Busdriver

Over the course of the past decade, and with four highly innovative — and sadly underrated — indie albums, L.A.-based hip-hop artist Busdriver built a reputation in the underground by spitting poignant rhymes with a sense of humor set against fiercely danceable street beats and eclectic instrumentation. He never seems...

By Niki D'Andrea

October 5, 2006

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Over the course of the past decade, and with four highly innovative — and sadly underrated — indie albums, L.A.-based hip-hop artist Busdriver built a reputation in the underground by spitting poignant rhymes with a sense of humor set against fiercely danceable street beats and eclectic instrumentation. He never seems to stop working, either — he just released his fourth album, Fear of a Black Tangent, last year, and now he's already got another album, RoadKillOvercoat, set for release on Epitaph/Anti in January 2007, and some hot new wax in the 12-inch single "Kill Your Employer (Recreational Paranoia Is the Sport of Now)," which drops Tuesday, October 10. The track includes lines like "Armpit hair stickin' out like a sore thumb/Smellin' like dinosaur dung," and springy beats that bounce ya knees. Busdriver keeps it real, too; currently in the midst of a 22-city tour, the lauded lyricist still posts bulletins to his MySpace Friends list when he's performing in a city and needs a place to crash — kind of a shame, because Busdriver really is the shit. But at least when he hits the fan, no one can call him an "overnight success."

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Niki D'Andrea has covered subjects including drug culture, women's basketball, pirate radio stations, Scottsdale staycations, and fine wine. She has worked at both New Times and Phoenix Magazine, and is now a freelancer.

Contact: Niki D'Andrea