The name is Theophilus London.
The sound he brings may be as equally foreign as his name.
A merge of his poetic lyricism over thumping club and 80/90's pop beats.
The man himself is not your typical hip hop artist.
When I first met Theo,last year at Kid Cudi's mixtape release party, I met an earnest man that may not have realized the extent of his talent.
He humbly dodged compliments and handed out his mixtape as if you would be doing him a favor to listen to it.
Donning his buddy holly glasses and his black Cavs hat,he would seem to be the most un hip hop in the eyes of today's gangster-bling setting.
Yet as you'll come to see, he is the most hip hop in many ways.
Theophilus London, what brought you to that name? And when did you decide you wanted to be an mc?
What brought me to my name was my dad Moses London. I hated the name growing up. Got teased the whole nine. But being a child of art and how I live on a day to day basis, Theophilus is perfect. "Don't pronounce it wrg" if u do f*!k it. I became an Mc in 2000 - new millennium and I started styuding RAP and Poetry. And made my way in the scene.
Youre original in the way you present yourself and in the way you rap. what rappers inspired you or rather what artists in general?
I studied Jay-z, Eminem, Biggie, Busta Rhymes to name a few rappers. I grew up a huge fan of Michael Jackson, and The Smiths. A lot of soul in my upbringing. But getting in to hip hop was cool. It was a lot of fun and expression in the music. Plus dance is a huge form of hip hop and I love dancing.
The Charming Mixtape project is the follow up to JAM!- your first mixtape -which i still have in heavy rotation by the way. What can we expect from this mixtape?
A lot of melodies and rhythm. A contrast of charming and evil. Great mixtures of the new sounds I hear when I close my eyes. I have an African-Soul-dance vibe in records called Crazy Cousins and Grey X Sage
Plus some real personal work I never thought I would release. This mixtape was inspired by many of my friends and the growth I exp. My whole life. Jam! Was the rhythm to my heart this new and prolly last tape for a while is about my soul. Ohh and yeah first time ever heard I'm def. Dropping a JAM pt 2 in the years to come of us.
What is cool to Theophilus London?
Ummm random Thrift store visits, FRIENDS, to cool dogs named Prince and Free, collecting game hats and mickey mouse toys. That's pretty much it... Ohhh yea and women. They inspire the world.
http://myspace.com/londonwave
