Platinum Pied Pipers
Encyclopedia
Platinum Pied Pipers is a Detroit-based hip hop
and R&B group composed of producer Waajeed
(Robert O'Bryant), and multi-instrumentalist
Saadiq (Darnell Bolden, not to be confused with Raphael Saadiq
). Their music usually features a rotating and varied array of artists.
in 2003, however, called "Ridin' High" which caught the ears of music listeners, and set the stage for a full-length album. The pair have a rather distinctive mixture of sounds as, although Waajeed is primarily a hip hop producer
, Saadiq is a protege of Motown producer Barrett Strong
, making for a finely tuned middleground. As stated in interviews, the name "Platinum Pied Pipers" was chosen at random and has no connection to the Pied Piper
folk tale. Since Detroit is their hometown, they have said that the city is very important to them.
was eventually released in 2005 on Ubiquity Records
and received a large amount of praise from people such as Gilles Peterson
, and Questlove, who claimed to have listened to the album 7 times in a row. LA Weekly
made it their "Pick of the Week" and said "While [Waajeed] made hip-hop for the streets with his act Slum Village
, he's now making intergalactic soul with PPP... the Triple P's debut for Ubiquity has created a buzz in the air and a tremble on the dance floor".
Other album highlights include a Latin-fueled version of “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” featuring Rogiérs of Fibby Music, and a track with Detroit rapper Invincible.
Their newest album Abundance was released January 20, 2009. Wajeed stated: "...our tastes have changed—times have changed. It’s definitely a different record, but there are still a lot of similarities."
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...
and R&B group composed of producer Waajeed
Waajeed
Waajeed is a Detroit-born music producer, and one half of the hip hop and R&B group Platinum Pied Pipers. He formed the Bling47 record label in 2002,which has released his work and projects by J Dilla and the vocalist Tiombe Lockhart...
(Robert O'Bryant), 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...
Saadiq (Darnell Bolden, not to be confused with Raphael Saadiq
Raphael Saadiq
Raphael Saadiq is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. Saadiq has been a standard bearer for "old school" R&B since his early days as a member of the multiplatinum group Tony! Toni! Toné! He also produced songs of such artists as TLC, Joss Stone, D'Angelo, Mary J...
). Their music usually features a rotating and varied array of artists.
Background
The two met through rapper Baatin in 1992. Sometime in 2000, they decided to form a duo and began releasing 12"s and mixtapes. It was their collaboration with DweleDwele
Andwele Gardner , better known by his stage name Dwele is a soul singer, songwriter and record producer from Detroit, Michigan.-Biography:...
in 2003, however, called "Ridin' High" which caught the ears of music listeners, and set the stage for a full-length album. The pair have a rather distinctive mixture of sounds as, although Waajeed is primarily a hip hop producer
Hip hop production
Hip hop production is the creation of hip hop music. Though the term encompasses all aspects of hip hop music, it's most commonly used to refer to the instrumental, non-lyrical aspects of hip hop. This means that hip hop producers are the instrumentalists involved in a work...
, Saadiq is a protege of Motown producer Barrett Strong
Barrett Strong
Barrett Strong is an American singer and songwriter. Strong was the first artist to record a hit for Motown, although he is best remembered for his work as a songwriter, particularly in association with producer Norman Whitfield.-His career:Strong was among the first artists signed to Berry...
, making for a finely tuned middleground. As stated in interviews, the name "Platinum Pied Pipers" was chosen at random and has no connection to the Pied Piper
The Pied Piper of Hamelin
The Pied Piper of Hamelin is the subject of a legend concerning the departure or death of a great many children from the town of Hamelin , Lower Saxony, Germany, in the Middle Ages. The earliest references describe a piper, dressed in pied clothing, leading the children away from the town never...
folk tale. Since Detroit is their hometown, they have said that the city is very important to them.
Triple P
Their debut album Triple PTriple P (album)
Triple P is the 2005 debut album by American hip hop and R&B group Platinum Pied Pipers.-Track listing:# "Shotgun Intro" # "Your Day Is Done" # "Deep Inside"...
was eventually released in 2005 on Ubiquity Records
Ubiquity Records
Ubiquity Records is an American music label that focuses on funk, rare groove, soul, and hip hop and other musical genres. It is located in Costa Mesa, California and has a satellite office based in San Francisco, California...
and received a large amount of praise from people such as Gilles Peterson
Gilles Peterson
Gilles Peterson , is a DJ, record collector and record label owner from London, UK. Through his labels Acid Jazz, Talkin' Loud, and latterly Brownswood Recordings, he has been associated with the careers of well-known artists of the 1990s such as Erykah Badu, Roni Size and Jamiroquai...
, and Questlove, who claimed to have listened to the album 7 times in a row. LA Weekly
LA Weekly
LA Weekly is a free weekly tabloid-sized "alternative weekly" in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Editor/Publisher Jay Levin and a board of directors that included actor-producer Michael Douglas...
made it their "Pick of the Week" and said "While [Waajeed] made hip-hop for the streets with his act Slum Village
Slum Village
Slum Village was a hip hop group from Conant Gardens, Detroit, Michigan.The group was formed by three members: rappers Baatin and T3, plus rapper and producer J Dilla . J Dilla left in 2002 to pursue a solo career with MCA Records...
, he's now making intergalactic soul with PPP... the Triple P's debut for Ubiquity has created a buzz in the air and a tremble on the dance floor".
Other album highlights include a Latin-fueled version of “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” featuring Rogiérs of Fibby Music, and a track with Detroit rapper Invincible.
Their newest album Abundance was released January 20, 2009. Wajeed stated: "...our tastes have changed—times have changed. It’s definitely a different record, but there are still a lot of similarities."
Albums
- Triple PTriple P (album)Triple P is the 2005 debut album by American hip hop and R&B group Platinum Pied Pipers.-Track listing:# "Shotgun Intro" # "Your Day Is Done" # "Deep Inside"...
- (2005, Ubiquity) - Abundance - (2009, Ubiquity)
12"s
- "Ridin' High" b/w "Open Your Eyes" - (2003, Ubiquity RecordsUbiquity RecordsUbiquity Records is an American music label that focuses on funk, rare groove, soul, and hip hop and other musical genres. It is located in Costa Mesa, California and has a satellite office based in San Francisco, California...
)- featuring DweleDweleAndwele Gardner , better known by his stage name Dwele is a soul singer, songwriter and record producer from Detroit, Michigan.-Biography:...
- featuring Dwele
- "Stay With Me"*, "I Got You"*, "Your Day Is Done"^ - (2004, Ubiquity RecordsUbiquity RecordsUbiquity Records is an American music label that focuses on funk, rare groove, soul, and hip hop and other musical genres. It is located in Costa Mesa, California and has a satellite office based in San Francisco, California...
)- * featuring Tiombe LockhartTiombe LockhartTiombe Lockhart is an American nu soul and R&B singer and songwriter.-Early life:Lockhart was born in Atlanta, Georgia. At the age of 12 she moved to Los Angeles and completed the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts...
- ^ featuring Georgia Anne Muldrow
- * featuring Tiombe Lockhart
- "Act Like You Know"* b/w "Now Or Never"^ - (2005, Ubiquity RecordsUbiquity RecordsUbiquity Records is an American music label that focuses on funk, rare groove, soul, and hip hop and other musical genres. It is located in Costa Mesa, California and has a satellite office based in San Francisco, California...
)- * featuring J DillaJ DillaJames Dewitt Yancey , better known by the stage names J Dilla and Jay Dee, was an American record producer who emerged from the mid-1990s underground hip hop scene in Detroit, Michigan...
- ^ featuring Tiombe Lockhart
- * featuring J Dilla
- "Shotgun"^, "Fever" (2005, Ubiquity RecordsUbiquity RecordsUbiquity Records is an American music label that focuses on funk, rare groove, soul, and hip hop and other musical genres. It is located in Costa Mesa, California and has a satellite office based in San Francisco, California...
)- ^ featuring Jay Dee (J Dilla), Invincible & Medaphoar