Count Bass D at The Walnut Room, American Pizzeria and Live Music Venue

Count Bass D

One of hip-hop’s most acclaimed talents, Count Bass D, celebrates the release of L7, the DJ/MC’s Seventh album: a work many agree is an instant classic. L7, which streets November 18th, joins a short list of impressive 2008 releases for 1320 Records – an ascending label owned and operated by electronic madmen STS9. With his spectrum of creative skills, CBD has become a favorite with luminaries like Madlib, MF Doom, Pete Rock, and J-Dilla. He’s collaborated with the Beastie Boys, Prefuse 73, and Victor Wooten among many others. Today, in support of L7, Count Bass D embarks on a national tour with STS9, a stint sure to be embraced by thousands of unsuspecting STS9 fans. Indeed, it will only expose what many in hip-hop already know to be fact: CBD is a true original and L7 reflects a truly authentic voice in today’s world of copy and paste trends. Sure, the man is intensely loyal to hip-hop, but in a way that appeals to a much broader musical audience. Count Bass D’s oeuvre deserves comparison to the work of top rate talents like Outkast’s Andre 3000, Mos Def and Talib Kweli. His debut album back in 1995, Pre-Life Crisis, an acclaimed work of staggering originality, featured CBD playing (nearly) all of the live instrumentation. That record, and that achievement, set the tone for his entire career, which included the similarly lauded projects, Dwight Spitz (2002), BEGBORROWSTEEL (2005), and Act Your Waist Size in 2006. CBD has in fact impressed people with his musical aptitude since his toddler years. He learned to play drums at four years old and his father, a West Indian minister, encouraged him to perform on piano and organ in church growing up. He later added the bass to his repertoire. By the time he fell in love with hip-hop, he had the ability to play an entire ensemble’s worth of instruments. In time he hit the Music Department at a Middle Tennessee State University in Nashville where he used the school’s equipment to finish recording his first demo. CBD’s resolute DIY ethos has made him an indie champion and his material has exploded on the underground hip-hop scene. As his profile grows, thanks to L7 and his fruitful alliance with STS9’s 1320 label, so too will his stature among discerning fans.