Paul Nathaniel Barman (born October 30, 1974), better known by his stage name MC Paul Barman, is an American rapper and illustrator. Having emerged during the early 2000s, Barman became a definitive voice within the realm of

alternative hip hop Alternative hip-hop (also known as alternative rap and experimental hip-hop) is a subgenre of hip-hop music that encompasses a wide range of styles that are not typically identified as mainstream. AllMusic defines it as comprising "hip-hop group ...

, noted for his intricate rhyme schemes and humorous narrative style, which he infuses with an array of literary devices. He is particularly recognized for his usage of , including

acrostics An acrostic is a poem or other word composition in which the ''first'' letter (or syllable, or word) of each new line (or paragraph, or other recurring feature in the text) spells out a word, message or the alphabet. The term comes from the Fre ...

and

palindromes A palindrome ( /ˈpæl.ɪn.droʊm/) is a word, number, phrase, or other sequence of symbols that reads the same backwards as forwards, such as ''madam'' or '' racecar'', the date " 02/02/2020" and the sentence: "A man, a plan, a canal – Pana ...

, in crafting his rap lyrics. The SymmyS Awards, a competition once organized by

The Palindromist ''The Palindromist'' is a magazine devoted to palindromes, published since 1996. Initially it was published biannually. The frequency switched to irregular. It is edited by Mark Saltveit, a Portland-based stand-up comedian who won the first-ever W ...

, had Barman as a past panel judge. Barman's complex and multilayered approach to songwriting has earned him both acclaim and attention, marking him as a distinctive and influential figure within the alternative hip hop scene.

Early life

Barman is from

Ridgewood, New Jersey Ridgewood is a Village (New Jersey), village in Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Ridgewood is a suburban commuter town, bedroom community of New York City, located approximately northwest of Midtown M ...

. He is Jewish. He attended

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

Career

MC Paul Barman released his debut EP, ''

It's Very Stimulating ''It's Very Stimulating'' is the debut EP by MC Paul Barman, released in 2000. Critical reception Nathan Rabin of AllMusic gave the EP 3 stars out of 5, saying, "Self-deprecating, whip-smart, and adventurous, Barman is a true hip-hop original, a ...

'', on Wordsound in 2000; it was produced by Prince Paul. His first studio album, ''

Paullelujah! ''Paullelujah!'' is the first studio album by American hip hop musician MC Paul Barman. It was released on Coup d'État in 2002. Critical reception John Bush of AllMusic gave the album 2.5 stars out of 5, saying, "As a rapper, MC Paul Barman mak ...

'', was released on Coup d'État in 2002; it was produced by Prince Paul, MF DOOM, Mike V, and Phofo. He released his second studio album, ''

Thought Balloon Mushroom Cloud ''Thought Balloon Mushroom Cloud'' is the second studio album by American hip hop musician MC Paul Barman Paul Nathaniel Barman (born October 30, 1974), better known by his stage name MC Paul Barman, is an American rapper and illustrator. Havi ...

'', on Househusband in 2009. He has toured with

Blackalicious Blackalicious was an American hip-hop duo from Sacramento, California, made up of rapper Gift of Gab and DJ/producer Chief Xcel. They are noted for Gift of Gab's often tongue-twisting, multisyllabic, complex rhymes and Chief Xcel's soulful pr ...

. He has taught a hip hop class to high school kids at the

Bank Street College of Education Bank Street College of Education is a private school and graduate school in New York City. It consists of a graduate-only teacher training college and an independent nursery-through-8th-grade school. In 2020 the graduate school had about 65 ful ...

. In 2018, he released ''(((Echo Chamber)))'', his first studio album since 2009's ''Thought Balloon Mushroom Cloud'', on

Mello Music Group Mello Music Group (MMG) is an American independent record label based in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 2007, Mello Music has released hip hop compilations and albums by producers and rappers such as Oddisee, Apollo Brown, Mr. Lif, Ghostface Kil ...

. It included productions from MF Doom,

Questlove Ahmir K. Thompson (born January 20, 1971), known professionally as Questlove (stylized as ), is an American drummer, record producer, disc jockey, filmmaker, music journalist, and actor. He is the drummer and joint frontman (with Black Thought ...

, and

Mark Ronson Mark Daniel Ronson (born 4 September 1975) is a British-American DJ, record producer, and songwriter. He has won nine Grammy Awards, including Producer of the Year for Amy Winehouse's album '' Back to Black'' (2006), as well as two for Record ...

, as well as guest appearances from

Open Mike Eagle Michael W. Eagle II (born November 14, 1980), better known by his stage name Open Mike Eagle, is an American hip hop artist and comedian. Originally from Chicago, Illinois, he is now based in Los Angeles, California, where he is a member of the h ...

and

Masta Ace Duval Clear (born December 4, 1966), better known by his stage name Masta Ace, is an American rapper and record producer from New York City. A lead member of Mr. Magic's hip hop collective Juice Crew, he is best known for his guest appearance alo ...

Musical style and influences

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' called his music "a surreal departure from the rap norm". His music has been influenced by

Boogie Down Productions Boogie Down Productions (BDP) was an American hip-hop group formed in the Bronx, New York City, in 1986. It originally consisted of KRS-One, D-Nice, and DJ Scott La Rock. DJ Scott La Rock was murdered on August 27, 1987, five months after the ...

Jungle Brothers Jungle Brothers are an American hip hop trio composed of Michael Small (Mike Gee), Nathaniel Hall (Afrika Baby Bam) and Sammy Burwell (DJ Sammy B). Hailed as pioneers of the fusion of jazz, hip-hop, and house music, they were the first hip-hop g ...

Wu-Tang Clan Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop collective formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its members include RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and, until his death in 2004, O ...

MC Lyte Lana Michele Moorer (born October 11, 1970), better known by her stage name MC Lyte, is an American rapper. Considered one of the pioneers of female rap, MC Lyte first gained fame in the late 1980s, becoming the first female rapper to release a ...

, and

De La Soul De La Soul ( ) is an American hip hop music, hip hop group formed in the village of Amityville on Long Island, New York (state), New York in 1988. They are best known for their eclectic sampling, eccentric lyrics, and contributions to the evoluti ...

Discography

Studio albums * ''

'' (Coup d'État, 2002) * ''

'' (Househusband, 2009) * '' (((Echo Chamber)))'' (

, 2018) * ''Tectonic Texts'' (2025) Collaborative albums * ''

A Year of Octobers ''A Year of Octobers'' is the first collaborative studio album by American rapper MC Paul Barman and record producer Celestaphone. It was released August 20, 2021, on Drumhex. Barman performs as virtual band member and alter ego YOUNGMAN on each s ...

'' (2021) Mixtapes * ''Full Buck Moon Kaboom'' (Househusband, 2008) * ''Blue Moon Kaboom'' (Househusband, 2017) EPs * ''

'' (Wordsound, 2000) Singles * "

Postgraduate Work ''Postgraduate Work'' is a self-produced 7" record released by MC Paul Barman. He recorded it a year after graduating from Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode ...

" (Househusband, 1998) * "How Hard Is That?" (

Matador A bullfighter or matador () is a performer in the activity of bullfighting. ''Torero'' () or ''toureiro'' (), both from Latin ''taurarius'', are the Spanish and Portuguese words for bullfighter, and describe all the performers in the activ ...

, 2000) * "Cock Mobster" (Coup d'État, 2001) * "Father Moose" (Househusband, 2009) * "Decide-A-Tron" (Househusband, 2017) * "Happy Holidays" (Mello Music Group/Househusband, 2017) * "Leapfrog" (Mello Music Group, 2018) Guest appearances *

Deltron 3030 Deltron 3030 is an American hip hop trio composed of producer Dan the Automator (as the Cantankerous Captain Aptos), rapper Del the Funky Homosapien (as Deltron Zero/Deltron Osiris), and DJ Kid Koala (as Skiznod the Boy Wonder). They also c ...

- "Meet Cleofis Randolph the Patriarch" from ''

'' (2000) * MF Doom - "Hot Guacamole" from '' MM..LeftOvers'' (2004) * Mr. Dead - "Chemically Imbalanced" from ''Metabolics Volume II: Dawn of the Dead'' (2001) *

- "Roommates Meet" and "The Classes" from''

Disposable Arts ''Disposable Arts'' is the second solo and fourth overall studio album by American rapper Masta Ace. It was released on October 16, 2001 via JCOR Entertainment. Production was handled by Domingo, Luis Tineo, Xplicit, Ayatollah, Deacon the Vill ...

'' (2001) *

DJ Yoda Duncan Beiny (born 1977 in London, England), better known as DJ Yoda, is a hip hop DJ who uses samples to create an animated musical style. He is known for several awards and media industry achievements. Early life and career After attend ...

- "Salvation Barmy" from ''How to Cut and Paste Mix Tape Vol.1'' (2001) * Le Hammond Inferno - "Man from Lafonda (Paul Barman Remix)" from ''This Is Bungalow'' (2004) * Prince Paul - "Inside Your Mind" and "The Night My Girlfriend Left Me" from '' Itstrumental'' (2005) * DJ Yoda - "Salaam" from '' The Amazing Adventures of DJ Yoda'' (2006) * Rushden & Diamonds - "We Want Rushden" and "Money" from ''2010'' (2010) *

- "Exiled from the Getalong Gang" from ''Rappers Will Die of Natural Causes'' (2011) * Open Mike Eagle - "Starz" from ''4nml Hsptl'' (2012) * Memory Man - "Live from Death Row" from ''Broadcast One'' (2015) * Open Mike Eagle - "Trickeration" from ''A Special Episode of'' (2015) * L'Orange and

Kool Keith Keith Matthew Thornton (born October 7, 1963), known professionally as Kool Keith, is an American rapper and record producer known for his surreal, abstract, and often profane or incomprehensible lyrics. Kool Keith has recorded prolifically both ...

- "Suspended Animation" from ''Time? Astonishing!'' (2015) * Prince Paul - "Girls Wanna Do Me, Guys Wanna Be My Friend" from ''The Redux'' (2017) * Donwill - "Don, Rob, and Paul" from ''One Word No Space'' (2019) *

Celestaphone Joseph Murphy (born October 4, 1996), professionally known as Celestaphone, is an American musician and record producer. Early life Joseph Murphy was born in Riverside, California on October 4, 1996. Several members of his family are musicians, ...

- "Babies" from ''

Paper Cut From the Obit ''Paper Cut From the Obit'' is a studio album by American musician Celestaphone. It was released on February 17, 2023, through Drumhex. The release features sole production by Celestaphone and includes guest appearances from Armand Hammer (music ...

'' (2023)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Barman, Paul, MC 1974 births Living people Brown University alumni Jewish American musicians Jewish rappers Matador Records artists Mello Music Group artists Musicians from Ridgewood, New Jersey Rappers from New Jersey East Coast hip-hop musicians 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American Jews