Quakers

Quakers operates as an underground hip-hop collective directed by producers Fuzzface (Geoff Barrow of Portishead), 7STU7, and Supa K (formerly Katalyst), drawing on dozens of guest rappers worldwide. The group pairs gritty, nearly psychedelic beats with contributions from a broad range of emcees and launched its career through a widely praised self-titled album in 2012 before resurfacing in 2020 with a follow-up full-length.

Barrow established the project alongside Stuart Matthew (7STU7) and Ashley Anderson (Supa K), both producers tied to his Invada Records imprint with operations in Australia and the U.K. Assisted by Stones Throw’s Peanut Butter Wolf, the three recruited 35 participants for the 41-track debut, incorporating underground rappers, golden-age hip-hop veterans, and additional Stones Throw artists. After previewing the quirky single “Fitta Happier,” which blended verses from MED and Guilty Simpson with a marching band rendition of Radiohead’s “Optimistic” and “The National Anthem,” the album appeared in spring 2012.

Eight years afterward the collective resurfaced, first issuing the 50-track instrumental beat tape Supa K: Heavy Tremors. In November 2020 they delivered the politically charged II: The Next Wave, which featured the Koreatown Oddity, Sampa the Great, Jeremiah Jae, and multiple Detroit rappers such as Boog Brown and Denmark Vessey.