James Brandon Best, better known by his stage name Pedestrian, is a rapper and writer from Los Angeles. He is a co-founder of Anticon.[1] He is also known as a preacher under the moniker Evangelist J.B. Best.[2]
Pedestrian | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | James Brandon Best |
| Also known as | The Pedestrian Evangelist J.B. Best Cosmic Lovefuck Whitefolks |
| Origin | Los Angeles |
| Genres | Alternative hip hop, underground hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | Rapper, preacher, writer |
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Labels | Anticon |
| Website | www |
History edit
In 1998, Pedestrian co-founded Anticon with other indie hip hop artists. He came up with the name; it means "anti conformity" originally, but also means "ant icon."[3]
He has written several articles about hip hop for East Bay Express from 2003 to 2004.[4][5][6]
After being featured on other Anticon co-founders' albums such as Them and Bottle of Humans, Pedestrian released his debut solo album Volume One: UnIndian Songs on the label in 2005.[7] It was produced by Matt Chang, Jel, Why? and Alias.[8] "The Toss & Turn" b/w "Arrest the President," a single from the album, includes the track "Resurrection Morning Sermon" performed by Evangelist J.B. Best.[9]
Pedestrian toured across the United States[10][11] and Europe[12][13] with Sole, Dosh and Telephone Jim Jesus in promotion of the album.
Style edit
In a 2003 interview, Pedestrian talked about his influence and rapping style:
"I was mostly into fast rapping and freestyling, and I was really inspired too by a lot of vocalese-Annie Ross, Jon Hendricks, and Eddie Jefferson especially. Which is probably the apotheosis of voice-as-instrument. But the whole appeal of rap for me has always been its hyper-wordiness, and more than anything I want to communicate ideas."[15]
Discography edit
Studio albums edit
Pedestrian
- Volume One: UnIndian Songs (Anticon, 2005)
- UnIndian II (Black Box Tapes, 2017)
Object Beings (Pedestrian with Doseone & Why?)
- Object Beings (2001)
EPs, mixtapes, compilations edit
EPs
- We Ain't Fessin' (Anticon, 2002) (with Deep Puddle Dynamics)
Mixtapes
- Red Dawn: A Baybridge Epic (2001) (with Sole, as Da Babylonianz)
Compilations
- Songs of the Light Workers' Local #168 (2005)
Singles edit
- "The Toss & Turn" b/w "Arrest the President" (Anticon, 2004)
Guest appearances edit
- Sole – "Becoming Became Undone" from "Bottle of Humans" (1999)
- Sole – "Our Dirty Big Secret" from Bottle of Humans (2000)
- Themselves – "Lyrical Cougel" from Them (2000)
- Shape Shifters – "The Intellectual Holly Chessmen" "Joy 2 Da World" from Know Future (2000)
- DJ Krush – "Song for John Walker" from The Message at the Depth (2002)
- Alias – "The Physical Voice" from Muted (2003)
- Telephone Jim Jesus – "N=1 Trial" "Untitled Private Landscape" "A Blindness Falls" from A Point Too Far to Astronaut (2004)
- Telephone Jim Jesus – "A Mouth of Fingers" & "Dice Raw" from Anywhere Out of the Everything (2007)
- Themselves – "Back 2 Burn" from The Free Houdini (2009)
- Sole – "White Rage/Arizona Goddamn" from Nuclear Winter Volume 2: Death Panel (2011)
- Sole & DJ Pain 1 - "The Janitor's Son" from Death Drive (2014)
Tracks appear on edit
- "Holy Shit!" & "Bright Moments" on Music for the Advancement of Hip Hop (1999)
- "Dead Beats, Generation of" on Ropeladder 12 (2000)
- "Props 2000" on Strictly Indee (2l000)
- "Pedestrian for Vessel" on Giga Single (2001)
- "Primes" on Mush Filmstrip (2001)
- "The Toss & Turn" & "Jane 2: Electric Boogaloo" on Anticon Label Sampler: 1999-2004 (2004)
Writing credits edit
- Sole - "Slow, Cold Drops" from Selling Live Water (2003)
- Sole - "Banks of Marble" from Live from Rome (2005)
- Jel - "Soft Money, Dry Bones" from Soft Money (2006)
- Sole and the Skyrider Band - "Home Ain't Shit" from Hello Cruel World (2011)
- Sole - "Assad Is Dead" from A Ruthless Criticism of Everything Existing (2012)
References edit
- ^ McAllister, Lulu (November 19, 2008). "Anticon Celebrates Tenth Birthday in NYC". XLR8R.
- ^ "Spotlight on: Becoming Weather by Chris Martin". Coffee House Press.
- ^ Gulliford, Tristan (September 26, 2007). "Sole Survivor: An Interview with Sole". Reality Sandwich.
- ^ Best, James (May 28, 2003). "Hip-Hop's Cadaver Capitalism". East Bay Express.
- ^ Best, James (September 3, 2003). "Black Like Me". East Bay Express.
- ^ Best, James (February 25, 2004). "You Failed Hip-Hop". East Bay Express.
- ^ Diver, Mike (January 12, 2005). "pedestrian Volume One: unIndian Songs". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 11, 2012.
- ^ "Volume One: UnIndian Songs". Discogs.
- ^ "The Toss & Turn". Discogs.
- ^ D.X. Ferris (April 6, 2005). "Sole/Pedestrian". Cleveland Scene.
- ^ Lovell, Jarret. "Anticon Collective Declares "War on Self"". KUCI.
- ^ "Sole & Pedestrian – 'Arrest the President' – Live". Delarge.
- ^ Bora (June 21, 2005). "Anticon's 'War on Self Tour'". OPJESMOEL.
- ^ Best, Brandon (February 27, 2008). "Pedestrian Dissects N.W.A." XLR8R.
- ^ Spill (November 11, 2003). "The Pedestrian". Urban Smarts.