Plastic Little (band)

Plastic Little is an American rap group consisting of Jayson Musson (PackofRats), Kurt Hunte (No Body's Child), Jon Folmar (Jon Thousand), Si Young Lee (DJ Si Young) and Michael Stern (SQUID).[3][4] The name "Plastic Little" comes from the Manga and OVA, Plastic Little simply as, according to Musson, "The way the 2 words go together, I like it".[5] Based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; they've worked with other notable artists from the area, including Amanda Blank and Spank Rock.[1]

Plastic Little
Kurt Hunte and Jayson Musson (from left) performing at Sonar, Baltimore, September 12, 2007
Kurt Hunte and Jayson Musson (from left) performing at Sonar, Baltimore, September 12, 2007
Background information
OriginPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, United States[1]
GenresHip hop, 2-step
LabelsaNYthing, SoundInk, Free News Projects[2]
MembersPackofRats, No Body's Child, Jon Thousand, DJ Si Young, SQUID[3]
Past membersMC Spank Rock[1]
WebsitePlastic Little on Myspace

Background

Originally consisting of only Musson and Hunte, Plastic Little formed during the summer of 2001.[6] After little success the pair started looking for "some proper white folks"[6] to appeal to a wider audience. In late 2002, producer Michael Squid joined the group and together they completed their self-released album Thug Paradise 2.1, released in 2003. A few years later, DJ and producer Si Young joined the group as the group's DJ.

Subsequent to its release the first 6 tracks were released by 'aNYthing Records', for which it received wide critical acclaim from a variety of sources such as Pitchfork Media and Vice Magazine.[7]

Following up on this success, Plastic Little released their first studio album, She's Mature, in 2006 to mixed reviews.

Subsequent to the release of this album the band spent much of the next following years touring both the United States and the UK, both playing shows of their own and also in a supporting role for various artists. The group has shared the stage with M.I.A., Diplo, Blockhead, Mark Ronson,[8] Jay-Z,[9] Bonde Do Role,[10] Roots Manuva,[11] Z-Trip,[12] Belleruche,[13] Dizzie Rascal,[14] Santogold[15] and Chromeo as well as Philadelphia's own Need New Body and Man Man.[7]

The group perform a 2005 Halloween show at Haverford College, PA.

Plastic Little released their second album Welcome to the Jang House in 2008 to the UK audience only. The album compiles tracks from their self-released album, Thug Paradise, as well as their debut album, She's Mature; adding a couple of new tracks also. The album received mainly positive reviews, with critics praising Little's ability to blend many genres together into one album while still sounding "fresh and bold";[16] their "tongue-in-cheek brilliance";[17] and their "biting critique of society at large" and "acerbic wit and intelligence".[18]

2008 also saw them touring the UK in support of their album[19] and featuring in a number of festivals; including Glastonbury (for Mark Ronson),[20] Creamfields,[21] Get Loaded in The Park (for Ronson),[22] Lollapalooza[8] and the O2 Wireless festival (again for Ronson).[23]

Harlem Shake

A sample of the song "Miller Time", from the self-released 2003 album Thug Paradise 2.1, was featured in the Baauer song "Harlem Shake" in 2012.[24] The sample was taken without the permission of the band who are now seeking compensation from Mad Decent records for the copyright infringement, along with Reggaeton artist Héctor Delgado,[25] due to the success of the release.[26][27] Musson has stated the label have been "more than cooperative during this".[27] The Harlem Shake became an internet meme in February 2013 after various groups of people performed a dance (unrelated to the original Harlem shake) to it and uploaded the videos to YouTube.[24][28] The original lyrics ("And if you bring a 40 bottle to battle me/ I'll just punch you in the face/ then do the Harlem Shake") were a reference to a fight Musson had with a local graffiti artist after a Plastic Little gig.[24][29]

Musical style

Their music has been variously described as rap, hip-hop, 2-step, Gallery Rap[3] and, in their own words, Broke Pop[30] and Party Rap.[31] Plastic Little are known for their often tongue-in-cheek, comedic lyrical style[17] while still being "simultaneously too full of themselves and astoundingly self-aware".[3]

Influences

Plastic Little list a wide range of artists as their influences, including The Roots,[32] Yellowman,[9] Three 6 Mafia, Bonnie Raitt, Dwight Yoakam, Sade, R. Kelly and even Disney.[4]

Discography

Albums

EPs
  • 2005 Thug Paradise[33]

Singles

Appearances and Remixes

References
  1. Lester, Paul (September 12, 2008). "The Guardian - Band Intro". The Guardian. Retrieved March 30, 2011.
  2. Plastic Little at AllMusic. Retrieved March 30, 2011.
  3. Fennessey, Sean (January 3, 2007). "She's Mature review". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved March 30, 2011.
  4. "Official Myspace site". Myspace. Retrieved March 30, 2011.
  5. Standring, Ant (November 26, 2007). "Jayson Musson Interview". Glasswerk. Art In The Age. Archived from the original on March 25, 2012. Retrieved April 20, 2011.
  6. Coda (October 4, 2008). "Plastic Little Bio". Simple Productions. Archived from the original on March 24, 2012. Retrieved May 4, 2011.
  7. "She's Mature". Apollo Audio. Archived from the original on September 4, 2011. Retrieved April 21, 2011.
  8. Phillips, Amy (August 3, 2008). "Lollapalooza report". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved May 4, 2011.
  9. ONeill, Ron. "Plastic Little interview". Subba-Cultcha. Archived from the original on March 26, 2012. Retrieved March 30, 2011.
  10. "Bondo De Role". NME. August 1, 2007. Retrieved May 4, 2011.
  11. Baston, Neil (October 1, 2008). "Roots Manuva". shout4music. Retrieved May 4, 2011.
  12. Park, Dave (May 2, 2007). "Z-Trip". Retrieved May 4, 2011.
  13. Trickett, Amanda (October 16, 2008). "Belleruche". Metro. Associated Newspapers Limited. Retrieved May 4, 2011.
  14. Fullerton, Jamie (February 29, 2008). "Dizzee Rascal". NME. IPC Media. Retrieved May 4, 2011.
  15. "SantoGold". BrooklynVegan. September 20, 2008. Retrieved May 4, 2011.
  16. Ashcroft, Charlie (August 29, 2008). "Welcome to the Jang House - Daily music guide review". dailymusicguide. Retrieved May 5, 2011.
  17. Ahmad, Azeem (September 29, 2008). "Welcome to the Jang House - musicOHM review". musicOMH. Retrieved May 5, 2011.
  18. Noize (August 5, 2008). "Welcome to the Jang Haus - Noize review". Noize Makes Enemies. Retrieved May 5, 2011.
  19. Robinson, John (October 11, 2008). "Guardian Tour info". The Guardian. Scott Trust. Retrieved May 5, 2011.
  20. "Glastonbury festival info". NME. IPC Media. June 29, 2008. Retrieved May 5, 2011.
  21. "Creamfields festival info". BBC. August 11, 2008. Retrieved May 5, 2011.
  22. "Get Loaded festival info". NME. IPC Media. April 21, 2008. Retrieved May 5, 2011.
  23. "O2 Wireless festival info". NME. IPC Media. July 4, 2008. Retrieved May 5, 2011.
  24. Zeichner, Naomi (February 15, 2013). "FADER Explains: Harlem Shake". The Fader. Retrieved March 4, 2013.
  25. "Is Uncredited Voice Behind "Con Los Terroristas" Sample in "Harlem Shake" Song Suing DJ Baauer?". Latinorebels.com. February 22, 2013. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
  26. Stern, Marlow (February 18, 2013). "Meet Baauer, the Man Behind the Harlem Shake". The Daily Beast. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
  27. McKinley Jr., James C. (March 10, 2013). "Surprise Hit Was a Shock for Artists Heard on It". New York Times. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
  28. Frere-Jones, Sasha (February 22, 2013). "Shake What Your Internet Friend Gave You: Baauer and "Harlem Shake"". The New Yorker. Retrieved March 4, 2013.
  29. Rosen, Jill (February 17, 2013). "'Harlem Shake' has Baltimore moving, too". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved March 4, 2013.
  30. Sullivan, Paul (August 1, 2008). "Plastic Little". Clash Magazine. Retrieved March 30, 2011.
  31. The Vulture (August 10, 2006). "Jayson Musson interview". The Chuckler. Retrieved March 30, 2011.
  32. Bottenberg, Rupert (May 16, 2007). "Fools Gold - J Musson interview". Montreal Mirror. Communications Gratte-Ciel Ltée. Archived from the original on June 30, 2012. Retrieved April 11, 2011.
  33. McLaren, Ryan (August 9, 2006). "Thug Paradise review". Wavelength Music Arts Projects. Archived from the original on February 9, 2013. Retrieved May 6, 2011.
  34. Tadah (January 11, 2005). "F.O.I.L review by Urban Smarts". Urban Smarts. Retrieved May 6, 2011.
  35. Yates, Steve (April 22, 2007). "Crambodia - Observer review". The Observer. Retrieved May 6, 2011.
  36. "The Jump Off at Discogs". Discogs. Zink Media. Retrieved May 6, 2011.
  37. Thompson, Ben (November 11, 2007). "I'm Not a Thug - Observer review". The Observer. Retrieved May 6, 2011.
  38. Noize (February 27, 2008). "Get Close announcement on Noize". Noize Makes Enemies. Retrieved May 6, 2011.
  39. Chester, Tim (May 29, 2009). "NME - La La Land review". NME. IPC Media. Retrieved May 6, 2011.
  40. "Dub Pistols - Open at iTunes". iTunes. June 10, 2007. Retrieved April 1, 2011.
  41. "Just Jack - Writer's Block at iTunes". iTunes. January 2007. Retrieved April 1, 2011.
  42. "Leon Jean Marie - Bed of Nails at Discogs". Discogs. Zink Media. Retrieved April 1, 2011.
  43. "Daniel Merriweather - Chainsaw at Stokedpr". Archived from the original on March 24, 2010. Retrieved April 1, 2011.
  44. "Filthy Dukes - Nonsense in the Dark at Discogs". Discogs. Zink Media. Retrieved April 1, 2011.
  45. "The Clik Clik - Did You Wrong at Discogs". Discogs. Zink Media. Retrieved April 1, 2011.
  46. "Eliza Doolittle - Rollerblades at Discogs". Discogs. Zink Media. Retrieved April 1, 2011.
  47. "Jahcoozi - Watching You at iTunes". iTunes. June 2, 2009. Retrieved April 1, 2011.
  48. "Missill - Kawaii at Discogs". Discogs. Zink Media. Retrieved April 1, 2011.
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