Count Bass D
Encyclopedia
Dwight Conroy Farrell better known by the stage name
Count Bass D, is an American
rapper, record producer
and multi-instrumentalist
from Nashville, Tennessee
. His production style is characterised by layers of short MPC samples and film snippets complemented with live instrumentation, and eccentric lyrics laid atop.
Ohio
. At the age of four his father, a West Indian minister, encouraged him to play music at his church. Count thereafter learned to play the piano
, organ
, and bass
. He then started gaining interest in Hip Hop, becoming better at rhyming while rapping with friends.
In his late teens, Count Bass D enrolled at Middle Tennessee State University
in Nashville, to take advantage of the school's instruments to finish his demo tape. He then broadcasted his first Hip-Hop video on campus. His demo led him to getting a record deal with Chaos Recordings where he released his first studio album, Pre-Life Crisis
in early 1995. The album was considered too progressive, and the label found it difficult to market the album. Count was then dropped from the label.
In 1997 Count released his first EP on independent record label Spongebath Records
, the album was later released in 2005, in Japan on Octave Records.
, and an MPC
-2000 drum machine
and quickly learned to create new sounds. With these tools he released his second, and most critically acclaimed studio album, Dwight Spitz
. It features appearances from other well known indie MCs, such as MF DOOM
, and Edan
. In 2004, Count produced a track and guest appeared on MF DOOM
's MM..FOOD.
In 2005, Count released his second EP, Begborrowsteel
on Jazzy Sport Records, Act Your Waist Size. his third studio album, on Fat Beats Records in 2006. In 2008, Count released a sequel album on 1320 Records, to Pre-Life Crisis, called L7 (Mid-Life Crisis), he was 35 at the time of release.
The name of the album nods to the full self production of the album, rapping, with no guest features.
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
Count Bass D, is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rapper, record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
and 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...
from Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
. His production style is characterised by layers of short MPC samples and film snippets complemented with live instrumentation, and eccentric lyrics laid atop.
Early Life and career
Count Bass D was born on August 25, 1973, and was raised in the Bronx and CantonCanton
- Administrative divisions :* Canton , territorial/administrative subdivision in some countries, notably Switzerland* Township , known as canton in Canadian French- China :...
Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. At the age of four his father, a West Indian minister, encouraged him to play music at his church. Count thereafter learned to play the piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
, and bass
Bass (instrument)
Bass describes musical instruments that produce tones in the low-pitched range. They belong to different families of instruments and can cover a wide range of musical roles...
. He then started gaining interest in Hip Hop, becoming better at rhyming while rapping with friends.
In his late teens, Count Bass D enrolled at Middle Tennessee State University
Middle Tennessee State University
Middle Tennessee State University, commonly abbreviated as MTSU, is a public university located in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, United States....
in Nashville, to take advantage of the school's instruments to finish his demo tape. He then broadcasted his first Hip-Hop video on campus. His demo led him to getting a record deal with Chaos Recordings where he released his first studio album, Pre-Life Crisis
Pre-Life Crisis
Pre-Life Crisis is the debut album by American rapper and record producer Count Bass D....
in early 1995. The album was considered too progressive, and the label found it difficult to market the album. Count was then dropped from the label.
In 1997 Count released his first EP on independent record label Spongebath Records
Spongebath Records
Spongebath Records was an independent record label based in Murfreesboro, Tennessee during the mid-nineties. During its heyday, Spongebath was often viewed as the vibrant epicenter of Murfreesboro/Nashville's music scene with a robust artist roster of critically acclaimed bands, singers, and...
, the album was later released in 2005, in Japan on Octave Records.
Ongoing career
In 2002, Count decided to make a more Hip Hop themed album, so he bought an Akai S-3000 samplerAkai S3000XL
The ' is a 16-bit professional stereo digital sampler. The instrument has 32 polyphonic voices, and 2 MB of built-in RAM. While this may not seem like much compared to today's standards, when the S3000XL was released, it was top of the line...
, and an MPC
MPC
-Astronomy:* Megaparsec, unit of length used in astronomy* Minor Planet Center, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory**Minor Planet Circulars, or astronomical publication from the Minor Planet Center...
-2000 drum machine
Drum machine
A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...
and quickly learned to create new sounds. With these tools he released his second, and most critically acclaimed studio album, Dwight Spitz
Dwight Spitz
Dwight Spitz is an album by American hip hop artist and multi-instrumentalist Count Bass D, his second full-length studio album. It was released on August 30, 2002 on High Times.-Overview:...
. It features appearances from other well known indie MCs, such as MF DOOM
MF Doom
Daniel Dumile is a hip hop artist who has taken on several stage names in his career, most notably MF DOOM, where the "MF" stands for metal face, and for tracks he has produced, metal fingers...
, and Edan
Edan
Edan aka Edan Portnoy is an American alternative hip hop artist. He is an emcee, DJ and record producer.Edan is known for his unique/unlikely take on hip hop culture, where traditional rap songs are often skewed by 60's rock samples, tape echoes, and foreign language choruses, not to mention the...
. In 2004, Count produced a track and guest appeared on MF DOOM
MF Doom
Daniel Dumile is a hip hop artist who has taken on several stage names in his career, most notably MF DOOM, where the "MF" stands for metal face, and for tracks he has produced, metal fingers...
's MM..FOOD.
In 2005, Count released his second EP, Begborrowsteel
Begborrowsteel
BEGBORROWSTEEL is an EP by American hip hop artist and multi-instrumentalist Count Bass D, his second EP. It was released on August 21, 2005 on Jazzy Sport.-Overview:...
on Jazzy Sport Records, Act Your Waist Size. his third studio album, on Fat Beats Records in 2006. In 2008, Count released a sequel album on 1320 Records, to Pre-Life Crisis, called L7 (Mid-Life Crisis), he was 35 at the time of release.
2010-present
In 2010, Count teamed up with old friend, producer and rapper DJ Pocket, and made two collaborative albums in the same year. In the Loop, and Activity, both released on Domination records. In 2011, Count and rapper Insight, released a collaborative record called The Risktakers. On August 25, 2011, Count self-released his 5th studio album, #FULLCOUNT, on his own record label Dwight Farrell's Music.The name of the album nods to the full self production of the album, rapping, with no guest features.
Albums
- 1995: Pre-Life CrisisPre-Life CrisisPre-Life Crisis is the debut album by American rapper and record producer Count Bass D....
- 2002: Dwight SpitzDwight SpitzDwight Spitz is an album by American hip hop artist and multi-instrumentalist Count Bass D, his second full-length studio album. It was released on August 30, 2002 on High Times.-Overview:...
- 2006: Act Your Waist Size.
- 2008: L7 (Mid-Life Crisis)
- 2011: #FULLCOUNT
Instrumental albums
- 2004: Some Music: The Producers Cut (Part 1)
- 2004: 2006 (Some Music Pt. 2)
- 2007: Ear Regardless (Some Music Pt. 3)
- 2007: Some Music Part 4: Vinyl Ain't Dead Yet
- 2008: Robbed Without a Pistol
- 2008: Some Music Part Five: Slim & Nice
- 2011: Some Music Pt. 7 (Dwight Yoke Them)
EPs
- 1997: Art for Sale
- 2004: 9 Years
- 2004: Ohio Players
- 2005: BEGBORROWSTEELBegborrowsteelBEGBORROWSTEEL is an EP by American hip hop artist and multi-instrumentalist Count Bass D, his second EP. It was released on August 21, 2005 on Jazzy Sport.-Overview:...
Collaborations
- 2007: True Ohio Playas (w/ J. Rawls)
- 2009: In the Loop (w/ DJ Pocket)
- 2010: Activity (w/ DJ Pocket)
- 2010: Hartsfield JAXson (w/ DJ Pocket)
- 2011: In the Loop Partie Deux (w/ DJ Pocket)
- 2011: The Risk Takers (w/ Insight)
External links
- Official website
- Huey, Steve. "[ Count Bass D]". Allmusic.