Formed in 1996, the Unspoken Heard required several years before attracting notice within the East Coast underground, yet the Washington, D.C.-based rapper/producer collective achieved precisely that momentum once the new millennium arrived, thanks in large part to Asheru and Blue Black.
Asheru, born Gabriel Benn and raised in Maryland, crossed paths with Blue Black, born Robert Jackson and originally from the Bronx, while both attended the University of Virginia; Benn completed a degree in anthropology while Jackson earned one in sociology. Long committed to rhyming, the pair established a duo and connected with like-minded students who formed the core of Charlottesville’s 7 Heads Entertainment, the independent label dubbed “Home of the New Age B-Boy” and home to J-Live, Mr. Complex, Richy Pitch, and Djinji Brown. Following graduation the two maintained bases in both the nation’s capital and New York City, with Benn working full-time as a middle-school teacher and Jackson pursuing e-commerce, all while carving out time for music. Blue Black first appeared under the Heard banner with the 1996 solo twelve-inch “Sun Up from Sun Down.” Asheru joined him for the landmark 1999 single “Better/Smiley,” an effort framed by the group EPs Cosmology and Jamboree, each issued on 7 Heads. In 1999 both men left their day jobs to focus on recording and live performances; Benn additionally took on work as an educational consultant, creating curricula and leading workshops, while Jackson moved into business consulting. Their intensified studio activity yielded the thoughtful, socially aware 2001 debut album Soon Come…, whose sound paid clear homage to the early-’90s New York “new school” aesthetic and especially the Native Tongues collective, generating sustained attention that placed the project on multiple year-end lists. 48 Months arrived in 2003.
