Poetic Republic

Who: Poetic Republic

What: A hip-hop band from Cleveland, Ohio. The jazz-influenced music and use of instruments create a very much-needed new sound.

On The Web: myspace.com/poeticrepublic1

Sounds Like: The Roots

Stand Out Single: “Beautiful Nobodies”
- Hear/Say Magazine

When dissecting the organic hip-hop stylings of local act Poetic Republic, it's hard not to compare this Cleveland outfit - led by emcees Ariel "Ahp Qwes" Robinson and Greg "Rembrandt" Parsons - to the highly respected national act The Roots.
"Those are big shoes to fill," said Cleveland Heights resident Parsons, a 2000 Bedford Heights High School graduate. "We're trying to be different from The Roots, what we're doing is kind of conducting the band on what we're doing. I think that's how we're different from The Roots." Still, Poetic Republic, which formed roughly five years ago, features flowing hip-hop material created and reproduced by a live hip-hop soul act - Asante Allison Jr. (drums), Angelo Huff (guitar, bass), Frank "Soul" Lewis (keyboards) and DJ Ceven - in a conventional band format.
That means the group truly stands out in today's rap world where any emcee can pop a CD into a player and get on stage to throw down his or her rhymes. While that's exactly how Robinson and Parsons started out, the pair soon realized their ability to write music, combined with their natural live talents and desire to create something different, dictated another route.
It's this same aura of change that currently finds Poetic Republic moving into a new direction on its upcoming sophomore effort "The Natural Progression of Things," which is due out Aug. 1 and includes track "Beautiful Nobodies". Unlike the outfit's 2007 debut "The Indigenous Philosophy of the Gentiles," the new album is more socially and politically conscious without coming across as preachy.
"This one is earthy and fun, and yet we don't take ourselves too seriously," Parsons said. "It's an election year, and we're very aware what's going on in the world and the economy. America as a whole is in a very strange place, and I think this addresses everything without making it as gloomy as it already is."
Parsons points to the up-tempo, anti-materialism "Foolish Society" and the romantic commentary "Irreconcilable Differences" as standing out on the new album. Fans will get to hear some of the new tracks when Poetic Republic opens for J-Live Thursday (July 3) at the Grog Shop.
Parsons promises whether it's in studio or onstage, Poetic Republic has something special to offer the Northeast Ohio hip-hop scene.
"The thing about Poetic is we want to put out the best music possible," Parsons said. "I have my (college) degree, so I don't have much to lose, but we owe it to hip-hop, and new music in general, to put out the best music possible."
He added, "We have an air-tight show. We actually rehearse, and we're not just guys who perform on the weekends. Our show is tight, but it's still fun and there's room for some improvisation. Overall, we're professionals who really know how to perform. It's just great music. We have the best players and best emcees. So we definitely have the weapons on our side, and every show we give is a great show."
- Cleveland.com

Here's the OKP debut of a group hailing from Cleveland, Ohio by the name of Poetic Republic. The crew is comprised of members Rem, Ahp Qwes, Asante, Angelo Vagas, Frank Soul, and DJ Ceven. As evidenced by this song "The Media," they spit that authentic true-school hip-hop. Their latest album, The Natural Progression of Things, is out now.
- Okayplayer

I’m always excited when I discover hip-hop groups like Poetic Republic. This is mainly due to the fact that the genre, as it is today, is so full of vapid nonsense. When it comes to artists like Poetic Republic, I am reminded of a time where A Tribe Called Quest was in the spotlight, and jazz influenced hip-hop was actually in the spotlight.

Poetic Republic’s logo perfectly conveys the feel of their music. Under the “genre” tab on facebook PR described themselves as “Hip-Hop, Black, Rock, Soul”. All of these descriptions are appropriate for PR, but the one that strikes me the most is “Black”. At first, I wasn’t really sure how music could sound “black” but then I listened to PR’s song, “The Blackest Man Alive”. This song is honest, and that is what I love in music. The members of Poetic Republic are incredibly proud of who they are and that is what their music is about – who they are as people and as a collective. They identify with African-American culture/history, they identify with jazz music, and they identify with soul. Just because they are a hip-hop group at face value doesn’t mean the don’t identify with all types of music.

A wide range of influences is clear in Poetic Republic’s music. There are jazz flute loops, orchestra samples, and hard hitting drums among the some of the tracks on PR’s GigMaven page. The incorporation of live instrumentation adds to the honest and genuine feel of the lyrics. PR’s overall sound can be described as organic. This is the type of music born out of a group of people that are naturally talented musician. They were born to make music, and I’m very happy that they chose to follow this path with their lives. - GigMaven

The concert has an early start time of 3 p.m. and will feature a mix of area talent, up-and-comers and a couple of bona fide legends.

Among the local cats featured will be Cleveland's Poetic Republic, a six-man live music band whose lyrics and beats recall the smooth jazz-inflected grooves of the mid-'90s era from groups such as Black Star, Slum Village and the Roots. The group — Rembrandt, Ahp Qwes, DJ Ceven, Asante, Angelo and Frank Soul — is nominated for a 2008 Ohio hip-hop award for best group.

They don't bother much with champagne popping or girl hopping (hey, that rhymes!) instead rhyming about their lyrical skills, underdogs of the world and love (as opposed to lust).
- Indie Monster