indie
Indie is a short form of "independence" or "independent"; it may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Gaming
*Independent video game development, video games created without financial backing from large companies
*Indie game, any game (board ...
/
alternative
Alternative or alternate may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki''
* ''The Alternative'' (film), a 1978 Australian television film
* ''The Alternative ...
/
pop
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* Pop music, a musical genre Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade
* Pop!, a UK pop group
* Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band
Albums
* ''Pop'' (G ...
musician and songwriter. Her music is " hip-hop inspired with punk rock abandon".
Born and raised in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
to
Trinidadian
Trinidadians and Tobagonians, colloquially known as Trinis or Trinbagonians, are the people who are identified with the country of Trinidad and Tobago. The country is home to people of many different national, ethnic and religious origins. As a ...
parents. Nobel tributes several genres as an influence; as is evident in her performances which encompass various genres normally regarded as incompatible.
Life and career
Nobel, born in Toronto to Trinidadian parents, was exposed to the musical styles of
parang
Parang is a popular folk music originating from Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago that was brought to Trinidad and Tobago by Venezuelan migrants who were primarily of Amerindian, Spanish, Mestizo, Pardo, and African heritage, something which ...
and
calypso
Calypso refers to:
* Calypso (mythology), a nymph who, famously in Homer's ''Odyssey'', kept Odysseus with her on her island of Ogygia for seven years.
* Calypso (nymphs), other nymphs called Calypso.
Calypso may also refer to:
Books
* "C ...
reggae
Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use the ...
music. Nobel began theatre at a young age allowing her an early introduction to the arts. She discovered hip hop in her teenage years, which inspired her to explore her creative abilities as an artist. Nobel, upon reflection of her growth as an artist, cites the video for " Bonita Applebum" by
a Tribe Called Quest
A Tribe Called Quest was an American hip hop group formed in Queens, New York City, in 1985,Q-Tip as a muse for such creative possibilities.
Nobel's hip-hop inspired ambition of becoming an emcee led her to move to New York, in hopes of immersing herself in the city's hip-hop scene. After returning from
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...
, she continued to explore new genres and push creative boundaries. However, Nobel's passion for exploring new sounds conflicted with the interests of her female hip-hop group, Gravity, causing the group to split on creative differences. Nobel became part of Black Corners collective, a collection of artists who chose a "progressive approach to music", avoiding the boundaries of a single genre. In the process, Nobel developed a distinct sound, incorporating atmospheric guitars, hip-hop beats, heavy bass lines, samples, string arrangements and innovative programming.
In August 2002, Nobel performed at the 6th Toronto Urban Music Festival. In September 2002, Nobel received CBC's Galaxie Rising Stars Award.
In 2007, she made recordings with labels
Aftermath
Aftermath may refer to:
Companies
* Aftermath (comics), an imprint of Devil's Due Publishing
* Aftermath Entertainment, an American record label founded by Dr. Dre
* Aftermath Media, an American multimedia company
* Aftermath Services, an Americ ...
(
Dr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and ...
, Che Pope,
Mark Batson
Mark Batson is an American producer, musician and songwriter. He has worked on albums by artists including Alicia Keys, Dave Matthews Band, LeAnn Rimes, Anthony Hamilton, Eminem, India Arie, 50 Cent, Jay-Z, Maroon 5, Skylar Grey, Grace Pott ...
) and BME (
Lil Jon
Jonathan H. Smith (born January 17, 1971) better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American rapper, producer and former frontman of the rap group Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz. He was instrumental in the emergence of the hip hop subgenre cr ...
).
In May 2008, Nobel became the third member of the electro-rap group
Idle Warship
Idle Warship was a musical duo composed of Brooklyn emcee Talib Kweli and Philadelphia singer Res. Res has appeared on each Talib Kweli album since 2000's ''Train of Thought''. They have also toured together, including on the summer 2005 MGD F ...
alongside (
Talib Kweli
Talib Kweli Greene (; born October 3, 1975) is an American rapper. He earned recognition early on through his collaboration with fellow Brooklyn rapper Mos Def in 1997, when they formed the group Black Star. Kweli's musical career continued with ...
and Res) releasing their "Party Robot" mixtape (October 2009). Nobel has also worked with
Muja Messiah
Robert Hedges (born December 10, 1976), better known by his stage name Muja Messiah, is an American rapper from Minneapolis, Minnesota. He has been a member of the groups Raw Villa and Villa Rosa. ''Vibe'' named him in "51 Best MySpace Rappers" a ...
,
Simon Wilcox
Simon Wilcox is a Canadian songwriter based in Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in th ...
, Pharrell Williams, N.E.R.D., The Neptunes, The Clipse, Questlove, Chantal Kraviazuck, Kardinal Official.
Notable collaborations include recordings with:"Wikked Lil Grrrls" lead single from Esthero's "Wikked Lil Grrls" album featured in the film Miss Congeniality2 also on television shows Boston Legal, Las Vegas and in commercial spots for Sex in the City and Desperate Housewives. Hawksley Workman's "Smoke Baby" from Lover/Fighter, G. Love on "Love" on War Child's Peace Songs, Artists For War Child with fellow Canadians
Jully Black
Jully Black (born Jullyann Inderia Gordon Black, November 8, 1977) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, producer and actress. She has collaborated and written for many artists, including Nas, Saukrates, Choclair, Kardinal Offishall, Destiny's ...
,
Esthero
Esthero ( ; born Jenny-Bea Englishman on December 23, 1978 in Stratford, Ontario) is a Canadian singer-songwriter who lives in Los Angeles, California. The name ''Esthero'' refers both to the singer and formerly to the two-person team of herself ...
&
Keshia Chanté
Keshia Chanté Harper (born June 16, 1988) is a Canadian singer, television host, actress, songwriter and philanthropist. As a teenager, Chanté gained recognition with the release of her singles "Unpredictable", "Bad Boy" and "Does He Love Me" " ...
on "Life" from Much Music's Much Dance 2004 compilation and
BrassMunk
BrassMunk was a Canadian hip hop group from Scarborough, Ontario. Overview">Brassmunk > OverviewAllmusic. Accessed on July 23, 2010. It was formed in 1997 by emcees S-Roc (Dwayne King), Clip (Jason Balde), May One 9 (Randy Brookes) and DJ/prod ...
,
Tone Mason
Tone Mason is a Canadian hip-hop and R&B production team from Toronto, Ontario, composed of Mellenius, Don D, and formerly, Aloysius Brown. Tone Mason speaks to a deep-rooted dedication to craftsmanship, quality and originality. With over 15 year ...
, and G. Stokes on "The Throwback". Nobel has also performed on stage with artists
The Roots
The Roots are an American hip hop band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The Roots serve as the house band on NBC's '' The Tonight Show Starring Jimm ...
Cody Chesnutt
Cody Chesnutt (stylized as Cody ChesnuTT; born October 21, 1968) is an American R&B and neo soul musician from Atlanta, Georgia.
Biography
Chesnutt's music blends elements of rock, funk, soul, hip hop, and blues. After relocating to Los Ange ...
,
Metric
Metric or metrical may refer to:
* Metric system, an internationally adopted decimal system of measurement
* An adjective indicating relation to measurement in general, or a noun describing a specific type of measurement
Mathematics
In mathem ...
, Ron Sexsmith.
Collaboration
* Tone Mason f. BrassMunk, G Stokes - "The Throwback"
* G. Love - "Love" (from War Child's Peace Songs)
* Artists For WarChild Canada - "Life" (Much Dance 2004 compilation along with Jully Black, Esthero, & Keshia Chanté)
* Hawksley Workman - "Smoke Baby" (from Lover/Fighter)
* Graph Nobel, Talib Kweli and RES (Idle Warship) - "Black Snake Moan"
* Belinda Peregrin - "Contigo O Sin Ti"
* Esthero - "Wikked Lil Girls", "Fastlane", "If The Mood", "Bad Boy Clyde"
* Drowning Girl formerly known as The Hill Band- "Caught By the Rope"
* Idle Warship - "Party Robot"
* The Clipse - "Champion"(Til the Casket Drops)