Biography
There are at least 3 bands with this name:
1. The US band, a mid-eighties mix of punk and metal. Notably Scott Ruth became the singer of Ripping Corpse and since then Dim Mak.
2. A side-project of Nornagest, leader of Belgium's well-known Black Metal demons Enthroned.
The Beast's music is extremely primitive and raw sounding, with very lo-fi production. In the vein of Beherit, Von and Striborg.
3. The Beast is an alternative hip-hop group with jazz influences from Durham, NC. The rhythm section consists of pianist Eric Hirsch, bassist Pete Kimosh, drummer Stephen Coffman. Emcee Pierce Freelon is the son of Grammy-winning jazz artist Nnenna Freelon. They have released two EPs and one LP, "Silence Fiction".
Equally comfortable in the worlds of hip-hop and jazz, The Beast developed its revolutionary sound at UNC Chapel Hill. While pianist Eric Hirsh (an alumnus of the prestigious Betty Carter Jazz Ahead program), drummer Stephen Coffman, and bassist Peter Kimosh were earning their music degrees, emcee Pierce Freelon was developing his intelligent lyricism at cyphers and music venues across campus. After graduating, the quartet joined forces in 2007 and quickly distinguished themselves as one of the most progressive and entertaining bands in the North Carolina through their high energy live show and exceptional compositions.
In 2010 The Beast released a free collaborative album with 6-time Grammy nominated jazz vocalist Nnenna Freelon called, Freedom Suite. Released in collaboration with Okayplayer’s jazz channel The Revivalist, Freedom Suite garnered international acclaim for The Beast’s progressive lyrics and eclectic jazz-infused production. On Freedom Suite, The Beast collaborates with artists such as 9th Wonder, YahZarah, Phonte, The Apple Juice Kid, Geechi Suede (of Camp Lo) and Branford Marsalis.
In 2009, The Beast released their fearless self-produced debut album entitled Silence Fiction. Capturing the quartet’s first two years of risk-taking and progressive songwriting, Silence Fiction was hailed as “dexterous musicianship behind detail-driven, socially progressive lyrics” (The Independent). Silence Fiction was released on the Chapel Hill-based independent label Robust Records.
The Beast’s debut EP, Belly, was released in 2008 and called “eclectic and intricate Hip-Hop shot through with soul and Afro-Cuban influences” (The Independent). The collaborative project features soul-singer YahZarah, guitarist Scott Sawyer and the Seed and Harvest Gospel Choir. Contact The Beast: info@thebeastmusic.com
The Beast is dedicated to education and cultural outreach. The group has developed workshops on creativity, improvisation, and the history of African-American music based on the Blackademics Hip Hop curriculum founded by emcee Pierce Freelon. A professor of African American Studies at UNC Chapel Hill and NC Central University, Freelon’s workshops have reached a multi-generational audience from New York to New Delhi.
Artist descriptions on Last.fm are editable by everyone. Feel free to contribute!
All user-contributed text on this page is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply.
