Tunji and Toby of Inverse have an uncanny ability to inspire you to take every day as a gift, through their soulful down-to earth accounts of everyday life in Los Angeles.
Featuring production by Kno (of CunninLynguists) and notable upstart Cook Classics, So True is a collection of everyman-anthems that capture the laid back west coast vibe to a tee.
Out of uncontrollable and threatening forces, Inverse is a band authentically delivered through fires and trials that wreak havoc out of most: having family taken by cancer while the bass player takes cancer on and defeats it on his own terms; watching every band from their high school that was signed be dropped or drowned out; studio promises go unfulfilled and producers disappear, only to weather and overcome delivering their strongest tunes yet on their new E.P., “Leave It All”.
They exist in dual realms: magnetic attractors of attention, but workmanlike in their study and execution of their music; confident and brash, but always yearning, playing with the urgency of now, believing and breathing every note they play. Their conviction comes from wielding songs and a performance that delivers in the magical way rock and roll is supposed to. They are here to make you sweat, love, sing and soar along with them. Their life is your soundtrack.
Inverse biography
Inverse is as real as it gets. Through songs that are upbeat, emotional, bracing and oftentimes lighthearted accounts of their true life experiences, the two California-bred rappers share distinct similarities and differences that form the basis and balance for their music. Rapping under their given names, emcees Toby and Tunji appear extremely different on the surface - one white, one black; one from a Jewish household, the other raised Muslim; one raised in Los Angeles, the other in the bay area by Nigerian parents. What they share is a passion for music that transcends any labels. With their honest brand of soulful, straightforward hip hop, the group is part of a newly emerging generation of artists born in the '80s, raised by hip hop in the '90s, and poised to help revitalize the culture in the 2000s.
Formed in early 2001, the group cut early demos and songs with Swedish producers Soul Supreme (KRS-One, Big Daddy Kane, Pete Rock) and K-Laz while still in their teens, leading to internet acclaim and video airplay on MTV Europe (for “The Reason,” chosen as the single from K-Laz’s album The Soulsnatcher). The group spent the next few years playing shows all over California and forming alliances with rising hip hop artists QN5 Music (Tonedeff, CunninLynguists, Pack FM, Extended Famm, etc.), Brother Ali, Little Brother and Trek Life. Choosing to hone their mic and songwriting skills before officially releasing any music, the group recorded and shelved several songs before preparing their first project So Far, a collection of old and new songs and collaborations with close friends that introduces Tunji and Toby to the world. Not to be confused with their forthcoming debut album, the group describes So Far as “a look at who we are, what we’re about, and what we’ve been working on - 14 original songs, some old, some new, all Inverse.”
Readying their debut album Long Day's Journey for a 2008 release, Inverse draws on influences as far-reaching as OutKast, Michael Jackson, Nina Simone, Atmosphere and The Beatles, but most importantly from themselves and the world around them. Executive produced by A Piece Of Strange Music (the production duo of Deacon The Villain and Kno), the album will feature collaborations with Brother Ali, CunninLynguists, 9th Wonder, M-Phazes and more. The music is refreshingly honest, soulful and raw, anchored by poignant, personal rhymes and catchy melodies. Tunji and Toby rap truthfully about happiness, pain and everything in between, sounding only like themselves. Though only just getting started, Inverse stands poised to help usher in the next phase of hip hop music – just make sure you remember the name.
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