Tunde Adebimpe

Tunde Adebimpe

Tunde Adebimpe performing live with TV on the Radio at Debaser, Stockholm, Sweden, September 13, 2004
Background information
Birth name Babatunde Omoroga Adebimpe
Born (1975-02-26) February 26, 1975
St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Genres Experimental rock, indie rock
Occupation(s) Singer, actor, director, animator, visual artist
Instruments Vocals, loops
Associated acts TV on the Radio, Higgins Waterproof Black Magic Band, Nevermen, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Massive Attack, Tinariwen, Lee Scratch Perry

Babatunde Omoroga "Tunde" Adebimpe (born February 26, 1975) is an American musician, actor, director, and visual artist best known as the lead singer of the Brooklyn-based band TV on the Radio. His last name "Adebimpe" means "the crown is complete" in Yoruba.[1]

Acting career

He starred in a 2001 indie movie, Jump Tomorrow,[2] based on a short college film, Jorge, in which he played the same character.

In 2008 he appeared as the groom in Jonathan Demme's Rachel Getting Married alongside Anne Hathaway, who portrayed the bride's wayward sister. In the film, Adebimpe performs an a cappella cover of the Neil Young song "Unknown Legend".[3]

In late 2013 Adebimpe wrapped shooting on Chilean director Sebastian Silva's Nasty Baby, starring opposite Kristen Wiig and director Silva. The film was released in 2015. [4]

Adebimpe made a brief cameo as himself on the IFC program Portlandia in the show's season 4 premiere.

Adebimpe's most recent acting role was in Bob Byington's film 7 Chinese Brothers, which is slated to be released in 2015.

Solo work and collaborations

As well as occasionally performing solo, Tunde regularly collaborates with other musicians. Adebimpe provides backing vocals on the track "Dragon Queen" on the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' record, It's Blitz!, which was produced by fellow TVOTR member David Andrew Sitek. He also appears on several tracks of Dragons of Zynth's Coronation Thieves, also partially produced by Sitek. He produced and guested on "Your Glasshouse" a track from Atmosphere's record When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold. He is also featured on the song, "Deathful", on Subtle's album Yell&Ice.[5]

In early 2009 he performed three shows as a duo with Tall Firs drummer Ryan Sawyer, the latter two under the name Stabbing Eastward.[6][7][8][9] Also in early 2009, Adebimpe released a combined single/DVD under the name Fake Male Voice on the Japan/Brooklyn label Heartfast.[10] He performed one show under that name with a pickup group at the record's release party.[11][12] Fake Male Voice again performed at a Heartfast showcase during CMJ 2009, as a duo comprising Adebimpe and Gerard Smith.[13][14]

In 2009 Adebimpe collaborated with Massive Attack on the track "Pray for Rain".[15]

In 2010 Adebimpe was featured on his TV on the Radio band mate Dave Sitek's project Maximum Balloon on the track Absence of Light.

Adebimpe with members of TV on the Radio are featured on three tracks from Tinariwen's album Tassili (2011), and on the Amadou & Mariam track "Wily Kataso", from the 2012 album Folila.

In 2012, Adebimpe formed the band Higgins Waterproof Black Magic Band, who released their self-titled EP on their own ZNA records in October 2013.[16]

Adebimpe provided the vocals on Bad Radio, a track on Leftfields' Alternative Light Source album in 2015.

Directing and animation work

In 1998 Adebimpe worked as one of the initial animators of MTV's hyper-violent claymation program Celebrity Deathmatch.

In 2003 Adebimpe directed the music video for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs song "Pin".[2]

In 2011 Adebimpe directed "Nine Types of Light", the visual companion to the band's acclaimed fourth album. For the film, he recruited a roster of the band's favorite filmmakers to helm individual clips that would be sewn together into an abstract narrative about dreams, love, fame and the future. Adebimpe directed the video for the song "Forgotten", as well as the interstitial clips where a chorus of narrators help try to connect the dots between the film's various segments.[17][18]

In 2013 Adebimpe directed and animated the video for Higgins Waterproof Black Magic Band's single "The Blast the Bloom",[19][20]

Visual art

Originally a cartoonist, Adebimpe still maintains a design, drawing and painting practice. In addition to art directing all of TV on the Radio's album covers, he painted the cover for the band's 2013 single "Mercy".

In 2009 Adebimpe released a self-published art comic, "Plague Hero". The painted book depicts a boxing match between two anthropomorphic characters. Randomly selected copies contained an DVD of "Mystery Sh*t", a compilation of song sketches and animations from Adebimpe's archives.[21]

References

  1. ↑ "Adebimpe". Nigerian Names and Meanings. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
  2. 1 2 Mechling, Lauren (2008-09-20). "Just Asking . . . Tunde Adebimpe". The Wall Street Journal (New York City, NY).
  3. ↑ "Tunde Adebimpe Covers Neil Young". Stereogum.com. 2008-10-10. Retrieved 2009-05-25.
  4. ↑ "Kristen Wiig Joins Sebastian Silva’s Nasty Baby". Variety. 2013-09-07. Retrieved 2013-10-30.
  5. ↑ Ranta, Alan (2008-02-08). "Reviews: Subtle, Yell and Ice". PopMatters.com. Retrieved 2009-05-25.
  6. ↑ "Tunde Adebimpe & Ryan Sawyer - Laying Low". YouTube. 2009-02-06. Retrieved 2013-10-30.
  7. ↑ "Tunde Adebimpe & Ryan Sawyer - New Shape". YouTube. 2009-02-06. Retrieved 2013-10-30.
  8. ↑ "Themselves - 2009 tour dates, 2 NYC shows w/ Stabbing Eastward feat. Tunde TVoTR, a free mixtape". Brooklynvegan.com. 2009-04-01. Retrieved 2013-10-30.
  9. ↑ "Stabbing Eastward @ Union Pool". Music Taster's Choice. October 17, 2009. Retrieved 2009-12-27.
  10. ↑ "TV on the Radio's Tunde Adebimpe Goes Solo on 7". Pitchfork. 2008-10-31. Retrieved 2009-05-25.
  11. ↑ "Fake Male Voice - Round Your Corner". YouTube. 2009-02-18. Retrieved 2013-10-30.
  12. ↑ "Fake Male Voice - Something True". YouTube. 2009-02-18. Retrieved 2013-10-30.
  13. ↑ "Fake Male Voice - Another Drummige". YouTube. 2009-10-23. Retrieved 2013-10-30.
  14. ↑ "Fake Male Voice - Jupiters Tongue". YouTube. 2009-10-23. Retrieved 2013-10-30.
  15. ↑ Dombal, Ryan (2009-09-03). "Hear Massive Attack's Collaboration With Tunde From TV on the Radio". Pitchfork Media Inc. New York City, NY.
  16. ↑ "Higgins Waterproof Black Magic Band". Facebook. Retrieved 2013-10-30.
  17. ↑ Melena Ryzik. "TV on the Radio Makes a Film". The New York Times. Retrieved 2013-10-30.
  18. ↑ "TV On The Radio - Forgotten". YouTube. 2011-04-12. Retrieved 2013-10-30.
  19. ↑ "Watch: TV on the Radio's Tunde Adebimpe Directs Stop-Motion Video for His Band Higgins Waterproof Black Magic Band's "The Blast, the Bloom" | News". Pitchfork. 2013-10-21. Retrieved 2013-10-30.
  20. ↑ "Higgins Waterproof Black Magic Band - The Blast The Bloom on Vimeo". Vimeo.com. 2013-10-17. Retrieved 2013-10-30.
  21. ↑ "Comics Time: Plague Hero « Attentiondeficitdisorderly by Sean T. Collins". Seantcollins.com. 2009-12-18. Retrieved 2013-10-30.

External links

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