Bi-Polar Bear

Interview can be found @
http://amiestreet.com/blog/post/horton-and-august-the-winterview

The following is an exclusive interview with Horton and August, the new titans of the Midwest hip-hop underground. If you’re in Madison, WI, find them for a live show, and while you read, listen to their album.

Q: Individually, where are you guys from and how did you become interested in making music? More specifically, how did you get interested in doing hip hop?

August: Not to come across as something I’m not… but my love for hip hop was most definitely shaped by the early 90’s New York City scene. Not that I was really a part of it or anything, but the shit that was coming out at that time just seemed to grab me by the throat. I remember walking to school in the city, listening to Midnight Marauders until I had memorized every last word (I used to take Q-Tip’s verses and throw my name into every other line… it was weird). When I moved out of New York, I felt like the music I had grown up with was something that I could really take with me, and that hasn’t changed since. Eventually, the love for this shit became so ridiculous that the only option I had was to start doing it myself.

Horton: The Midwest (Madison, WI), the region home to some of the best and most original hip-hop that never gets the proper acknowledgment. I was born into a love of music, all music. Music was a big thing in my family. Naturally, as I grew with it I wanted to make it myself. At first I just played around with it for fun, self taught shit, just playing with beat production and freestylin’. Then I started getting confident with it and started realizing that I could really do this shit for real.

Q: What were you doing musically before Horton the Irrelevant and August the Creep?

August: The first real “organized” thing I ever did was in 7th grade, with three middle school kids in Connecticut. As you can guess, that shit was amazing. I think we stole the beats from Mobb Deep and Brand Nubian, and the lyrics from Buckshot or something. Anyways, me and one other kid from that group split off, and actually did something for a while. We had a group called “Sons of Belial” that got about as big as any Greenwich, CT High School rap group could get… meaning our friends dug our shit. We did like 3 albums before changing the name to He’s Hers, and for the most part I have a lot of pride in what we were able to do. Two years ago, in New Orleans, that whole collaboration ended… which is when I decided to 1. concentrate only on producing, and 2. find a rapper who more than 10 people wanted to hear on a given night. Things are working out on both ends.

Horton: Making solo shit, producing and rapping. Some of the most fun shit was before that, years back when we were kids. It was playing whatever song, turning the bass way up and turning the treble way down so that you couldn’t really hear the lyrics, then freestylin’ over that shit. That’s where I built my confidence, that’s where I found my style. That was music to me. Oh, and 7th grade chorus, killing ‘em before my voice dropped about 8 octaves.

Q: Can you guide us through your creative process? How did this record come to be?

August: I would say, for the most part, that the beats come first. When I finish a beat, I’ll usually pass it to Horton and then he’ll disappear for two days. When I see him again, I know that it’s time to hit the studio. The only little story I’ll tell here is of the first track we ever did together. I hadn’t seen Horton in like three years (since Arizona)… and hadn’t really spoken to him either. I had heard from a mutual friend that he had gotten into writing and producing. At first, I really had no idea what to expect… but by the time I had gotten through the 4 tracks on his myspace page, I knew that I had to get involved. Eventually, I found him on instant messenger, and while we were catching up on the past three years, I just happened to be finishing up a beat in my basement. On a whim, I sent him the beat… and literally the next day he sent me back Sleeping With Strangers (26¢). Needless to say, that was all I needed to hear. Six months later I was in Madison, and we were doing this with our lives.

Q: Strange Passengers is fresh because it has remarkable range. The album presents an extensive mix of styles so that there’s something new to hear every time you listen. How do you reconcile having disparate tracks like June, July, and... (28¢), 3 Headed w/ Kalo (25¢), Dude w/ Blue Ox (28¢), and June, July and Isabel Garcia (30¢) on the same album?

August: Every artist/group says this shit, but… we’re just trying to incorporate all the things that influenced us as kids growing up with this music. You wouldn’t know it by the music I listen to now, but I used to love Ice Cube. I used to wear the Lethal Injection t-shirt to school, and was once told by the principal to turn it inside out because they didn’t want me promoting the “guy who made the cop-killer song.” The fact that Ice T made that song (and not Ice Cube) didn’t really seem to matter. Anyways, the beat for “June, July, and…” was my tribute to the Ice Cube that I knew as a kid. He always used to give me my summer anthems… so I thought I’d try to make one myself. “June, July, and Isabel Garcia” (the last track on our album) is definitely one that I hold close. I made the beat a couple years ago, back when I really into jazz records and trippy shit. I never thought there would be lyrics on it… nor did I want lyrics on it, until I heard what Horton had done with it when I was out of town for a week. It was like having the best beat that I had ever made brought to an entirely new level, and I am eternally grateful to Horton for that.

Horton: I get bored with an album with 15 tracks that all sound the same. I don’t want our shit to be like that. I like so many different styles of hip-hop, of music in general. If I was gonna rap the same way on every track then what’s the point in ever making another song? I don’t care if we make a song singing in Arabic if we like that shit it’s going on the album, right after the track I rap double time on.

Q: I hear that performing is really important to you guys. Why is that? What do you guys get out of live shows?

Horton: I love doing shows, love it. The energy I get from them is crazy, the energy I put into them is crazy. Whether it’s a 60 minute set, or 20, by the end I’m dripping sweat and my voice is gone. I like to touch the crowd, stage dives find their place in almost every show. The live show is so important, especially to less known acts. See, even if someone doesn’t know your music, if you’re up on stage doing some wild shit, they’re gonna watch and listen. Besides a show is a “show,” it’s not someone listening to your shit in headphones… We put on a show.

Q: How’s the hip hop scene in Madison? Is it a good place for you guys to be coming up?

Horton: Man, sometimes it’s good sometimes it’s bad. It’s full of young people who love hip-hop so that helps. A few years ago it was great. A friend, Josh Williams, along with many predecessors, ran the student organization Hip Hop Generation for the University of Wisconsin. That group over the years brought in a lot of acts and did a lot of good for hip-hop here. It put up a good positive image for hip-hop. Recently, violence has unfairly fucked us in the this community. Let me explain something. If two kids get in a fight outside any average bar then the two kids are responsible. However, anytime two kids get in a fight outside a hip-hop show then somehow hip-hop’s responsible. Then hip-hop suffers. There are only a few venues left in Madison that will still have hip-hop shows, it’s sad to see. On a positive note, the artists are still here and so are the fans.

Q: Any last words, thoughts, shout-outs?

August: I just wanna say Rest in Peace to Bodie… gone but never forgotten. This album’s for you man.

Horton: Support your local artists whoever they are. We’re all broke. If you’re broke to, burn that shit. Support it by listening…spreading the word. We always love to hear from you all as well, so hit us up on www.myspace.com/hortontheirrelevant, www.amiestreet.com, and www.settingworldrecords.com. - amiestreet.com

The following is an article from well-known Hip Hop blogger Hastings Cameron and can be found at his blog, Emcees Without Voices

Link to article:

http://www.madison.com/post/blogs/emcees/118245 - Emcees Without Voices/madison.com (2/8/07)

Article available @
http://www.thedailypage.com/music/article.php?article=5645

Madison hip-hop lost a couple major proponents last year when scene promoter Brody Rose (a.k.a. Bro DJ) moved East and the Rob DZ Experience disappeared from club calendars. But the emergence of loquacious local rapper Horton the Irrelevant should do a lot to ease the pain. Strange Passengers, his new 19-track collaboration with New Orleans-based sonic scientist August the Creep, is a very convincing calling card that gives full play to his stentorian vocal style, his sly sense of humor and his aptitude for racing in front of the beat.

On the radio-worthy “Save the Brunettes,” a sardonic riposte to everyone who still believes even bleached blonds have more fun, he swaggers over August’s woozy beat with regal confidence. On the more urgent “Problems,” his pleas for clarity and purpose slap up against the saccharine uplift of Hall and Oates’ “She’s Gone,” producing a ferociously effective aural hook. Some of the best production comes on “What I Know,” a cagey mash-up of distorted electric piano and an oddly edited stop-and-start beat that flutters and flows beneath Horton’s mighty bass-toned palaver. August the Creep also digs deep into his bag of tricks on “Robots,” undergirding Horton’s onrushing rhyme with a sample of some over-driven electric harpsichord.

Searching for a party in a box? Look no further. - Isthmus - Tom Laskin (2/15/07)

Article available @ http://badgerherald.com/artsetc/2007/02/26/horton_has_a_hit_rap.php

On Strange Passengers, Madison spinster Horton the Irrelevant and his cohort, producer August the Creep (Gnarls Barkley comparisons may commence immediately), find a time and a season for all the flavorful strands of hip-hop � gritty gangsta, Gorillaz-esque experimental, soulful hip-pop and more standardized, sample-happy fare. It almost splits at the seams with stylistic variance.

But no matter the tempo, mood or motif, this deliriously enjoyable collection always comes at you with a volcanic rush of swooping grooves, wit, oddity, and left-field invention. You'll get knocked on your ass and gleefully revel in it.

Born Gabriel Karter, Horton the Irrelevant passed his youth and early adulthood here in Madison before venturing out to either coast. Along the way he formed a meeting-of-the-minds rapport with MC/producer Andy Kaufman (August the Creep). Henceforth, this pairing has melded into an inspired tandem of talents who value the wisdom of playing to their respective strengths.

With Horton stationed at the helm and August managing the production tricks and terrains, they do posture like an underground, poor man's Gnarls Barkley, but without the third-rate connotations. Strange Passengers, in fact, is a sheer instance of high-minded aspirants dicing up the work of their forebears and successfully merging it into a winning concoction.

The outgrowths of this ramshackle formula take on a maddening array of sonic shapes and colors. "Once Said Truths" is full of scattered atmospherics, almost as if multiple soundscapes are dueling it out for sole domain. The production dosages are kept appropriately light, however, creating a sound of texture, not a confused mishmash. "The Why" poses, at first, like an updated Jackson 5 burner, infused with the stomp and heft of marching soul-rock, and then halfway through curiously downshifts to a darker, enigmatic flow. It's a theoretical car jam. But Horton's characteristically throaty and husk-filled vocals bind the bustle of this off-kilter production work.

In addition to its shifty arrangements, Strange Passengers owes its swirling, full-loaded eclecticism to Horton's wax and wane vocals. On the confessional chorus of "Problems," he pleads, "Mama, I keep dodging these problems" with urgent self-indictment worthy of 2Pac (like on "Changes"). Horton equally nails the hushed expressiveness of the excellent "Strung Out," and on its cousin piece, "The Author," he inflects the twisting narrative with fits of furtive melancholy. One of the album's rare misses, "3-Headed," oddly reveals his mettle best because it sets up a contrast with the contributions of Kalo and August the Creep. Bookended by their serviceable vocal tracks, Horton stampedes through the din of sheen waves and female backup samples with a brawny charge.

Overall, Strange Passengers keeps the focus on production schemes, and many of its beats simply cannot be upstaged, even by Horton's superb delivery. "What I Know" winds through a murky haze of twilight dials that recalls Gorillaz at their subdued best. The absurdly cool "Robots" samples - prepare yourself for this - a NES "Mega Man" theme and thickens its rhythm with punchy percussion. Too self-deprecating to sidestep the irony, Horton basks in it, asserting on the chorus, "You should know in advance what I hold in my hand/ Because Horton's a Mega Man."

"Save the Brunettes," a jaunty ride through Horton's taste for that hair type, plays up his cheeky inclinations in more plain view. It's peppered with breezy wit - "Throwaway your bleaching dyes/ Some enough you'll find/ It's not what you are" and "It ain't nothing against blondes/ We just like the diversity." This joyously comical facet of Horton is one measure of his confidence as an artist.

But he's no one-note bar clown. Strange Passengers does play like an ideal house party backdrop. But it's too full-bodied of a creation to be pigeonholed in this manner, a reality not lost on the seemingly modest Horton. Amid the click and clack of "Drop the Needle, Push Play, Say Yeah" (a song title the Go Team would likely envy), he allows for a revealing conceit: "Just listen and enjoy/ What a beautiful noise." Strange Passengers brims with such delights and is so finely crafted that it must be included among the top releases of this still young year.

Grade: 4 out of 5 - The Badger Herald - Barry Lenser (2/26/07)

Article can be found online @ http://www.maximumink.com/articles.php?articleId=1111

When the 100-year flood hit New Orleans at the turn of the 20th century, hundreds of jazz musicians found refuge in Chicago, marking the beginning of the city's new sound in blues. More recently, Hurricane Katrina again flooded the city, and Producer August The Creep left, eventually re-uniting in Madison with Horton The Irrelevant, an MC he teamed up with at the University of Arizona. The duo’s first album, Strange Passengers, is possibly the best hip-hop debut to ever come out of Madison. Horton’s vocals sound like an updated version of the lispy Tame One or Fatlip from the Pharcyde, paired with an educated dose of knowledge. And let's not forget the beats which are soulful and dirty, reminiscent of the days when samplers and vinyl ruled the production studio. August The Creep, who un-retires from rhyming on "3 Headed" and "June, July and ____," has a knack for keeping the listeners attention on the mic and the beats. The combination of words and music flows from intro to chorus and through the verses with enough grit to please the grimiest of hip-hop heads.
- Maximum Ink - Paul Lazaris

Review available online @
http://www.rapreviews.com/archive/2007_06_strangepassengers.html

I've damn near filled my word quota for the review of Horton Irrelevant + August the Creep's "Strange Passengers" LP by simply typing out the long-winded and slightly pretentious title. It would not be fair to end it without a proper description of this oddball album brought to you by a couple of creative individuals.

When lurking in the shadows of the underground it is important for a group to develop an illustration that individualizes themselves and, without question, Horton and August succeed to that end. The comic book influences are prevalent as a part of the paradoxical cover art that features a cartoon goat sitting in front of our two 'heroes' . Snakes and Robots also inhabit the bus, but who are the 'strange passengers', these entities or the artists themselves? The eclectic yet sometimes unfocused music that Horton and August create is intriguing, however, eclecticism by nature only leaves the audience entertained some of the time. There are very few hip-hop related groups that have been able to walk the fine line of varying styles with success which include only elite names like Wyclef Jean and arguably Andre 3000 (but wasn't it better when he actually flowed!?). On the "Strange Passengers" LP in question we are offered an album that is solidly structured, often clever and still not for everyone.

Being an emcee from the vacant lot of the rap world known as Madison, Wisconsin, Horton the Irrelevant compares himself to the likes of Slick Rick, Ludacris and KRS-One, but honestly he does not sound like any of 'em. The pale comparisons does not mean that he is not competent when grasping the mic. Usually Horton has a slower and raspier voice than any of the previously mentioned artists more in line with Vakill or Cage. However, there are times where there are huge contrasts in flow that shows the range of Horton as a rapper dealing with his internal complexities. An indication of this split in style can be expressed when comparing the unconvincingly hardcore "3-Headed" with the wistfully playful "Save the Brunettes", which is exactly what it sounds like it would be about.

"Save the Brunettes" succeeds in the same way that "June, July and ______", which cleverly gets the producer August (fill-in-the-blank) the Creep some shine on the mic. That being, that these sample-heavy and more upbeat songs are listenable on multiple listens and coupled with the excellent "Problems", fans of soul-influenced hip-hop will really enjoy these.

Meanwhile, the duo brings some haunting conceptual material to the table as well. "The Author" is about a letter written from a woman to the narrator, the woman upon the end of the story, ends her own life. This is probably the most well-written song of the album and the midway beat change expresses the drastic change in mood as the story gets darker and darker.

August the Creep stays behind the boards for the most part and his beats match the different styles pretty well. The aptly titled "Robots" sounds like a b-side to Non-Phixion's "Black Helicopters" with the synthetic videogame inspired beat. Songs like, "Once Sold Truths" and "The Why" seem too busy with Horton's sometimes erratic rhymes. Whatever the case, the beats are as unpredictable as the rhymes as none of them stick to simple, repetitive, loops and the dramatic backgrounds will have some conjure thoughts of beatmeister supreme, Stoupe of Jedi Mind Tricks fame.

Horton the Irrelevant and August the Creep take the listener on a 19-track journey with "Strange Passengers", meaning that ultimately the title refers to those that pop this disc in a deck. It would have been nice if the concept of the album, a tale of love gone wrong, would have been more prevalent at times. That being said, there is still an undoubtedly high level of creativity and thought process put into the creation of "Strange Passengers", but sometimes it seems like this eclectic twosome may be better off sticking with some tired and true formulas like tight samples and some more quality concepts and stray from the entirely strange.

Music Vibes: 7 of 10 Lyric Vibes: 8 of 10 TOTAL Vibes: 7.5 of 10

- Justin 'Tha Shiznute' Chandler - RapReviews.com

Review available online @ http://www.okayplayer.com/reviews/index.php/weblog/more/strange_passengers/

Madison, Wisconsin hasn't exactly represented well in the hip hop game. With a bizarre, illustrated cover and even weirder monikers, Horton the Irrelevant and August the Creep would look to put their city on the map in a strange way with Strange Passengers, but the outcome isn't so odd. Over eclectic but decidedly soulful production, the pair form a two-man wrecking crew, setting each other up with dope beats and knocking it down with gritty wordplay. Producer August's mixture of '70's funk and obscure '50's movie excerpts would normally be a challenge to rhyme over, but emcee Horton rarely falters, even if he fails to do anything spectacular.

August doesn’t get overly creative in his sampling, often looping a soul chorus, speeding it up, and putting some drums over it, but he has a finely-tuned ear. “Robots” is one of his shining moments, where he uses an old-school video game tune as the backbone of his banger. “What I Know” samples a gorgeous organ melody en route to what might be the smoothest track of the young 2007, even if Horton sounds like an idiot alliterating the letter “V” in the first verse. “Drop the Needle, Push Play, Say Yeah,” while unfortunately titled, is also a fantastic beat, as August puts on his Kanye hat with his hazy xylophones and shivering percussion.

Horton, who sounds a little like a Midwestern version of the Grouch, with a bit of pronunciation influence from Aesop Rock, is pretty easy to get with, but almost as easy to lose. It’s not like his lines go over your head, but it’s not like his lines drop jaws, either. Still, he is a solid emcee with a resonating presence, making you smile on “Save the Brunettes” when he isn’t pushing bland introspective tracks like “Problems.”

Strange Passengers tries to sell itself as something more out-there than it really is, but with the indie norm being pushed further out left field, it’s nothing altogether shocking. Lyrically it would have made for something much more interesting if it DID have a dash of Dr. Octagonal bizarro. August’s production isn’t what totally carries the album, but it’s the highlight. Some of the beats sound like something out of the Def Jux camp, some would sound right at home on a Jay-Z album. August and Horton sound great together, too.

- Matt Tomer
- okayplayer.com

BPB mention and plug on AV Club Madison.

Available online @
http://madison.decider.com/articles/the-streets-male-angst-and-oral-sex-brought-to-you,31620/

- AV Club Madison

Review available online @
http://www.rapreviews.com/archive/2009_08_todayifoundhappy.html

A Bi-Polar Bear is an interesting concept, especially as depicted on the cover of "Today I Found Happy." Pictured is a stuffed bear, the traditional stuffed animal for children everywhere. Instead of the saucer-sized eyes that are often used on such animals, we find two "x" marks as eyes, the cartoon symbol for death. The bear has a pink heart attached to his chest and another pink heart in his hand. Strewn on the floor are a pair of scissors and the remnants of the pink fabric used to cut out those pink hearts. The significance of the image is open to interpretation, but the music that accompanies it makes it clear that Bi-Polar Bear is about expectations and the pressure to meet them. A stuffed bear is expected to be happy, but why does it have to be? Rather than spiral into a completely negative take on life and the expectations society places on us, Bi-Polar Bear chooses to simply explain why sometimes the bear isn't happy.

Consisting of Ugly Orwell and August, Bi-Polar Bear is a duo of emcee/producers who take their name quite seriously. By that I mean that even the music exhibits somewhat bi-polar characteristics. For the most part the album consists of upbeat music paired with serious lyrics. It's as if the duo didn't want to depress anyone when relating their story, so they chose to balance the lyrics with party-ready music. "Her For Him" is a funky party record paired with not so uplifting lyrics. Instead of clashing, the uplifting music provides hope for what could be a rather dreary message. "NPFJ" depicts the despair that one can experience in life:

"You geek Christians speak with deep passion
Down from a miracle into what it has been
Just wind in the sails of a slave ship
That loses its course, but never destination
Geek Christians slow down the boat now
Lift us the fuck back up in the eyes of God
I'm anxious, yes, but you're nervous
Maybe there's nothing behind the curtain
Who then will protect the virgins?
Slow down Virginia, nothing's for certain
Well, maybe those rocks in your pocket
When shit's that heavy it gets hard to stop it
No problem, live long and prosperous
Die young and sit at the feet of the father
Your father, mine is no killer
Mine is still human, mine is still with us
No wars for him and no schism
And the flaws in him are no prison
No pulque, Christian listen
You are on a drug that will kill your children
...
I remember one time I tried to kill myself
Took a month full of lithium and glued myself
To the floor of the bathroom and told myself
To hold strong to the hate that I sold myself
And then in the ambulance I know myself
Knuckles white on the bottle and I throw myself
Into a sleep way deeper than I've known before
The kind of dreams way deeper than I've know before
Waiting for someone to show himself
But don't want to go where he won't go himself
In the bottom of the bottle that my tired hand holds while my eyelids twitch
Is a place like this
Wake up and my mother says
Thank God you're alive and my brother says
Thank God you're alive and my father says
You didn't see him there, I think God is dead"

While the track is a criticism of modern religion, August's personal experience provides insight on his feelings. The record is not completely bleak, as the duo uses their pain to convey their hope. "Good Moanin'" is an example of this as Ugly Orwell relates a moment of happiness. The album remains an up and down trip between hope and despair. The hope is ever present as the despair is used as a reminder of the lows August and Ugly Orwell have experienced as individuals.

"Today I Found Happy" is a compelling look into the journey of two artists striving to make it in this world. The important word here is "world" as Ugly Orwell and August don't just share their misfortunes in the music industry, but present their entire lives as an open book. The honesty and willingness to address all topics should endear the duo to fans. The unique, dope production should ensure that listeners will do more than pity the group. The finished product should make the duo a household name amongst fans of honest, moving music. If our stamp of approval isn't enough to motivate you to check the duo out, consider the fact that they were named one of URB Magazine's Next 1000. Still not enough? The duo is reportedly working with Blue Sky Black Death on their next project. Now that your attention is had, click the link at the top of the page and download the album for free. - RapReviews.com

Available at http://dane101.com/music/2009/08/26/bipolar_bear_brings_beats_to_the_blues_on_today_i_found_happy

The hip-hop duo of Ugly Orwell (née Horton the Irrelevant) and August used to call Madison home, but after releasing Strange Passengers, the two picked up and left for separate cities. Faced with what they describe as the “plague” of depression and a sense of aimlessness, they eventually reunited in Brooklyn and began once again to collaborate. The fruits of their most recent efforts, now released under the name Bi-Polar Bear, can be heard on the appropriately up-and-down album Today I Found Happy (Setting World Records, 2009).

It’s a smoothly polished record, with a production style similar to, but somewhat more exuberant than, Minnesota based Atmosphere. In fact, it’s safe to say that fans of Slug’s outfit may also find something to like in Bi-Polar Bear, as they wear their weary hearts on their sleeves and lay down tightly crafted rhymes about everything from frustrations with the opposite sex to questions of faith (or lack thereof).

The Madison roots are evident in much of the album, with references to the Packers and long, hard winters (among other familiar things) sprinkled throughout. The group says that most of the material found here was written or inspired by the time before the two actually got back together to restart their collaboration. On the track “Night’s Like This,” the broken but beautiful beat evokes the cold Wisconsin night from which August says it sprang.

There are quite a few more upbeat moments, too, lending the record a slightly manic feel that works well. On “Party Girl,” guitars and deft scratch work mix over an infectious marching band drum line groove. The lyrics are definitely still on the darker side, but they allow the music to lift the piece into a sort of defiantly body rocking number.

There are only a few weak spots on the record, as is the case on “NPFJ.” Lyrically it’s a fairly interesting treatise on rejecting religion (the refrain goes “There is no pill for Jesus”), but the flow sometimes breaks down under the weight of a bit too much heavy-handing emoting and a slightly cheesy guitar riff that sounds like it came from an early ‘90s synth.

Overall, though, Today I Found Happy is a remarkably mature, polished piece of work that doesn’t lose the bare bones grit that makes this kind of confessional hip-hop really good. The whole thing follows a trajectory, going from the darkest, hardest times on through to a sort of redemption—all the while bringing some complex, fun production work and a range of skillful lyrical stylings.

by Emily Mills, Dane101.com - Dane101.com