Akil Esoon
Pensoulzinakup (The Early Years):
Pittsburgh's native son, Akil Esoon has been involved with Hip Hop in a professional capacity for over 20 years. From his early days as a Hip Hop dancer he quickly became involved with emceeing, rapping and live performing on the local club and regional college scene. Soon after in 1988, he teamed up with Producer Emmai Alaquiva and Dee Jay Supa C to create the landmark Hip Hop group Pensoulzinakup (pen-souls-in-a-cup), and went on to release: Goin' Fishin' E.P. 1989 (Flagrant Underground Records), What are Pensoulzinakup L.P. 1991 (Fat Crayon Records/ T.V.T Records), Limited Windows L.P 1992 (Self-Release). In addition to his extensive performing with National Recording artists like A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Jungle Brothers, Masta Ace, Kool G Rap, Grand Daddy I.U., Biz Markie, Top Authority, Arrested Development, Dee Jay Cash Money and Marvelous Marv, Akil also went on to perform & record live with the legendary Roy Ayers to produce the first live Hip Hop / Jazz recording by a Pittsburgh artist "Tin Can" 1993 (Nappiehead Productions). Paired with his solid foundation in Hip Hop, working with such a wide array of talent has provided Esoon with the professional experience necessary to take his artistry to the next level.
Penn Avenue Soul Center (Freestyle years):
In 1995, fresh out of high school, Esoon attended the Art Institute of Pittsburgh where he earned an Associate's Degree in A.I.P.'s Music / Video Business Program. However, in 1994 Esoon went on to be one of the top freestyle and performance Emcees in the steel city by battling for underground supremacy at the Source Magazine Van in Philadelphia defeating the late Too Poetic Emcee (Of the Gravegigga'z Prince Paul (The Undertaker), Frukwan (The Gatekeeper), Too Poetic (The Grym Reaper) and RZA (The Rzarector) for the top spot. The winnings included a feature in the Source, and a $2000 cash prize. Soon after that in 1995, he established Penn Avenue (the main transportation hub in Pittsburgh's African American community) as the new Hip Hop battleground and networking spot in the city. During his tenure there, he would go on to teach, mentor, and inspire the Pittsburgh Hip Hop community at a time when there were no Hip Hop venues, classes, or documentation of the art form. He also became the first call when it came to emceeing and hosting Hip Hop events in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia, D.C., & New York, and sharing the stage with a who's who of recording artists such as: The late Notorious B.I.G. Diddy, Common, Outkast, O.C., Snoop Dogg, LL Cool J, Carlos Santana, D'angelo, Talib Kweli & Hi Tek, Jazz Saxophonist Gary Bartz, Musiq, Erykah Badu, Gang Starr, Cee-Lo Green, The Roots, Amel Larrieux, Slum Village, Pharoahe Monch, Doug E Fresh, Slick Rick, Dwele, Macy Grey, Dancehall Artist Bennie Man, G-Unit, and many more. On November 28, 1999 the community came together to award Esoon with a plaque naming him "Emcee of the Decade". This distinction and honor proved to be a turning point for Akil Esoon, an ever-changing artist fuelled by challenge and creativity.
The Akil Esoon Quintet (A Musician & Producer is born!)
By 1997, Esoon started to explore producing his own musical ideas, and began to incorporate live acoustic and electric instruments. Having played with jazz musicians in his early years, his extensive knowledge of jazz and soul records from sampling, production came natural. He first started playing right on the streets of Pittsburgh where he would rhyme, and make an attempt at playing the guitar. Then he picked up the bass as well as the Fender Rhodes electric piano and started to play for spoken word poets. By this time a poetry scene in the steel city had developed and Akil had become the musician who could musically accommodate the artists with which he collaborated with soul & jazz for the poets and Hip Hop beats for the emcees. This was also the period where he began to develop rhyming and playing keyboards at the same time. This concept was impressive to those who experienced it live, including a cast of fellow musicians who would eventually become the Akil Esoon Quintet. In 1999 The AEQ band was the top draw at a new, soulful Pittsburgh venue called the Shadow Lounge. There Esoon would Play Rhyme, Emcee, Direct, and Make Beats. In 2001, Akil Esoon was the first to do a live Hip Hop album recording at the spot which would eventually become an internationally known speakeasy for acts, kicking in the door for many artists to perform and record live at the Shadow Lounge.
BEAM
In 2001, some of the members of the AEQ had formed another group called "BEAM". Lead by drummer Dave Throckmorton, BEAM was a live band that integrated the components of a traditional a Hip Hop group with a jazz band and Electronic Drum & Bass D.J. Everything in the bands' early years was all improvisation, everything! At their first gig, Throckmorton asked a number of Hip Hop Emcees to sit in, but once Akil Esoon rhymed it was official: he was the new front man of BEAM. Akil was the only one who could improvise like a jazz musician lyrically but could perform on stage like a rapper. The group travelled up and down the eastern seaboard and made international noise with the critical acclaimed independent release of their first album "Inception" L.P 2003 (Beam Records / Funk house) and again with "Chemistry" L.P. 2006. (Beam Records) All this time in between shows and studio dates with BEAM, Esoon was hard at work honing his production and songwriting skills. He was awarded The ASCAP Underground Producer of the Year award in 2005 and had started producing and re-mixing some national acts as well such as: Glenn Lewis, Mc Eiht, SWV, A Tribe Called Quest, Toni Braxton, & Nas just to name a few. At this point, Akil got opportunities to meet and build relationships with similar artists / producer types like Wyclef Jean, Kayne West, Pharrell Williams, & Teddy Riley.
Formula412 (The Hot Metal Music Movement):
In 2007 in the spirit of change, Akil Esoon made the difficult decision to walk away from BEAM as the front man to assume the role of keyboardist & backup vocalist in the powerhouse supergroup "Formula412". As a keyboard player in Formula412, Esoon would join forces with Pittsburgh's best and brightest musicians to collaborate and produce hot music videos, a top-drawing concert / stage show, and rapid selling album "The Difference" 2008 L.P. (Craft & Forbes). As a member of Formula412, Akil Esoon has toured and played with artists such as: N.E.R.D., 50Cent, Busta Rhymes, the Black Keys, the Wailers. In 2008 and 2009, Formula412 won Album of the year, Best duo or group, and Best band to see live at the Pittsburgh Hip Hop Awards, as well as Best Hip Hop group by the Pittsburgh City Paper's Readers Poll. This award-winning band continues to push the envelope artistically and solidify a loyal fan base world-wide.
Recently in 2011 The city of Pittsburgh awarded Formula a proclamation stating April 12 is officially Formula412 day in the city of steal! In 2010, Esoon earned a product endorsement deal with Open Labs Keyboard Company and has founded the artistic enrichment and production company Hot Metal Music Movement to feature Esoon's original production which has already been dubbed "The New Sound of Pittsburgh" by the Soul Pitt Quarterly Magazine. Akil Esoon is also dedicated to empowering the youth in the community by being a strong advocate for music education. Teaching Hip Hop Production at the Afro-American Music Institute and Community Empowerment Association renders Akil Esoon one of the most well-rounded and most respected artists in America.
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