Mike Ladd is an American hip hop musician from Boston, Massachusetts, United States.[2] He is based in Paris, France.[3] The Guardian described him as "the king of the hip-hop concept."[4]
Mike Ladd | |
|---|---|
 Ladd (left) and Serge Teyssot-Gay in 2016. | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Origin | Paris, France |
| Genres | Hip hop[1] |
| Occupations | |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Labels |
|
Early life
editMike Ladd was born in Boston, Massachusetts.[5] As a child, he lived in India and Zimbabwe for a while.[6] He graduated from Hampshire College.[7]
Career
editLadd's debut studio album, Easy Listening 4 Armageddon, was released in 1997.[8] He released Welcome to the Afterfuture in 2000.[9] Nostalgialator was released in 2004.[10] In 2005, he released Negrophilia: The Album, which was inspired by Petrine Archer-Straw's book of the same name.[11] In that year, he also released Father Divine on ROIR.[12] He has also released several collaborative albums with jazz pianist Vijay Iyer.[13]
Style and influences
editMike Ladd's influences range from Funkadelic to King Tubby, Minor Threat, and Charles Stepney.[14]
Discography
editStudio albums
edit- Easy Listening 4 Armageddon (1997)
- Welcome to the Afterfuture (2000)
- Gun Hill Road (2000) (as The Infesticons)
- Beauty Party (2003) (as The Majesticons)
- In What Language? (2003) (with Vijay Iyer)
- Nostalgialator (2004)
- Negrophilia: The Album (2005)
- Father Divine (2005)
- Still Life with Commentator (2007) (with Vijay Iyer)
- Maison Hantée (2008) (with Alexandre Pierrepont)
- Anarchist Republic of Bzzz (2009) (as Anarchist Republic of Bzzz)
- Bedford Park (2010) (as The Infesticons)
- Why Waste Time (2012) (as Sleeping in Vilna)
- Holding It Down: The Veterans' Dreams Project (2013) (with Vijay Iyer)
- Gain (2016) (with Jeff Parker, High Priest, and Tyshawn Sorey, as Illtet)
- Epiphany (2017) (with Mankwe Ndosi, Sylvain Kassap, and Dana Hall)
- La chose commune (2017) (with Emmanuel Bex, David Lescot, Elise Caron, Géraldine Laurent, and Simon Goubert)
- Visions of Selam (2018) (with Arat Kilo and Mamani Keita)
- The Dead Can Rap (2020)
- Transatlantic (2023) (with David Sztanke Soundtrack from the Netflix Series)
- EXILLIANS (2023) (with MIKE LADD, T.I.E, JUICE ALEEM)
Live albums
edit- Live from Paris (2000)
EPs
edit- Vernacular Homicide (2001)
- Kids and Animals (2011)
Singles
edit- "Blah Blah" (1998)
- "5000 Miles" / "Planet 10" (2000)
- "Activator Cowboy" (2001)
- "Wild Out Day" / "Jet Pack" (2003)
- "Housewives at Play" (2004)
- "Shake It" (2004)
Guest appearances
edit- Youngblood Brass Band - "Peace" from Unlearn (2000)
- Mr. Flash - "Basementized Soul" from Le Voyage Fantastique (2001)
- Thawfor - "Where Thawght Is Worshipped 2.2" from Where Thawght Is Worshiped (2001)
- The Opus - "Where Thawght Is Worshipped 3.0" from 0.0.0. (2002)
- Terranova - "Sublime" and "Heroes" from Hitchhiking Non-Stop with No Particular Destination (2002)
- Emmanuel Santarromana - "Les Halles" from Métropolitain (2003)
- Huge Voodoo - "NYPD Blues" from Affordable Magic (2003)
- Sonic Sum - "Films" from Films (2004)
- Jackson and His Computerband - "TV Dogs (Cathodica's Letter)" from Smash (2005)
- Daedelus - "Welcome Home" from Exquisite Corpse (2005)
- Stacs of Stamina - "Baghdad Boogie" from Tivoli (2005)
- Blue Sky Black Death - "Long Division" from A Heap of Broken Images (2006)
- Coldcut - "Everything Is Under Control" from Sound Mirrors (2006)
- Soylent Green - "Eating People" from Software and Hardwar (2006)
- dDamage - "Alphabet & Burners" from Shimmy Shimmy Blade (2006)
- Mister Modo & Ugly Mac Beer - "Machiavelli vs. Lao Tseu" and "Machiavelli vs. Lao Tseu (Remix)" from Mo' Dougly Weird Stories (2007)
- Apollo Heights - "Missed Again" from Disco Lights (2007)
- Grand Pianoramax - "Showdown" from The Biggest Piano in Town (2008)
- Arsenal - "Turn Me Loose" from Lotuk (2008)
- Solex vs. Cristina Martinez & Jon Spencer - "R Is for Ring-A-Ding" and "Action" from Amsterdam Throwdown King Street Showdown! (2009)
- Mister Modo & Ugly Mac Beer with Jessica Fitoussi - "Dirty Finders" from Modonut (2009)
- DJ Spooky - "Known Unknowns" from The Secret Song (2009)
- U-God - "Lipton" from Dopium (2009)
- Mister Modo & Ugly Mac Beer - "Norman Bates" from Remi Domost (2010)
- Walker Barnard - "Ooty on Wax" and "Ooty on Wax (Iron Curtis Remix)" from Alacazam (2011)
- Grand Pianoramax - "Domestic Bliss" from Smooth Danger (2011)
- Birdapres - "Not the Only Man" from Catch an L (2011)
- Busdriver - "Electric Blue" from Beaus$Eros (2012)
- Mister Modo & Ugly Mac Beer - "Life at the 9th" from Modonut 2 (2012)
- Roberto Fonseca - "Mi Negra Ave Maria" from Yo (2012)
- Ben Muller - "The Last One to Preach" (2013)
- Mister Modo & Ugly Mac Beer - "Wild Gun Mike" from Modonut Invasion (2013)
- Dr. John - "Mack the Knife" from Ske-Dat-De-Dat: The Spirit of Satch (2014)
- Nevche - "Rendez-Nous L'Argent" from Rétroviseur (2014)
- Uncommon Nasa - "Black Hole" from Written at Night (2017)
- R.A.P. Ferreira - "An Idea Is a Work of Art" from Purple Moonlight Pages (2020)
- Billy Woods - "Christine" from Aethiopes (2022)
Remixes
edit- Enrico Macias - "Le Vent Du Sud (Mike Ladd Remix)" from Enrico Experience (2000)
- Yo La Tengo - "Nuclear War (Version 4)" (2002)
- Antipop Consortium - "Ghostlawns (Mike Ladd Mix)" (2002)
- Yameen - "Spirit Walker (Mike Ladd Remix)" from Never Knows More (2009)
References
edit- ^ Khan, Imran (October 23, 2018). "Sci-Fi Goes Hi-Fi: 10 Artists' Foray into Hip-Hop Futurism". PopMatters. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
- ^ Fortune, Drew (April 25, 2008). "Mike Ladd: Sci-Fi Hip Hop Futurist". Alarm. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
- ^ Siwek, Daniel (January 29, 2008). "Mike Ladd Nostalgialator". XLR8R. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
- ^ Simpson, Dave (July 23, 2004). "Mike Ladd, Nostalgialator". The Guardian. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
- ^ Rutledge, Bryant (November 30, 2007). "Mike Ladd "Trouble Shot"". XLR8R. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
- ^ Khan, Imran (February 16, 2018). "There's a Good Ladd: An Interview with Rapper and Musician Mike Ladd". PopMatters. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
- ^ "A Sampling of Alumni Careers in Writing and Related Fields". Hampshire College. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
- ^ LeRoy, Dan. "Mike Ladd - Easy Listening 4 Armageddon". AllMusic. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
- ^ P., Ethan (March 7, 2000). "Mike Ladd: Welcome to the Afterfuture". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
- ^ Sawdey, Evan (January 24, 2008). "Mike Ladd: Nostalgialator". PopMatters. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
- ^ Kellman, Andy. "Mike Ladd - Negrophilia: The Album". AllMusic. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
- ^ Tangari, Joe (November 13, 2005). "Mike Ladd: Father Divine". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
- ^ Barton, Chris (September 10, 2013). "Review: 'Holding It Down' awakens us to veterans' dreams". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
- ^ Bush, John. "Mike Ladd - Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
