Biography
Shorn Braithwaite entered the scene as an environmentally minded rapper from Britain, pairing his sharp, densely worded rhymes with a jazz/soul/funk blend defined above all by its measured, understated atmosphere. His first appearance came on the Manchester indie Play Hard via the 12-inch-only “Slaphead” in May 1988; the next year he followed with “How Sleep The Brave” and “The Sequel.” Those releases secured a deal with Polydor Records, which issued his pointedly titled debut album in 1991. Yet the subsequent singles “The Last Tree,” “Never Change”—held up while clearance was sought for a sample from Bruce Hornsby’s “That’s Just The Way It Is”—and “Don’t Have The Time” all failed to register, leaving him one more overlooked UK hip-hop act. He resurfaced in 1993 as the featured voice on Lionrock’s “Pocket Of Peace.”
Albums