Def-i Featured Artist
Let’s give a warm welcome to Def-i on Nativeflix.com
We are honored to be part of this network of artist…
Def-i is a Albuquerque native, representing the Southwest’s Hip-Hop Scene as a member of New Mexico’s Foundations of Freedom Crew since 2003. As well as being part of Skull Control Records, Chief Rockers, and Definition Rare, Def-i fell into MC’ing and beat-making while growing up in the Dine reservation as a young percussionist and poet. His style is multifaceted. His stockpile is all-inclusive: Hip-Hop, Spoken Word/Acapella, Instrumental, Breakbeat, Lyrical, Beatboxing, Downtempo, Underground/Freestyle Rap,
Def-i is a Albuquerque native, representing the Southwest’s Hip-Hop Scene as a member of New Mexico’s Foundations of Freedom Crew since 2003. As well as being part of Skull Control Records, Chief Rockers, and Definition Rare, Def-i fell into MC’ing and beat-making while growing up in the Dine reservation as a young percussionist and poet. His style is multifaceted. His stockpile is all-inclusive: Hip-Hop, Spoken Word/Acapella, Instrumental, Breakbeat, Lyrical, Beatboxing, Downtempo, Underground/Freestyle Rap, Contemporary Native-Amercian Acoustic, and everything between. Def-i has maintained a local presence as a resident host every wednesday at ‘Vinyl and Verses’, NM’s longest running hip-hop weekly (7years and counting). For the past couple of years he’s been featured on the local radio station, ‘StreetBeat,’ every friday (89.9 fm www.kunm.org/streaming). He is also not a newcomer to the Hip-Hop realms that co-exist from the East to West Coast for he has opened for and shared the stage with top-tier artists such as KRS-ONE, Dead Prez, Immortal Technique, Evidence of Dilated Peoples, Percee P, Chali2na of Jurassic 5/Ozomatli, Blueprint, Yelawolf of Shady Records, OneBeLo of Binary Star, RA the Rugged Man, and The Chicharones to name a few.
Furthermore, over the recent years, Def-i has also made a name for himself in what was once the world’s largest rap battle league known as ‘Grindtimenow.’ West Coast CEO Lush One stated, “Back in October Lush One and the Machina Muerte clique went on a tour of the entire Western region of the United States searching for new battle rap talent. The stand out performance from the entire tour was by Def-i (stand out up & comer from SouthWest) in Albuquerque, NM. You can look out for him as a new name to watch.” Whether performing in front of a full capacity audience or battling in front of thousands of viewers, Def-i has moved the crowd and persists on delivering consistent craftsmanship each time he forks out his skillful talent.
Through hard work and perseverance, Def-i stands as one of the indefectible factors of Hip-Hop in the Southwest, continuing to provide listeners with quality music/sound. This triple threat mc/producer/sound engineer holds the experience and essential aptitude to be classified amongst any top-quality Hip-Hop artist, worldwide. In a profession that is highly competitive and ever-progressive throughout our times, it is safe to say that Def-i represents living proof of Hip-Hop flourishing over the Southwest and beyond.
Awards:
2008 2 on 2 Vinyl and Verses MC Battle Champion
2010 Gathering of Nations Chief Rocka’ Black Belt Champion
2010 Vinyl and Verses Beat Battle Champion
TV/Press:
PBS KNME – Native American Poetry Documentary titled ‘In Between the Lines’
http://portal.knme.org/video/1486150424/
Fox 5 Morning News – Washington D.C. – Intl. Soul Society Fest.
Battles:
Def-i vs. Physics
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xo0lbcouT-w
Def-i vs. KI Design
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbuLNh8yNUY
Discography:
*2006 – Road Selections Vol. 1 (Compilation)
*2007 – Road Selections Vol. 2 (Compilation)
*2008 – Beats to Beat Off to – (Instrumental CD)
*2008 – Skull Control 505 Mixtape (Mixtape)
*2009 – Road Selections Vol. 3 (Compilation)
*2010 – The Sound of Color (Album)
*2010 – Eastern Sunz – Corroded Utopia (Guest Appearance)
*2011 – Mantis Fist – Global Swarming (Guest Appearance)
*2011 – L’roneous – Notes of the Righteous Outlaw (Prod. Credit)
*2011 – Self Titled LP (Album)
*2011 – Definition Rare – Desert Heat LP (Album)
*2011 – Shane B. and Def-i – Back to Back (Album)
Performed at the following venues:
The Calabash – Portland, OR
Nectar Lounge – Seattle, WA
House of Stormz – Oakland, CA
Velocity Circus – Oakland, CA
Bora Bora – Oklahoma City, OK
Fox Theatre – Boulder, CO
Owsley’s – Denver, CO
Herb’s Hideout – Denver, CO
Abbey Theatre – Durango, CO
Fort Lewis College – Durango, CO
The Summit – Durango, CO
The University of Colorado – Boulder, CO
Lounge of Three – Washington, D.C.
Almaz Lounge – Washington, D.C.
Capitol Hill – Washington, D.C.
Embassy of the Republic of Korea – Washington, D.C.
Artisphere – Arlington, VA
The Blunt Club – Tempe, AZ
Brickhouse – Phoenix, AZ
Oaxaca’s – Phoenix, AZ
Orpheum Theatre- Flagstaff, AZ
Skrappy’s – Tucson, AZ
Vaudeville Cabaret – Tucson, AZ
Navajo Nation Fair – Window Rock, AZ
St. Michaels High School – St. Michaels, AZ
Stanfield Fine Art Gallery ( 2010 Sundance Film Festival) – Park City, UT
House of Blues ( 2011 Sundance Film Festival) – Park City, UT
The Great Saltair – Salt Lake City, UT
Gallivan Center – Salt Lake City, UT
Utah Arts Fest 2010 and 2011 – Salt Lake City, UT
Mulligan’s – Logan, UT
Zeppelin’s – El Paso, TX
Center for Contemporary Arts – Santa Fe, NM
Warehouse 21 – Santa Fe, NM
CJ’s Blue Moon Bar – Las Cruces, NM
The Juggernaut – Gallup, NM
The Convention Center – Albuquerque, NM
Sunshine Theatre – Albuquerque, NM
Gathering of Nations Stage 49 – The Pit – Albuquerque, NM
Launchpad – Albuquerque, NM
Civic Plaza – Albuquerque, NM
NM State Fair – Albuquerque, NM
Burt’s Tiki Lounge – Albuquerque, NM
Warehouse 508 – Albuquerque, NM
Unversity of New Mexico – Albuquerque, NM
The Totah Theatre – Farmington, NM
Gator’s Bar and Grill – Farmington, NM
Shiprock High School – Shiprock, NM
Phil Thomas Performing Arts Center – Shiprock, NM
San Juan College Henderson Fine Arts Theatre – Farmington, NM
Opened For:
KRS-ONE, Dead Prez, Percee P, Del tha Funky Homosapien (Hieroglyphics), Mikah 9 (Freestyle Fellowship), Chali2na (J5/Ozomatli), Blueprint (Soul Position), Sabac Red, 2Mex, Evidence (Dilated Peoples), Immortal Technique, J-Live, Main Flow, The Chicharones (Sleep & JoshMartinez), R.A. the Rugged Man Sandpeople, RedCloud, Yelawolf (Shady Records), DJ Element, Radio Active of Spearhead, Wordsworth, OneBeLo (Binary Star), Life Rexall, Rass Kass, Combichrist, Jackal & Hyde, Rabbit in the Moon, Medusa, Invincible, ABK, and many more.
Random Facts:
▪ Produced beat(s) for artists such as Percee P, Aceyalone, Abstract Rude, 2Mex, Sleep of Oldominion, Xperience of Oldominion, L*roneous, Mike Marshall, and many more.
▪ In 2003, became a member of the Foundations of Freedom Crew, representing the four elements of Hip-Hop. This crew has been based in AZ/NM since the late 90s.
▪ In 2009, went on tour as an opening act/promotor for Evidence (Dilated Peoples).
▪ In 2010, went on tour as an opening act/promotor/manager for The Chicharones’s (Sleep and Josh Martinez) Swine and Dash Tour and for RedCloud’s Grizzly Rap Tour.
▪ In 2011, went on tour as an opening act/promotor/manager for L*roneous’s SW Outlaw Tour.
▪ Currently, a part-time poetry and beat-making instructor at several high-schools in Albuquerque, NM during the school year.
▪ Actively participates in local and global climate justice movements.
▪ Provides motivational speeches to youth of all ages and nations.
Media Links:
http://www.facebook.com/def.rare
http://www.youtube.com/DefinitionRare
http://www.myspace.com/definitionrare
http://www.reverbnation.com/defi
http://www.amzn.com/B003O3P3DO
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-sound-of-color/id373920958