El Da Sensei

Newark, New Jersey was dubbed New Jerusalem for the unique Hip Hop sounds pioneered by the likes of Queen Latifah, Redman, Naughty By Nature, Lords Of The Underground and The Artifacts. El Da Sensei entered the scene as one half of The Artifacts with his partner Tame One in 1994 when their debut album, Between A Rock And A Hard Place, brought them worldwide attention. After over a decade of creating essential Hip Hop music for his loyal fans, El Da Sensei is preparing to release his sophomore solo album, The Unusual, on Fat Beats Records in February 2006.

As a graffiti artist, B-boy, beat boxer, and lyricist, El Da Sensei channeled his diverse talents through his music. In his teens he battled as a dancer, and later began entering emcee battles. He partnered with Tame One to form the group Thats Them, but later changed the group moniker to The Artifacts. In an era when Hip Hop was a mosh pit of over-the-top styles and flavors, The Artifacts offered fans the most organic presentation of beats and rhymes that true-school fans could ask for.

Their debut album produced the memorable songs "Wrong Side of the Tracks", "Dynamite Soul" and "C'mon Wit Da Get Down", setting the stage for the Best Of The Underground tour. The Artifacts hit the road with a then relatively unknown rapper from Chicago, Common Sense, along with Organized Konfusion and The Beatnuts. Not long after, The Artifacts returned home to drop their second album Thats Them, which included headphone masterpieces like "Art of Facts", "The Interview" and "The Ultimate".

Soon after the second release, El Da Sensei and Tame One decided upon an amicable break up. El continued his journey towards lyrical mastery on his own, traveling the world and appearing on numerous compilations in various countries including Japan, Norway and Germany. He dropped the white label singles "Frontline" and "Got That", and spent a little time working on his personal life. In 2002, El Da Sensei released his first solo album entitled Relax, Relate, Release. The collection of songs revisited El's lust for the bare-essence of Hip Hop music, and delighted critics who had been missing that classic sound. He spent the following three years touring overseas, visiting locations like Croatia and Amsterdam, and focusing his energy on his next great endeavor.

Now El Da Sensei is back in the saddle, gearing up for the February 2006 release of his second solo album, The Unusual. The project was picked up by the world-renowned Fat Beats Records, and will bring a new edge to the New Jersey emcee that fans know and love. "I definitely didnt want to come like the last album", explains El. "I felt like Relax, Relate, Release was a little bit personal for everybody. With this album I just wanted to go back to basics and bring a certain kind of fire back to myself."

The Unusual features guest spots from rap veterans O.C. on "Nothin' To Lose" and Boot Camp Click's Sean Price on "No Matter". Production is handled by a select group of respected beat crafters - Illmind, Jake One, Saukrates, DJ Revolution, K-Def and J Rawls. El's mindset in recording The Unusual was one of growth and focus. "I wanted to make a sound between mainstream and underground that I can go to any club and perform", he says. "If you don't think about the whole spectrum of everybody, youre only going to be in one count."

At this phase of his already prolific career, El Da Sensei is proving he has not gone anywhere. He also seeks to satisfy his core audience and keep his character fresh with today's times. "We merge with the mainstream to show them that artists like me still exist and can be relevant today. Im not afraid to challenge myself and experiment. I'm thinking about the fans - they can expect me to let loose a little bit."