THEO phil us LoN don
When I was asked to do this piece about Theophilus London, one of the first things I asked was “Can I swear?” You see, when I get really excited about something, especially music, the filter on my mouth snaps off and flies around the room like an untied balloon farting out air. Theophilus London makes the kind of music that has that effect on me – the kind of music that gets me really fucking excited. Theophilus (Thee-off-ill-us) London. For a hip-hop artist, the name itself immediately signals that we’re dealing with something different – something different than, say, Algernod Washington (better known as Plies). Classifying his music simply as hip-hop is about as fair as calling Jimi Hendrix blues, but I’m not going to undertake the impossible task of trying to better label the Brooklyn artist’s sound in one word. On his latest project, This Charming Mixtape, Theo moves seamlessly through rock, soul, electro, postpunk, pop and new wave with an ease that leaves you a little confused and very enthralled after an hour of listening. It makes a little more sense once you find out that the man cites David Byrne, The Smiths, Brian Wilson, The Ramones, and Michael Jackson as some of his influences. Theophilus’ timing couldn’t be any more perfect. If he had been peddling this kind of music in the 90’s he would have been seen as an outcast by both Timberland-wearing hip-hop heads and greasy-haired rock fans. But things are changing. Jay-Z is going to Grizzly Bear concerts, Kid Cudi is harmonizing with MGMT, and nobody is going to give you a stink eye if you put Kanye West and Animal Collective on the same playlist. 2010 has an open mind and refined palate just waiting for someone like Theophilus. Theo’s latest single “Hum Drum Town”, a cleaned up and smoothed out track from his mixtape, is his most accessible song to date, proof that this wildly diverse artist can bring together his galaxy of influences to create a hit song that appeals to the masses. 2009 saw Theophilus building a beehive of buzz on the internet, touring with A-Trak, and capturing the attention of big name publications like Rolling Stone and The New York Times. What does 2010 have in store for him? There’s still no album release date announced (although he Tweeted me some inside information tonight: the album’s called I Want You), but there’s a good chance that you won’t still be mispronouncing his name in 2011.