Abadawn
Abadawn (born Justin David Sims) is a performing hip hop artist that is unsigned and independent. His music has been featured on College and internet radio. He has also worked with and performed with artists from Rhymesayers Entertainment, Black Clover Records, Strange Famous Records, Doomtree, Oldominion, Fake Four Inc. and many more.
Biography
Abadawn (born Justin David Sims in Mariposa, CA) is an Underground hip hop artist currently living in Portland, OR. Though his main genre is hip hop his style borrows heavily from the genres of rock, punk. Grunge, Electronic music and alternative. His live act "The Kill Party" is an energetic and emotional performance that has been called "enthralling" by Complex Magazine. His career in rap music started as a young teenager living in Santa Rosa, CA. It was here that he started freestyling and writing and was introduced to underground hip hop artists such as Living Legends, Atmosphere, Aesop Rock and Sage Francis. It wasn't until he moved to Seattle, WA in his mid-teens that he started independently releasing his recordings to the public.
In 2007 Seattle's The Stranger hip-hop columnist Larry Mizell Jr. compared Abadawn's recordings to that of Buck 65 of Strange Famous Records and Cool Calm Pete of Def Jux Records.[1] More recently Casey Jarman of Portland's Willamette Week gave Abadawn and his live show a nod as "true punk rap"[2] and featured him on the Local Cut[3] He was also featured as artist of the week on Fear The Future Radio[4] and was interviewed twice by the iconoclastic Artist First Radio Network.[5]
Abadawn's first solo full-length LP "Good Villain" was independently released through Elephant Memories on October 14, 2008 and featured Kansas City, MO and Rhymesayers Entertainment artist Mac Lethal as well as Los Angeles, CA based emcee/singer Ariano.
In 2008 he was a part of Seattle's annual Noise For The Needy festival which was headlined by the highly praised New York rapper Talib Kweli in an effort to collect funds to feed local homeless families.[6] For two years in a row he has also performed at the annual Kingston, WA Sk8Rollick, and has contributed to other benefits such as Toys For Tots and Mercy Corps. He was also a part of the Save Darfur Tour which boasted performances from The Visionaries, Freestyle of The Arsonists, Sleep of Oldominion, Grayskul, Alexipharmic, Immortal Technique and OneBeLo also known as OneManArmy of Binary Star.
In 2011 he independently released his second full-length LP "Deadication". A darker and more sincere release than his previous efforts. The album features Portland alumni IAME of Sandpeople / Oldominion claim, Scotty Del of the ska/punk band Raise The Bridges, singer songwriter Jackie Forero, Ilima Considine of the trip hop/electronic group The Sexbots, and the emcee DMLH of the group Start Fires. The album was recorded and mixed between Zebulon Dak at Momentum Studios (Portland, OR) and Prince Elwood Strickland III at Portland Underground Recordings (Portland, OR).
Abadawn spent the summer of 2012 performing on The Bring It Back Stage as part of the legendary Vans Warped Tour.
Tour History
Proper Knocks Northwest Tour w/ Gepetto, DMLH, Diction One (2013)
Vans Warped Tour, National US, Bring It Back Stage (2012)
The Landmark Tour w/ Awol One, Factor, Ceschi, Cars & Trains (2011)
No Way Out Midwest Tour w/ Hives Inquiry Squad (2011)
Swine & Dash Westcoast/Southwest Tour w/ The Chicharones (2010)
Rap Money Is Gas Money Westcoast Tour w/ Sarx and Name The Uncanny (2009)
Follow The Lights Westcoast Tour w/ Grynch and Kublakai (2009)
Northwest Tour w/ Psalm One, Longshot, Sadistik and Alexipharmic (2008)
Discography
LP's
Deadication, 2011 - Earwig Ink (self-released)
Good Villain, 2008 - Earwig Ink (self-released)
EP's
Unfamiliar Ceilings, 2007 - Earwig Ink (self-released)
Kindergarten Dropout, 2005 - Violent Art Records
Earwig Romance, 2004 - Earwig Ink (self-released)
Live Albums
Live from the End of the Universe, 2010 (digital only)
Singles:
Monotony featuring Scotty Del of Raise The Bridges, 2012 (digital)
Very Much, 2012 (digital)
Mixtapes
Big Bang Vol. 4. Gotta Give, 2012
Big Bang Vol. 3. Late In The Day, 2012
Big Bang Vol. 2. Tis The Season, 2012
Big Bang Vol. 1. We Bang Big 2012
Steal Gas Buy Music Vol. 3, 2009 (digital only)
Steal Gas Buy Music Vol. 2, 2009 (digital only)
Steal Gas Buy Music Vol. 1, 2009 (digital only)
Spare Change Mixtape, 2005 (self-released)
Tour Exclusive Releases
Palmgreaser: Tour Sampler, 2011 (self-released)
Footnotes: A Collection, 2010 (self-released)
Songs featured on
"Back and Forth" single by Hives Inquiry Squad (2011)
"Nuero" from Edifice by Hives Inquiry Squad (2011)
"Redemption Rd." by Sarx & Rusty Crates (2007)
"Potholes" from Run by Alexipharmic (2006)
"Hear Me" from self-titled by Newspeak (2006)
"Arriving One Second Too Late" by Explicit (2005)
"Chapter Wun" by Despite Rhythm (2004)
Compilations featured on
2010 Label Sampler - Camobear Records (2010)
Phase One - Vinyl Fluid Records (2009)
Northwest Compilation Vol. 1 - Superhappywax Records (2006)
Audio Arsenal Vol. 1 - Violent Art Records (2005)
Summer Compilation '04 - Tactikz of Tongue (2004)
References
- ↑ http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/my-philosophy/Content?oid=303606
- ↑ Casey Jarman, December 23rd, 2009 "Upcoming Events" The Willamette Week Newspaper
- ↑ "Abadawn, "Gray Days," Unfamiliar Ceilings (Earwig Ink/Superhappywax)- Local Cut". Blogs.wweek.com. Retrieved 2010-03-22.
- ↑ "Artist Of The Week – Abadawn | Fear The Future Radio". Ftfradio.net. Retrieved 2010-03-22.
- ↑ "Alphabetical Listing of past". Artistfirst.com. 2008-10-30. Retrieved 2010-03-22.
- ↑ "Noise for the Needy". Noise for the Needy. 2009-04-18. Retrieved 2010-03-22.