Busdriver

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This article is about the hip-hop artist. For the person who drives buses, see Bus driver.

Busdriver
Background information
Birth name	Regan Farquhar
Origin	Los Angeles
Genre(s)	Hip hop Alternative hip hop
Years active	1996–present
Label(s)	Epitaph Records

Busdriver (born Regan Farquhar) is a hip-hop artist from Los Angeles. He is known for his staccato, jazzy, free-association rap, and the eccentric personality he expresses through it.

He is currently signed to Epitaph Records.

1 History
2 Style
3 Discography
- 3.1 Albums
- 3.2 Singles
4 External links

[edit] History

Born in Los Angeles, he was introduced to hip-hop at an early age, his father being the screenwriter for the film Krush Groove, one of the earliest films focusing on the hip-hop culture. Farquhar began rapping at age 9, and by 13 he had released his first album, as part of the group 4/29. A regular at the Project Blowed open mic during the mid-1990s, he would be introduced to fellow underground artists, leading him to being a guest on at least 20 singles.

Busdriver released his first album, Memoirs of the Elephant Man, in 2001, followed by This Machine Kills Fashion Tips and Temporary Forever in 2002. 2003 brought a collaboration with fellow underground artists Radioinactive and Daedelus for the experimental LP The Weather. His most recent releases are 2004's Cosmic Cleavage (produced by longtime collaborator Daddy Kev) and Fear of a Black Tangent in 2005 . In 2005 he was also enlisted (along with Vic Booz and Subtitle) as a "Corn Ganggster", rapping with The Unicorns' offshoot project, Th' Corn Gangg. He later appeared on the Islands' album Return to the Sea, on the song "Where There's A Will There's A Whalebone."

Although his tracks are little-known outside of alternative hip-hop circles and college radio, he gained a small amount of mainstream recognition when "Imaginary Places", off Temporary Forever, appeared in the hit video game Tony Hawk's Underground in 2003. His latest album, RoadKillOvercoat, was released on Epitaph Records in January, 2007.

[edit] Style

Busdriver has a unique style of rapping. His lyrics are often self-referential, both critical of the music industry and self-deprecating, and his narratives are often surreal, almost dadaist. He occasionally raps to the melody in addition to the beat on some songs. As a result, he is often labeled an abstract rapper.