ANIMAL FARM CULTURE SHOCK Available May 17th. Featuring Talib Kweli, Rob Swift, and Abstract Rude.
Somewhere within a city known for its indie rocking, coffee drinking, bike riding hipsters, the True School Hip-Hop group Animal Farm has spread its infectious sound and won over a wide variety of listeners. For those unfamiliar, Portland often conjures up images similar to those seen in the TV Show Portlandia, filled with double-decker bikes and vegans with ear gauges. Animal Farm has risen to defy the odds and create a dedicated following by sharing stages with almost every significant Hip-Hop act to touch down on Northwest soil in the past five years, including Common, Method Man, Redman, LMFAO, GZA, RZA, Ghostface Killah, Wiz Khalifa, N.E.R.D., KRS-One, The Cool Kids, De La Soul, The Game, Del, Dead Prez, Talib Kweli, Ozomatli, and more. They have also toured and participated in festivals such as CMJ Music Marathon, The Dew Tour, MusicFest NW, SXSW, and NW Reggae Fest, to help build their buzz.
Animal Farm first burst onto the scene in 2008 with the album The Unknown, which earned the group high acclaim from XLR8R magazine and URB Magazine's Next 1000 column, partially due to an unforgettable guest appearance by the legendary KRS-One. The album was also featured on a number of prominent websites, including hiphopdx.com and okayplayer.com, and received radio play throughout the country, peaking at #3 on the CMJ Radio Hip-Hop Charts, where Animal Farm remained in the Top 10 for seven straight weeks.
After three years of careful planning, hundreds of shows, and an incredible addition in Serge Severe, Animal Farm will release its new album, Culture Shock on May 17th, this time featuring a host of legends in Talib Kweli, DJ Rob Swift from the X-Ecutioners and Abstract Rude. The first single, "Test of Time", which features the incomparable Talib Kweli, has been featured on Nah Right, 2dopeboyz, djbooth, hiphopsite, hiphopdx, okayplayer, and more, and is a great example of Animal Farm's soulful ability to blend a soulful, funky sound with potent lyricism.
Culture Shock was entirely produced by group member Gen.Erik, whose production has appeared on MTV and a new behind the scenes Powerade commercial with NBA Superstar Chris Paul , and will also be on display on Kool G. Rap's upcoming album. Animal Farm's "Back in the Days", which appears on Culture Shock, was also recently featured on NBC and MTV2's coverage of the Dew Tour.
Armed with an innovative marketing plan and an amazing record in Culture Shock, Animal Farm's Hanif Wondir, Fury, Serge Severe, Gen.Erik, and DJ Wels are prepared to make good on a promise made by Hiphoplinguistics.com, which claimed "It won't be too long before Animal Farm becomes a favorite among hip hop heads."
