The Beast (band) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Beast is an American alternative hip hop

Alternative hip hop

Alternative hip hop is a sub-genre of hip hop music. Allmusic defines it as follows: -Origin:...

Durham, North Carolina

Durham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Durham County and also extends into Wake County. It is the fifth-largest city in the state, and the 85th-largest in the United States by population, with 228,330 residents as of the 2010 United States census...

. Formed in 2007 by emcee Pierce Freelon, drummer Stephen Coffman, bassist Peter Kimosh and pianist Eric Hirsh, The Beast is best known for their 2010 collaborative album with 6-time Grammy nominated jazz vocalist Nnenna Freelon

Nnenna Freelon

Nnenna Freelon, , is an American jazz singer, composer, producer, and arranger. She has been nominated for five Grammy Awards for her vocal work, and has performed and toured with such top artists as Ray Charles, Ellis Marsalis, Al Jarreau, Anita Baker, Aretha Franklin, Dianne Reeves, Diana Krall,...

called, Freedom Suite. Released in collaboration with Okayplayer

Okayplayer

Okayplayer.com is an online hip-hop and alternative music website and community, described by Rolling Stone as a "tastemaker" and "an antidote to dull promotional Web sites used by most artists". The group was co-founded by The Roots' drummer Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson as a loose musical...

's jazz channel The Revivalist, Freedom Suite garnered international acclaim for The Beast's progressive lyrics and eclectic jazz-infused production. The Beast has collaborated artists such as 9th Wonder

9th Wonder

Patrick Douthit , better known as 9th Wonder is a hip hop record producer, record executive, DJ, professor, and lyricist from Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S.A. He began his career as the main producer for the hip hop group Little Brother, and has also worked with Mary J...

, Nnenna Freelon

Nnenna Freelon

, YahZarah

YahZarah

Dana Nicole Williams is an American singer. She is commonly known by her stage name, Yahzarah or Purple St. James.Yahzarah rose to fame when she became a back-up singer for Erykah Badu in 2000. In 2001, Yahzarah signed to Keo Music Records released her first album, Hear Me...

, Phonte

Phonte

Phonte Coleman, better known as Phonte, is a Grammy nominated American rapper, formerly of the now defunct North Carolina trio Little Brother and one-half of the duo The Foreign Exchange. He has also recorded R&B-flavored output as a singer...

, The Apple Juice Kid

The Apple Juice Kid

Stephen Levitin, better known as Apple Juice Kid is a music producer, artist, 8 time beat battle champion, and drummer/percussionist from Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Apple Juice Kid's background is in jazz drumming, at The University of North Carolina...

, Geechi Suede (of Camp Lo

Camp Lo

Camp Lo is an American hip hop duo, formed in 1995, which hails from The Bronx, New York. The duo consists of rappers Sonny Cheeba and Geechi Suede , both of Muslim upbringing.-Career:...

) and Branford Marsalis

Branford Marsalis

Branford Marsalis is an American saxophonist, composer and bandleader. While primarily known for his work in jazz as the leader of the Branford Marsalis Quartet, he also performs frequently as a soloist with classical ensembles and has led the group Buckshot LeFonque.-Biography:Marsalis was born...

. All members of the band are graduates of UNC Chapel Hill.

External links

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