Critical Praise for DaVinci:
"[DaVinci's] wider goals as an artist, his views on the world outside the music, seem like the kind of thing that fans of rap from all corners might find appealing." - Pitchfork
"[DaVinci] has a point and an emotional thrust behind that point... it's pretty enviable." - FADER
"Hard-nosed, raw, and without compromise... one of the best rap records of the year thus far." - Jeff Weiss
"The epitome of what it means to be a 'street' rapper, DaVinci offers stark and realistic commentary on his surroundings and the people in it." - Maurice Garland, Ozone Magazine.
The Video:
In March 2010, DaVinci released The Day The Turf Stood Still, a truly striking debut album, and one that allowed listeners to share DaVinci's gaze as he watched his neighborhood, the historic Fillmore District in San Francisco, experience an overhaul due to impacts of gentrification and urban renewal. DaVinci's new EP, Feast Or Famine , released for free download late last month through his label, SWTBRDS, largely follows in those footsteps, while taking a broader look at the ills that affect – both good and bad – inner city communities across America."
Central to both projects is DaVinci's quest to find a voice that not only represents his own views, but also the struggle, pain, and celebration of those around him. And, inspired by the young rapper's work, Brian Chu and Austin Chu, collectively Werehaus.tv, set out to capture just that with their mini-documentary, "DaVinci: A Fillmore Story."
"Working on this project with SWTBRDS and DaVinci has been more than we could have asked for," explain Brian and Austin, noting that the project was their attempt to create, "an honest piece about the struggle to find oneself, and develop a voice that represents where one's from." Opening with an acapella take on a verse from previous single "D.R.E.A.M.," the mini-documentary chronicles DaVinci traveling throughout the city – home, the studio – as he speaks on how growing up in The Fillmore impacts his outlook on life, the struggle and care for others that permeates his music, and much more
Watch "DaVinci: A Fillmore Story" here: http://vimeo.com/29381808
Feast Or Famine is available, and can be downloaded here: http://davinci.swtbrds.com/
For more information on DaVinci please contact Michelle or Dan at Audible Treats.
The
Background:
San Francisco's Fillmore District, better known to residents as 'The Moe', has bred more rappers per capita than any other district in the city, and is on par with Bay Area hip-hop hotbeds Vallejo and Oakland. DaVinci, is the latest rapper to emerge from the historic district and has done so in high fashion. Since dropping his debut album, The Day The Turf Stood Still, last year, DaVinci's rise has been a meteoric one. The album earned DaVinci a coveted spot on 106.1 KMEL's inaugural Bay Area's Freshman 10 of 2010, and a guest appearance on DJ Muggs' Shade45 radio show "Soul Assassins Radio: The West Wing," along with a litany of stellar coverage from the likes of Pitchfork, The FADER, HipHopDX.com, PrefixMag.com, Ozone Magazine, Wax Poetics, XLR8R Magazine, SF Weekly, East Bay Express, The New York Times' Bay Citizen, and more. DaVinci's follow-up EP, Feast Or Famine, released August 24, 2011, further shows the evolution of DaVinci's sound, and serves as a precursor to DaVinci's forthcoming sophomore LP, The Moena Lisa, which will be released later this year.
SWTBRDS
Background:
SWTBRDS (pronounced Sweetbreads) is a Bay Area-based record label that exemplifies the raw, rare and boutique qualities of its namesake. Founded in 2009, it houses rapper, DaVinci, renaissance DJ, Prince Aries, DJ + rapper duo StreetMedia, as well as the dynamic production team, Drums & Ammo, featuring the collective musical work of producers Ammbush, REL, Al Jieh and 6Fingers. Their first release was the self-titled StreetMedia LP, followed by Adrian Champion Presents: Stars & Stripes - The White Stripes Reimagined in Winter & Spring of 2009. Their most recent release was The Day The Turf Stood Still by DaVinci, his debut album, which received critical acclaim from publications such as Pitchfork.com, Wax Poetics, SF Weekly, XLR8R, Ozone Magazine, URB.com, and more. With a diverse release schedule on the horizon, SWTBRDS kicks 2011 off with Prince Aries' Clean Ass Whip mixtape, an ode to West Coast Hip-Hop's cruising aesthetic, dropping in May 2011. Soon to follow are DaVinci’s Feast or Famine EP and The MOEna Lisa LP, Drums & Ammo, Vol. 1, the self-titled first installment of a new instrumental series, REL's sophomore solo instrumental album, The Orchestration 2, Ammbush's solo artist EP, and StreetMedia's sophomore album.
Stay up-to-date at http://www.swtbrds.com/, http://twitter.com/swtbrds, and http://www.facebook.com/SWTBRDS.
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