| Grayskul | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Seattle, WA |
| Genres | Hip hop, Northwest hip hop |
| Years active | 2003-Present |
| Labels | Rhymesayers Entertainment |
| Associated acts | Oldominion, Aesop Rock, Cage, Slug |
| Website | http://www.grayskul.net/ |
| Members | |
| Count Draven, Count Magnus | |
| Past members | |
| Phantom Ghost El Topo | |
Grayskul are a hip hop duo from Seattle, Washington.
Contents |
In 2003 Onry Ozzborn and JFK, both members of the Pacific Northwest hip hop collective Oldominion, teamed up with bassist Rob Castro to form Grayskul. They recorded about 55 songs in eight months at ATB Studios; these would eventually become Creature, Thee Adventures! and Deadlivers.[1] After opening for Eyedea & Abilities during their 2004 E&A tour, their music was brought to the attention of Rhymesayers Entertainment head Siddiq by their manager, Wordsayer of Jasiri Media, and Grayskul was signed almost immediately by the major underground label.[2]
Grayskul's label debut, Deadlivers was met with promising reviews including Spin rating the album a B+. Many likened the album to Cannibal Ox's desolate dystopian debut The Cold Vein, which Grayskul admitted was a major influence.[3]
In 2007, Grayskul released their second album on Rhymesayers, Bloody Radio, this time with Ozzborn going by the name Count Draven and JFK going by the name Count Magnus. While this album curiously excluded Castro, underground hip hop heavy hitters such as Aesop Rock, Cage, and Slug all chipped in verses further solidifying Grayskul's standing in the underground hip hop community.
In 2009, Grayskul in collaboration with producer Maker released Graymaker. In an interview with Seattle Weekly Onry said "Of the albums we've done in the past, we've never had a whole project that's straight-ahead hip-hop," "People always say our stuff is dark, weird, bugged-out, but I think this one will catch people by surprise. [Maker's] beats in general made us write different. He uses more breakbeats, slower BPMs—so you'll be able to hear that." [4]
| Year | Album | Label | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Creature | Grad School Music | |
| 2004 | Thee Adventures! | Self-released | |
| 2005 | Deadlivers | Rhymesayers Entertainment | |
| 2005 | Wand and the Gun | Self-released | Tour only CD |
| 2006 | Name in Vain | Heavyweight Titles | Tour only CD |
| 2006 | Blood Sweat and Fears | DJ Wicked | Tour only CD |
| 2007 | Facefeeder | Self-released | Tour only CD |
| 2007 | Bloody Radio | Rhymesayers Entertainment | |
| 2007 | Scarecrow 12" Vinyl | Rhymesayers Entertainment | |
| 2009 | Mod Volatile b/w At The Time 7" Vinyl | Fieldwerk Recordings | |
| 2009 | Graymaker | Taxidermy Records | |
| 2010 | Zenith | Rhymesayers Entertainment |
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