Courtesy of Eli Fosl.

The juxtaposition of jazz and hip hop is not something new. A Tribe Called Quest and even Kendrick Lamar have played around with this interesting intersection. BadBadNotGood exemplifies the combination of these two seemingly opposite genres. 

BBNG met as students in the jazz program at Humber College in Toronto four years ago. The group is comprised of Matthew Tavares (keyboardist), Chester Hanson (bassist), and Alexander Sowinksi (drummer). BBNG has come a long way since its conception only the length of a high school career ago. The Toronto rappers now have collaborated with Danny Brown, Tyler the Creator, and Wu-Tang Clan to name a few.

Courtesy of Mass Appeal.

Before we get to jam to BadBadNotGood, local favorite Ace Cosgrove takes the stage. His album, UsVsRobots, was just released on September 28th. According to his Facebook page, the DMV-rapper defines his genre as “real-life rap.‰” This is an attestation to his desire to not follow trends and how his music deals with real life issues. 

The bucket hat-wearing 23 year old is a rebel. Perhaps this is most evident in his self-proclaimed “bush.‰” Cosgrove hasn‰’t cut his hair in four years. In an interview with Kai Miller of Vibe back in August the DMV rapper said, “I was like ‰I‰’m not about to cut this off until I get a gig‰’ like an actual show. So, I got this open mic and I wasn‰’t satisfied with that being a gig and I still haven‰’t gotten one.‰” Hopefully Capital Punishment will be the gig Cosgrove is waiting for.

Courtesy of The Music Reform.

BBNG has the unique ability to simultaneously sound like the background music on the Weather Channel and the kind of track my mom would‰’ve grounded me for if she heard it coming from my bedroom. 

Their debut self-titled album was released via Bandcamp in June of 2011. BBNG2 was released in April of 2012 and features Kanye West covers as well as lots of saxophone action. III is the group‰’s most recent album, released May 2014, and is completely original material. Each track has its own unique feel, ranging from just chillin walking to class and dance anthem. But wait, there‰’s more. 

Upcoming in 2015 is a new BBNG album, Sour Soul, with Ghostface Killah.

For both artists, YouTube has acted as a major catalyst. For BBNG, their collaboration video for Seven with Tyler the Creator has over a million views. The majority of Ace Cosgrove‰’s tweets are retweets of users who enjoyed his videos, namely “Golden Chills‰” that was just released about a week ago. 

Videos are really beneficial in the case of Cosgrove due to highlighting his quirkiness, attractiveness, and humorous CGI effects.

The show will take place this Friday, November 14^th, in the Tavern at American University at 8pm. And….. It‰’s FREE to all students possessing a valid AU ID. So come through with all your homies for a funky Friday night.

RSVP here!