Djinji Brown

Djinji Brown—whose first initial stays silent—spent his formative years amid the tough streets of New York’s Bronx borough. During childhood he accompanied his father, the avant-garde saxophonist Marion Brown, labeled an “Ethnomusicologist,” on extensive international journeys. These travels immersed him in unfamiliar instruments and the sonic traditions of numerous societies, fostering an enduring affinity for diverse musical forms. While he attributes his passion for global sounds to lessons learned from his father, he traces his broader appreciation and respect for varied cultures to his mother, an anthropology scholar and salsa enthusiast. Residence in the Bronx also introduced him to hip-hop’s wider sphere, which embraced not only rap but graffiti writing and break dancing as well. Even so, the late eighties found him drawn to hard rock; he became front man for the New York hardcore outfit Absolution until the group eventually disbanded. He then pursued hip-hop, serving as apprentice to Public Enemy producer Eric “Vietnam” Sadler and contributing to sessions with Pete Rock and CL Smooth, A Tribe Called Quest, Cassandra Wilson, Barrington Levy, and numerous additional artists. His initial major production assignment involved the debut album by the celebrated freestyle emcee Supernatural; once finished under Djinji’s sole supervision, the project was placed on hold by the label and remained unreleased. Afterward he collaborated with the Jungle Brothers, David Byrne, and an array of underground rappers and poets. During autumn 2002 he issued his own first album, Sirround Sound, via Seven Heads Entertainment—an eclectic fusion of hip-hop, Afro, Latin, Caribbean, Dub, House, and Drum-n-Bass elements that echoed the communal park jams of early-seventies hip-hop.