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Northern State is an American female hip-hop/indie rock group from New York.[1] The group consists of members Julie "Hesta Prynn" Potash, Correne "Spero" (previously "Guinea Love", due to her Italian heritage) Spero, and Robyn "Sprout" Goodmark.[2][3] The group is named after the Northern State Parkway, one of the highways on Long Island.
Northern State | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Long Island, New York, U.S. |
| Genres | Alternative hip hop, Indie rock[1] |
| Years active | 2002–present |
| Labels | Wichita Recordings Ipecac Recordings Columbia/SME Records |
| Members | Spero, Sprout, Hesta Prynn |
| Website | NorthernState.net |
Biography
editSprout, Spero and Hesta Prynn attended Half Hollow Hills High School West and graduated in the 1990s.[1] The group was first formed as a joke; Spero stated in 2003, "It was hilarious. Could you imagine three white girls from Long Island opening up their mouths and acting like they could rap?"[3]
In 2002, the group released Hip Hop You Haven't Heard, a four-song collection, the songs from which ended up in remixed form on the 2003 EP Dying in Stereo, which was given a scathing review by Michael Idov in Pitchfork magazine.[4] For their second album, All City, the group worked with Pete Rock, Questlove from the Roots, Har Mar Superstar, and DJ Muggs of Cypress Hill. It was released on Columbia/SME Records, but because of disagreements, the group left the label thereafter.[2]
Northern State collaborated with producer Chuck Brody of Shitake Monkey (Wu-Tang Clan, Yoko Ono, etc.) and Adrock from the Beastie Boys, among others, on their most recent album, Can I Keep This Pen?, which was released on Ipecac Recordings on August 28, 2007.[2]
They have shared the stage in North America and Europe with The Roots, Le Tigre, Talib Kweli, De La Soul, The Gossip, Gym Class Heroes, Tegan and Sara, and Cake.[2] Their songs "Better Already" and "Iluvitwhenya" were featured in season 4 episodes of the hit show Grey's Anatomy. Their song "Good Distance" was featured in the fifth episode of the show Damages.[5]
The band appeared on an episode of Washington-based television show Pancake Mountain alongside Tegan and Sara.
Northern State covered "No Surprises" for Stereogum Presents... OKX: A Tribute to OK Computer, a tribute album to OK Computer by Radiohead.
Discography
editAlbums
edit- Dying in Stereo (2002) Star Time/Wichita
- All City (2004) Columbia/SME Records
- Can I Keep This Pen? (2007) Ipecac
EPs
edit- Hip Hop You Haven't Heard (2002, self-released)
- At the Party (2005, Wichita)
- Better Already (2007, Kanine)
Singles
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References
edit- ^ a b c Wilson, MacKenzie "Northern State Biography", AllMusic, retrieved June 28, 2010
- ^ a b c d "Archived copy". Archived from the original on December 17, 2007. Retrieved December 1, 2007.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ a b Morton, Pascal (2003) "Rise of the B-Girl", X-RAY, April 2003, Swinstead Publishing
- ^ Idov, Michael (2003) "Northern State Dying in Stereo", Pitchfork Media, July 17, 2003, retrieved June 28, 2010
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on October 28, 2007. Retrieved December 1, 2007.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)