Artist description Beston's music is a kind of revisionism: as if hip-hop had not been born out of the drum machines of the 80s, but out of the jazz combos of the 50s; as if rap had taken its cue from the story-tellers of the South.

Music Style Alternative Hip Hop

Similar Artists Wyclef Jean, Everlast, De La Sol, Sublime, Lauryn Hill, Beck, G Love and Special Sauce, Ben Harper, Arrested Development, the Roots

Artist History Beston has been playing music and singing his whole life. Raised in Nashville, he had two music teachers: the local culture of songwriters and his parents' esoteric record collection. The result: "Absolutely I picked up something from Leadbelly and Townes Van Zandt, but I was also working hard on Monk and Trane, on old soul and Caribbean stuff." This musical vocabulary won him gigs playing guitar, bass, piano, drums, and singing in groups from New Orleans to LA. Now 25, Beston has found his own voice in hip-hop; "there is no better way to tell a story than rap - it's pure personality." 'Chrysalis', recorded entirely in San Diego, represents Beston's first solo effort: an attempt to fuse his love for the West Coast sound and his roots in the blues, jazz, and songwriting traditions.

Group Members Beston Barnett

Instruments Upright Bass, Acoustic Guitar, Piano, Clavinet, Rhodes, Drums

Press Reviews "Good homebrew..." - The Nashville Barker 6/99 "In the first listen, I heard catchy tunes, dance-able beats, and a melodic honest lazy rap style I'd place somewhere between Everlast and Wyclef. The fifth listen revealed extraordinarily crafted music that clearly drew from diverse cultural backgrounds: New Orleans, California, Brazil, and Cuba. Later, when I learned that Beston had played all the instruments and written all the songs, I didn't know what to think..." - Scene San Diego 6/99

Location San Diego, CA - USA

Copyright notice. All material on MP3.com is protected by copyright law and by international treaties. You may download this material and make reasonable number of copies of this material only for your own personal use. You may not otherwise reproduce, distribute, publicly perform, publicly display, or create derivative works of this material, unless authorized by the appropriate copyright owner(s).