Search - Beans :: Thorns

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the wonderful world of Beans, aka Mr. Ballbeam: Hip Hop rebel, wordsmith extraordinaire, sonic architect, fashion renegade and published poet. Raised in White Plains, NY, Beans first demanded attention in the mid-90's as part of the Soup / Boom Poetic collective, but achieved his widest acclaim as 1/3 of the legendary NYC progressive rap crew Anti Pop Consortium. With lyrical virtuosity, vanguard production, and one of the most unique and remarkable live performances around, Beans harkens back to the glory days when it was about skill, passion, and the desire to be really real. Having shared stages with Radiohead, Vernon Reid, Pharoahe Monch, Aesop Rock, DJ Shadow, Cannibal Ox, Attica Blues, and Terranova to name a few, Beans has also collaborated with Bill Laswell, Prefuse 73, Funkstorung, Mike Ladd, Techno Arrival, DJ Spooky, and Aceyalone. He also has credentials as having DJ'ed at The Guggenheim and being the DJ for Missy Elliott. Beans has displayed his multitudinous skills and the response has been overwhelming having first created a solo imprint with "Nude Paper" and then releasing a 12" single on Mo'wax in 2000. These gave us a taste of things to come. The future is now and Beans is ready to release his highly-anticipated new album, Thorns. Written during a tumultuous two year period between his last albums which scanned a combined 14,500 sales, Thorns is more straightforward and emotional in content yet more textured and dense in production. Guest producers include Dabrye, Tyler Bany, and three collaborations with Holy F*ck. Thorn is an album you don't have to cut yourself to enjoy.