
and soca
Soca music
Soca is a style of music from Trinidad and Tobago. Soca is a musical development of traditional Trinidadian calypso, through loans from the 1960s onwards from predominantly black popular music....
of the Trindadian culture, as well as reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
music. Graph Nobel began theatre at a young age allowing her an early introduction to the arts. Graph Nobel discovered hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
in her teenage years, which inspired her to explore her creative abilities as an artist. Graph Nobel, upon reflection of her growth as an artist, cites the video for “Bonita Applebum
Bonita Applebum
"Bonita Applebum" was the second single from A Tribe Called Quest's debut album People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm. It is believed to be based on an actual young woman from the group's high school...
” by a Tribe Called Quest
A Tribe Called Quest
A Tribe Called Quest is an American hip hop group, formed in 1985, and is composed of rapper/producer Q-Tip , rapper Phife Dawg , and DJ/producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad. A fourth member, rapper Jarobi White, left the group after their first album but rejoined in 2006...
as a muse for such creative possibilities. Writing her first songs at the age of 14, Graph Nobel would begin to perform studio recordings 3 years later under the Canadian producer 2Rude.
Nobel Graph’s hip-hop inspired ambition of becoming an emcee led her to move to New York, in hopes of immersing herself in the city’s hip hop scene. After returning from New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Nobel continued to explore new genres and push creative boundaries. However, Graph’s passion to explore new sounds conflicted with the interests of her female hip-hop group, Gravity, causing the group to split on creative differences. Nobel would later find the multi-instrumentalist
Multi-instrumentalist
A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays a number of different instruments.The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument to be learned , but people who double on another instrument are not usually seen as multi-instrumentalists.-Classical music:Music written for Symphony...
, producer Martin "Doc" McKinney, producer of Esthero
Esthero
Esthero ,born Jenny-Bea Englishman, is a Canadian singer-songwriter who currently lives in Los Angeles, California. The name Esthero refers both to the singer and formerly to the two-person team of herself and producer Doc McKinney...
, Res, Sting, Hawksley Workman
Hawksley Workman
Ryan Corrigan , better known by the stage name Hawksley Workman, is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter who has garnered critical acclaim for his blend of cabaret pop and glam rock. Workman has released eleven full length albums throughout his career...
, and The Weeknd
The Weeknd
Abel Tesfaye , better known by his stage name The Weeknd is an Ethiopian Canadian singer. Songs recorded under The Weeknd name first leaked in late 2010, though the identity of the individual behind the project was initially unknown.The Weeknd released a nine-song mixtape, House of Balloons, on...
(Nobel would later write songs and record with Esthero, Hawksley and extensively with Res).
Nobel became part of Black Corners collective, a collection of artists who chose a “progressive approach to music”, avoiding the boundaries of a single genre. Together, Nobel and Doc experimented with various genres including rock, hip-hop and electronica. In the process, Nobel developed a distinct sound, incorporating atmospheric guitars, hip-hop beats, heavy bass lines, samples, string arrangements and innovative programming.
Graph Nobel continued to work with Doc until 2006. In 2007 Nobel made recordings with labels Aftermath
Aftermath Entertainment
Aftermath Entertainment is an American record label founded by Dr. Dre. It operates as a subsidiary of, and is distributed through, Universal Music Group's Interscope Records. Current acts include Dr. Dre, Eminem, 50 Cent and Slim da Mobster, with former acts including Busta Rhymes, Game, Raekwon,...
(Dr. Dre
Dr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young , primarily known by his stage name Dr. Dre, is an American record producer, rapper, record executive, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is the founder and current CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and a former co-owner and artist of Death Row Records...
, Che Vicious, Mark Batson
Mark Batson
Mark Batson is an American record producer, arranger, and songwriter from Bushwick, Brooklyn, now based in Los Angeles.As a co-writer and producer with Dr. Dre, he is responsible for Jay-Z's 2006 single "Lost One", as well as tracks for Eminem, 50 Cent, Game and Snoop Dogg. As a co-writer and...
) and BME (Lil Jon
Lil Jon
Jonathan Mortimer Smith , better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American rapper, music producer, entrepreneur, and occasional disc jockey who was a member of the group Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz. Lil Jon formed the group in 1997, and the group released several albums between then and 2004...
).
In May 2008, Nobel became the third member of the electro rap group Idle Warship
Idle Warship
Idle Warship is a musical duo composed of Brooklyn emcee Talib Kweli and Philadelphia singer Res, Res has appeared on each Talib Kweli album since 2000's Train of Thought. They have also toured together, including on the summer 2005 MGD Flavor 2 Savor mini-tour. They released their debut mixtape,...
alongside (Talib Kweli
Talib Kweli
Talib Kweli Greene , better known as Talib Kweli, is an American hip-hop artist and poet from Brooklyn, New York. His first name in Arabic means "student" or "seeker" ; his in Swahili means "true"...
and Res) releasing their "Party Robot" mixtape (October 2009). Nobel has also worked with Muja Messiah, Simon Wilcox
Simon Wilcox
-Early life:Born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, Wilcox is the daughter of multi-media artist Sadia Sadia and Canadian rock musician David Wilcox. She is also the great niece of Canadian political scientist John Meisel. At the age of three, she was placed with a female friend of the family in...
, Pharrell Williams, N.E.R.D.,The Neptunes,The Clipse, Questlove, Chantal Kraviazuck, Kardinal Official.
Notable collaborations include recordings with:"Wikked Lil Grrrls" lead single off of Esthero's "Wikked Lil Grrls" album featured in the film Miss Congeniality2 also on television shows Boston Legal, Las Vegas and in commercial spots for Sex in the City and Desperate Housewives. Hawksley Workman's “Smoke Baby” from Lover/Fighter, G. Love
G. Love
Garrett Dutton , better known as G. Love, is the frontman for the band G. Love & Special Sauce.-Biography:Dutton, the son of a banking lawyer, was born in the Society Hill neighborhood of Philadelphia, and began playing guitar at age eight. He wrote his first song by the time he was in the ninth...
on “Love” on War Child’s Peace Songs, Artists For War Child with fellow Canadians Jully Black
Jully Black
Jully Black |Julie]]"; born Jullyann Inderia Gordon; November 8, 1977) is a Canadian R&B singer–songwriter. She has collaborated and written for many artists, including Nas, Missy Elliott, Saukrates, Choclair, Kardinal Offishall, Destiny's Child, and Sean Paul.-Life & career:Black was born Jullyann...
, Esthero
Esthero
Esthero ,born Jenny-Bea Englishman, is a Canadian singer-songwriter who currently lives in Los Angeles, California. The name Esthero refers both to the singer and formerly to the two-person team of herself and producer Doc McKinney...
& Keshia Chante
Keshia Chanté
Keshia Chanté is a Canadian Juno Award-winning critically acclaimed singer-songwriter, model, and actress...
on “Life” from Much Music’s Much Dance 2004 compilation and BrassMunk
BrassMunk
BrassMunk is a Canadian hip hop group from Scarborough, Ontario, located in east Toronto. Formed in 1997, the group consists of emcees S-Roc, Clip, Reign , and DJ/producer Agile...
, Tone Mason
Tone Mason
Tone Mason is a Grammy-nominated Canadian hip-hop and R&B production team from Toronto, Ontario. The group is composed of Aloysius Brown, Don D., and Mellenius...
, and G. Stokes on “The Throwback”. Nobel has also performed on stage with artists The Roots
The Roots
The Roots is an American hip hop/neo soul band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are famed for beginning with a jazzy, eclectic approach to hip hop which still includes live instrumentals...
, Sam Roberts
Sam Roberts
Sam Roberts is a Juno Award-winning Canadian rock singer-songwriter, whose 2001 debut release, The Inhuman Condition, became one of the bestselling independent releases in Quebec and Canadian music history.-Life and career:...
, Cody Chesnutt
Cody ChesnuTT
Cody Chesnutt is an American R&B and neo soul musician.-Biography:Cody Chesnutt is an African American musician from Atlanta, Georgia, whose music blends elements of rock, funk, soul, hip hop, and blues. Chesnutt and his former band, The Crosswalk, had a brief stint with Hollywood Records in which...
, Metric
Metric (band)
Metric is a Canadian indie rock and New Wave band founded in 1998 in Toronto. The band has also at various times been based in Montreal, London, New York City and Los Angeles...
, Ron Sexsmith.
In 2002, Graph Nobel received CBC’s Galaxie Rising Stars Award.
She has also penned the theme song for the television show Guinevere Jones (YTV) and a Target Store back to school campaign.
Collaborations
- Tone Mason f. BrassMunk, G Stokes - “The Throwback”
- G. Love - “Love” (from War Child’s Peace Songs)
- Artists For WarChild Canada - "Life" (Much Dance 2004 compilation along with Jully Black, Esthero, & Keshia Chante)
- Hawksley Workman - “Smoke Baby” (from Lover/Fighter)
- Graph Nobel, Talib Kweli and RES (Idle Warship) - "Black Snake Moan"
- Belinda Peregrin- "Contigo O Sin Ti"
- Esthero-" Wikked Lil Girls", "Fastlane", "If The Mood", "Bad Boy Clyde"
- Drowning Girl formerly known as The Hill Band- "Caught By the Rope"
- Idle Warship- "Party Robot"
- The Clipse- "Champion"(Til the Casket Drops)
External links
- Graph Nobel at MySpaceMySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....