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Hometown: Washington, DC
Label: Guerilla Arts Ink, LLC
Management: Gabriel Benn
Website: www.asheruworldwide.com
Sounds Like: Common, Black Thought, Talib Kweli, Asheru
Genre: Hip Hop
Asheru is a hip hop artist, educator, and youth activist. He is widely known for his collaboration with Blue Black to form the Unspoken Heard, releasing the critically acclaimed album, "Soon Come" in 2001, and its followup, "48 Months" in 2003. Asheru has since released several 12" singles, and collaborations with international producers with his progressive, genre-bending style of Hip Hop. In the last couple of years, Asheru has released two solo projects, "Insomnia Vol.1", & "3 Stars, 2 Bars", featuring collaborations with Talib Kweli, Raheem Devaughn, Phonte, Grap Luva, Kev Brown, Oddisee, and many others.
Asheru is also famously known for writing and performing the opening theme song of the popular TV series, The Boondocks. He went on to win a Peabody Award for his writing contribution to the show's controversial "Return of the King" episode.
Lastly, Asheru is a professionally trained educator of 14 years and in 2005 founded Guerilla Arts Ink, a community arts and education organization based in Washington, DC. He is well known as a pioneer of the Hip Hop Education movement, and in 2014 was appointed by the Department of State as a US Global Hip Hop Cultural Ambassador, along with notable artists such as Diamond D, Popmaster Fabel, and Toni Blackman.
Short Discography:
* Cosmology EP...Unspoken Heard (1997)
* Better/Smiley 12”... Unspoken Heard (1998)
* Jamboree EP ... Asheru (1999)
* Soon Come LP ... Unspoken Heard (2001)
* 48 Months LP… Unspoken Heard (2003)
* Mood Swing 12”... Asheru feat. Talib Kweli & Raheem DeVaughn (2003)
* No Edge Ups in South Africa …Seven Heads Entertainment (2003)
* Black Moses 12”.... Asheru (2005)
* Insomnia Vol.1 LP... Asheru (2006)
* Insomnia Vol.1 LP: Sleepless in Japan…(IMPORT ONLY) (2006)
* Hip-Hop Docktrine: The Official Boondocks Mixtape… Asheru & Dub Floyd (2006)
* 3 Stars, 2 Bars EP… Asheru (2007)
* 12" single, "Insight" on Fort Knox Five Album, "Radio Free DC" (2008)
* Hip Hop Doctrine 3: The Final Chapter (The Unofficial Boondocks Season 3 Mixtape)… Hosted by Asheru, David Banner & Mike Bigga (2010)
* 12" single, Dream Girl feat. HHP, Teepee, and Omar Hunter El (2012)
* Sleepless in Soweto LP (2013)
"He is, in short, a hip-hop renaissance man."
Lonnae Parker - Washington Post
“Asheru and Blue Black are unarguably a meeting of minds, but also they insist, their sound is a merging of generations. “Blue is the bridge between the first era and our era,” says Asheru.
Music critics like to deem their sound as a product of their hometowns, but the creators say it’s all in the “divine” timing. Blue Black gained an interest in music when hip-hop was focused around “public space” performances and parties hosted by DJs.”
Lauren Jaslow - The Vinyl District
“By verbally illustrating to cats that you can be nice without always flossin’ or brandishing glock-tails, Asheru is “holdin’ it down for the everyday dude”.”
N. Context - allhiphop.com
“it's evident that Asheru is armed with the diligence, dedication, musical ability, and appeal to stick to message while winning even more converts.
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Written by Seth Hartig - onetwoonetwo.com
“few are aware that this founding member of the underground Hip-Hop duo The Unspoken Heard has been working for over a decade, as a public school teacher and administrator in Washington D.C.”
Orisanmi Burton - AllHipHop.com
