Pants Velour

Pants Velour is an American hip hop group from New York City, New York. Pants records for Tommy Boy Entertainment.

Pants Velour
OriginNew York City, New York, United States
GenresHip hop
Years active2006-present
LabelsTommy Boy Entertainment
Websitewww.pantsvelour.com
MembersNiki Darling, vocalist
Josh Raff, emcee
Eli Northrup, emcee
Sam Coe, guitarist
Jordan Battiste, keyboardist
Max Calkin, bassist
Richard Curtis, drummer
Cenophia Mitchell, backup vocalist
Past membersNellie Thompson
Sarah Charness

Origins

In 2006, Eli Northrup, Nellie Thompson, Sam Coe, and Josh Raff formed Pants Velour while undergraduate students at Cornell University.[1] After graduating in 2007, the members reunited in New York City in 2008.[2] Eli Northrup is a rapper in the group and has also been considered a "Hypeman" who pumps up the crowd.[2] Niki Darling is the lead singer of the group.[3]

Career

Pants Velour has played shows alongside Mobb Deep, Dru Hill, Magic!, and members of Black Sheep, A Tribe Called Quest, and Naughty By Nature.[4][5] Dial 7 Car and Limousine featured Pants Velour in a popular ad campaign.[6][7][8] Pants Velour has performed in Europe.

In 2011, Pants Velour made a hip hop video entitled "Charlie Sheen: Always Winning," which became a YouTube sensation.[9] The song was inspired by Sheen’s interview on ABC television.[10] At the time of the video's release, Eli Northrup was a law student at New York University School of Law. Above the Law (blog) ran a blurb on the story, and it became a big story in the legal community.[11] Am Law Daily’s Careerist blog called it “fast and saucy—especially amazing coming from a serious law student.”[9] While in law school, Northrup regularly performed with Pants Velour.[12]

In 2012, Pants Velour represented Manhattan in the Battle of the Boroughs.[13]

In 2013, Pants Velour played at New Music Seminar.[14]

In 2014, Pants Velour signed with Tommy Boy Entertainment. The group played at CMJ 2014 in New York City, New York.[15] The group released a music video for 'All In.' The video was produced by Howard Buksbaum and Danny Ameri of Very Nice Industries. Broadway World called the video cutting edge, a technological wonder and a visual feast.[4] Pants Velour was the opening performance for Dru Hill at B.B. Kings in NYC in October 2014.[4] Pants Velour was a supporting act for Magic! at Webster Hall.[4] 'Taxidermist,' was currently #30 on the zipDJ Urban chart.[4] The group has played at the Highline Ballroom.[16][17] Pants Velour teamed up with Socialfly to release a music video called #DoTheSelfie.[18][19]

In 2015, Pants Velour performed at Pianos (club).[20] The group also performed at the Brooklyn Bowl.

Musical style

USA Today described the group as a “unique brand of hip-hop, R&B, and pop”,[21] and The Washington Post described them as a combination of ”today’s pop-soul and yesterday’s hip-hop.”[22] The group has also been described as a combination of the Beastie Boys and The Black Eyed Peas.[13] They have been characterized as infusing hip-hop, pop, rock and soul together.[23]

References
  1. Rokitka, Steve. "Cornell's alma mater goes hip-hop". Cornell Chronicle. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  2. Catalano, Jim. "Hot Pants". Cornell Alumni Magazine. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  3. Kats, Jeanette. "NP PREMIERE: RYAN SKYY – "DONE" FEAT. NIKI DARLING". Noise Porn. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
  4. "VIDEO: Pants Velour Unveils Cutting Edge Music Video for 'All In'". Broadway World. Music News Desk. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
  5. "About Pants Velour". PantsVelour.com. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  6. Flegenheimer, Matt. "In Clash of the Jingles, a Battle of Sixes and Sevens". nytimes.com. NY Times. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  7. Bromwich, Jonah. "CARMEL VS. DIAL 7: A LIMO SERVICE JINGLE SHOWDOWN FOR THE AGES!". Village Voice. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
  8. "Pants Velour: The Band Behind that Mind-Blowing Dial 7 Commercial". Power Animals. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
  9. Chen, Vivia. "NYU Law Student Unrapped". The Careerist. lawjobs.com. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  10. "Charlie Sheen inspires Hays Fellow Eli Northrup's hip-hop alter ego". NYU Law School. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  11. Weiss, Debra. "NYU 3L Contemplates Charlie's Sheen's Winning Life in YouTube Rap Video". abajournal.com. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  12. Reed, Graham. "Man and Music in Harmony". law.nyu.edu. NYU Law Magazine. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
  13. Laermer, Emily. "Gotham Gigs: Fiddling around". Crain's. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
  14. Donnelly, Alessandra. "2013 New Music Seminar: Invading NYC". The Aquarian Weekly. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
  15. Kangas, Chaz. "A COMPLETE GUIDE TO HIP-HOP AT CMJ 2014". Village Voice. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
  16. Mester, Amanda. "Exclusive Interview: New York alternative hip hop group Pants Velour has arrived". AXS. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
  17. "Pants Velour - Highline Ballroom". Highline Ballroom. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
  18. "Do The Selfie". Pop Culture Video Magazine. Archived from the original on 20 June 2015. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
  19. "Do The Selfie - Iggy Azalea - Fancy Parody - OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO #DoTheSelfie". YouTube. SocialFly. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
  20. "Sumner, Shane Maux & Lilly Wolf, Pants Velour, Eleventh Ward, A Fragile Tomorrow". Live Nation. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
  21. Lopez, Korina. "Exclusive video: Pants Velour saunters into StudioA". USA Today. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  22. Jenkins, Mark. "Editorial Review of PANTS VELOUR's Album: "The Quest for the 7 Jones"". Washington Post. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  23. "Crowd Surfing, Doggystyle and Curly Hair. Pwetty Sessions Presents: Nightline with Pants Velour". Artsy Magazine. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.