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Serengeti (rapper)

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(Redirected from Serengeti & Polyphonic) American rapper

Serengeti
Birth nameDavid Cohn
OriginChicago, Illinois, U.S.
GenresHip hop
OccupationRapper
Years active2003–present
Musical artist

David Cohn, better known by his stage name Serengeti, is an American rapper from Chicago, Illinois.

Early life

Serengeti is the great-nephew of jazz trumpeter Sonny Cohn. He grew up in various places in Chicago, Illinois, as his parents divorced when he was 5 years old. At the age of 12, he got into hip hop. He started writing verses while attending Morgan Park High School. He attended Southern Illinois University Carbondale, where he became friends with Open Mike Eagle. He graduated from the university in 2001 with a degree in history.

Career

In 2007, Serengeti released the first collaborative album with producer Polyphonic, titled Don't Give Up. The duo released their second collaborative album, Terradactyl, in 2009.

In 2011, Serengeti released his solo album, Family & Friends, which was produced by Yoni Wolf and Owen Ashworth.

Serengeti is a member of Sisyphus along with Son Lux and Sufjan Stevens. The trio released Beak & Claw in 2012 and a self-titled album in 2014.

In 2012, Serengeti released C.A.R., as well as Kenny Dennis EP. Kenny Dennis EP was Serengeti's first release chronicling the biography of his meta character "Kenny Dennis", a once-famous Gangsta rap artist navigating life after the peak of stardom. The EP was later ranked among the top 40 Hip Hop releases of 2012 by SPIN Magazine. He followed this up with Kenny Dennis LP in 2013 and Kenny Dennis III in 2014.

2020 saw the well-received release of Ajai with collaborator Kenny Segal, a continuation of the Kenny Dennis canon. Cohn raps about the life of Ajai, a new character obsessed with Designer clothing and sneaker drops, who interacts with Dennis within the drop-collecting community.

Style

Serengeti's music is a sharp departure from most mainstream hip hop, which he considers "depressing" and always consists of "the same redundant ideas."

In an interview, Serengeti said he created Dennehy as an "answer to common complaints about hip-hop" and "to put the fun back in hip-hop."

Discography

Studio albums

  • Dirty Flamingo (F5 Records, 2003)
  • Gasoline Rainbows (Day by Day Entertainment, 2006)
  • Thunder Valley (Audio 8 Recordings, 2006)
  • Race Trading (Audio 8 Recordings, 2006)
  • Noticeably Negro (Audio 8 Recordings, 2006)
  • Dennehy (Bonafyde Recordings, 2006; Fake Four Inc., 2017 - reissue with bonus tracks)
  • Conversations with Kenny / Legacy of Lee (Golden Floyd Records, 2009)
  • Family & Friends (Anticon, 2011)
  • C.A.R. (Anticon, 2012)
  • Saal (Graveface Records, 2013)
  • Kenny Dennis LP (Anticon, 2013)
  • Kenny Dennis III (Joyful Noise, 2014)
  • Kaleidoscope (Audio Recon, 2017)
  • Jueles - Butterflies (self-released, 2017)
  • To the Max (self-released, 2018)
  • Dennis 6e (self-released, 2018)
  • Music from the Graphic Novel: Kenny vs the Dark Web (Burnco Recs, 2019)
  • EUD (Geti Enterprises, 2019)
  • The Gentle Fall (Cohn Corporation, 2020)
  • Kdxmpc (Cohn Corporation, 2020)
  • have a summer (Cohn Corporation, 2021)
  • KDIV (2024)

Collaborations

Remix albums

  • Friday Night Remixed (Breakfast Records, 2010) (with Hi-Fidel, as Friday Night)
  • The Remixes by Open I, Vol. 1 (OTHAR, 2024)

EPs

  • Bells and a Floating World (Anticon, 2010) (with Polyphonic)
  • There's a Situation on the Homefront EP (Chopped Herring Records, 2011) (with Hi-Fidel and DJ Koufie, as Tha Grimm Teachaz)
  • Davis (Leaving Records, 2011) (with Matthewdavid, as Davis)
  • Beak & Claw (Anticon, 2012) (with Son Lux and Sufjan Stevens, as S / S / S)
  • Kenny Dennis EP (Anticon, 2012)
  • C.A.B. (Anticon, 2013)
  • You Can't Run from the Rhythm (Joyful Noise, 2015) (with Anders Holm, as Perfecto)
  • Dust (F5 Records, 2016)
  • Kaleidoscope EP (Joyful Noise, 2017)
  • Derek (Fake Four Inc./Audio Recon, 2017)
  • Kaleidoscope 2 (self-released, 2018)
  • The Moon (self-released, 2018)
  • 6e Features from Berlin (self-released, 2019)
  • Quail (Audio Recon, 2019)
  • Energy (Geti Enterprises, 2019)
  • Quarantine Recordings (Auto Reverse Records, 2020) (with Open Mike Eagle, as Cavanaugh)

Singles

  • "Black Giraffes / Busty Women" (F5 Records, 2003)
  • "Fast Living / Breakfast of Champions" (The Frozen Food Section, 2005)
  • "Be a Man" (Graveface Records, 2012) (with Advance Base and Tobacco)
  • "Firebird Logo" (Burnco Recs, 2013)
  • "Havin' a Time" (Geti Enterprises, 2019)
  • "Ajai Epilogue" (Cohn Corporation/Fake Four Inc., 2020) (with Kenny Segal)
  • "Première" (Joyful Noise Recordings, 2020)
  • "Unblu" (Loves Way, 2020) (with Jenny Lewis)
  • "hacksaws" (CC KING, 2023) (with Marcus Drake)
  • "gianfranco" (CC King, 2023) (with Owen Cubitt)
  • "Owen arm n" (CC King, 2024) (with Owen Cubitt)
  • "shark attack" (CC King, 2024) (with Owen Cubitt)

Guest appearances

  • Themselves - "Keys to Ignition" from The Free Houdini (2009)
  • Tobacco - "2 Thick Scoops" from LA UTI (2010)
  • Open Mike Eagle - "Easter Surgery" from Unapologetic Art Rap (2010)
  • Open Mike Eagle - "Four Days" from Extended Nightmares Getdown: The Dark Blue Door (2011)
  • Open Mike Eagle - "Universe Man" from 4nml Hsptl (2012)
  • Open Mike Eagle - "Credits Interlude" from Component System with the Auto Reverse (2022)

Compilation appearances

References

  1. ^ Christgau, Robert (August 5, 2011). "Serengeti: Play Your Part". NPR. Archived from the original on September 27, 2019. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
  2. ^ Weiss, Jeff (July 28, 2011). "Anticon MC Serengeti: The Quirkiest, Deepest Rapper". LA Weekly. Archived from the original on September 27, 2019. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
  3. ^ Downing, Andy (January 19, 2007). "Real characters inspiring Serengeti's hip-hop vision". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on September 27, 2019. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
  4. Westhoff, Ben (March 3, 2005). "Outsider Hip-Hop". Chicago Reader. Archived from the original on September 7, 2015. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
  5. Huff, Quentin B. (September 6, 2007). "Serengeti & Polyphonic: Dont Give Up". PopMatters. Archived from the original on July 1, 2018. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  6. Britt, Thomas (December 17, 2009). "Slipped Disc: Serengeti & Polyphonic - Terradactyl". PopMatters. Archived from the original on March 16, 2019. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  7. Kelly, Zach (July 21, 2011). "Serengeti: Family and Friends". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on July 1, 2018. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  8. Pelly, Jenn (February 27, 2012). "Sufjan Stevens Teams With Son Lux and Rapper Serengeti as s / s / s, EP Due on Anticon". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on March 16, 2019. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  9. Minsker, Evan (December 19, 2013). "Listen: Sufjan Stevens, Son Lux, and Serengeti Announce LP as Sisyphus, Share "Calm It Down"". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on April 12, 2019. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  10. Camp, Zoe (July 30, 2012). "Serengeti - C.A.R." CMJ. Archived from the original on August 4, 2012. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  11. "SPIN's 40 Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2012: Serengeti - Kenny Dennis EP (Anticon)". Spin. December 11, 2012. Archived from the original on July 2, 2018. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  12. "Serengeti: Kenny Dennis EP". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  13. "Serengeti – Kenny Dennis EP (Anticon) SPIN". www.spin.com. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  14. Galil, Leor (June 26, 2013). "The enduring appeal of Serengeti's alter ego, Kenny Dennis". Chicago Reader. Archived from the original on November 5, 2018. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  15. Weiss, Dan (November 10, 2014). "Review: Serengeti's Emmy-Worthy 'Kenny Dennis III'". Spin. Archived from the original on December 21, 2019. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  16. "Serengeti: Ajai". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  17. "Serengeti: Music: Ben Rubenstein". CenterstageChicago.com. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007.
  18. "Serengeti | Schedule". SXSW. Retrieved November 12, 2018.

External links

Serengeti
Studio albums
EPs
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