NPR : World Cafe

BADBADNOTGOOD On 'World Cafe: Next'

April 30, 2012
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BADBADNOTGOOD has a lot to boast about — it's recorded with Tyler, The Creator, played backup for Frank Ocean and performed as the band-in-residence at Coachella. Yet, on the trio's Bandcamp page, none of this is mentioned. Instead, its members write that "No one above the age of 21 was involved in the making of this album." One on hand, that is true; Alex Sowinski, Matt Tavares and Chester Hansen are barely in their 20s. On the other, these Toronto-based hip-hop and jazz musicians are so deeply influenced by the history and legacy of jazz, it's clear that the record couldn't have happened without the influence of their older counterparts.

The album itself, BBNG2, isn't a pure jazz record — it's more of a jazz approach to instrumental hip-hop that features covers of James Blake, Kanye West and Odd Future, among others. The group wrote original material for BBNG2, as well, including the single "UWM."

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