AD

This rock/rap crossover group is a highly polished and politicized ensemble from Brooklyn, New York, USA, taking their name from lead rapper Anthony DeMore’s (b. 1969, Brooklyn, New York, USA) high-school adventures as MC AD. He met guitarist David Tarcia at Bard College, a liberal arts school in New York State. Despite the lofty luxury of his education (he was a theatre student with one play behind him), DeMore was brought up in the Bronx and Brooklyn, the son of a lorry-driver father: ‘Bard made me more political. I saw people who didn’t have the slightest understanding of my culture, and saw how they reacted to me and the other blacks and Latinos who were in that white middle-class world.’ Joined by bass player Aaron Keane and drummer Mervin Clarke, DeMore took this specific indignation into the recording world with their debut album on Rage Records. Melvyn Gibbs, bass player with the Henry Rollins Band, saw the group play an early show in 1992, and three years later produced their second collection. Despite its title, The Dead Will Rise was a step back from the ardent militancy of the debut, with jazzier touches such as ‘It Could Fly’ pervading the rock/rap framework.