Word on the Street
Granite State has something to say
Above: Doug and Bugout of Granite State
Upscale and serene, Exeter, New Hampshire, is a town of many associations. You can get a great cup of organic free-trade coffee and then explore the funky shops around the town’s historic bandstand. One of the best documented close encounters with a UFO took place just outside of town in 1965. The Republican Party was born here in a secret meeting of abolitionists in 1853.
If Doug York and Bugout have their say, Exeter will soon be known as the birthplace of another durable institution: a world-famous hip hop band with the catchy name “Granite State.”
The two 20-something guys grew up here, their moms were friends. They were townie kids in a place that seemed to be ruled by the preppy denizens of Phillips Exeter Academy. But their ears were tuned to the gritty music and ecstatic poetry of the streets of cities far away — Brooklyn, Baltimore, Los Angeles. The school also brought some cultural diversity to lily white Exeter, which fueled a fire in them and eventually gave it an outlet. With a small circle of friends, they started in the basement, scratching discs, rapping freestyle about the news of the day and laying out beats with pause tapes, but eventually Doug and Bug got a sweet spot as hip hop DJs — the sole townie voices on Phillips Exeter’s radio station.
Their reputation grew and soon they were circulating a boisterous party anthem, “What Up B?!” on the Internet and on home-burned discs to a strong word-of-mouth following. When they took the plunge and booked Exeter’s Ioka Theater for their first-ever public performance as Granite State, they filled the 550 seats and had to turn away about 40 late-comers.
Their first CD, “The Breaking Point,” is selling well and attracting attention from the kinds of labels that signed the artists that attracted them to rap and hip hop in the first place. They have fans in Utah, Australia and Japan, but they really adhere to the state that gave them their name — both geographically and conceptually.
“A Granite State of mind is an understanding with a firm ambition,” says Bug, and the two artists along with their partner/DJ JP Callahan are fully committed.
When asked what they will do if they fail to break into the big time, Doug remarks, “ I can’t see us not breaking. I can’t see us giving up.”
Even in a genre famous for braggadocio and self aggrandizement, it’s hard to argue with such confidence. With talent, marketing savvy and pure zeal on tap, Granite State’s future seems solid as a rock. Mature listeners (this is serious rap) should check them out at www.granitestatemusic.com.
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in the lab...
we were in the lab last weekend workin' on some really dope shit for the LP. i think its safe to say that if DC's on the beat, the joints gonna be fuckin' nuuuts!! you gotta hand it to D for constantly creating some of the best foundations to write on. get cha' paper up little kids if you want a beat though, by the time our 2nd album drops his stock will be on the rise at a rate that would make gas prices look good. for more info peep the myspace....
CLICK HERE
-buGS
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