About Me
Mello-D & the Rados : Live Hip-Hop Band
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We've been all over the world playing this music.
Says, Mello-D. This band represents the future of hip-hop. Live instruments, dope lyrics, clear messages. We show the world that it is possible to represent conciousness in hip-hop and be marketable... without being corny.In the 11 years Mello-D & the Rados has been touring, the band has gotten a lot of national and international attention. They have taken another giant leap forward with the risky new album, Antitainment."This album represents a deviation from the empty, lifeless music called 'hip-hop' by the mainstream." Says Mello-D. " It's an appeal to the consciousness and humor of the listener without being silly, preachy or redundant. This is relevant music."Antitainment has gotten a outstanding response in the U.S. and overseas. With a successful tour in England and two tours in Brazil, Mello-D & the Rados made a huge international impact in 2004. In the U.S., the first single, "Cool Witchu" dominated college radio for 8 weeks straight, peaking at ..3 on national radio charts. The Cool Witchu music video can be seen on MTV Brazil, B.E.T. , MTVU, MTV2 and other major U.S. and international video channels.Mello-D has rocked the mic with such popular artists as KRS-ONE, Jill Scott, The Roots, Cocoa Brovas, Organized Konfusion and he has played with jazz legends like Charlie Hampton, Herb Smith, Barry Harris, George Coleman and Clark Terry.
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Washington, D.C.-area rapper Mello-D, aka Darnley Hodge, is one of the more positive hip-hop artists out there, as displayed in "Cool Witchu," the leadoff single from his third album, Antitainment. The rap displays a remarkable degree of tolerance for everyone from atheists to fans of football teams other than the Redskins. No matter what you're into, Mello-D assures the listener, "I'm cool witchu." Elsewhere, the rapper at first seems to be indulging in a seduction fantasy in "The Ride: Bonita 2004," only to reveal at the end that he and his girlfriend have simply been role-playing. In "The Square Dance," he takes on a subject not much discussed among rappers, the working world in which an employee must deal with middle management (now there's a phrase you don't hear much in rap) in seeking a raise. Mello-D isn't above expressing himself in common ethnic vulgarities and obscenities (although the album does not contain a parental advisory), and, despite his name, he isn't entirely mellow. He gets angry and frustrated here and there, but even when he does, as on "Find a Why," his problems are those of a conventional man in conventional social and business situations, not the usual outsider rage heard in rap: he's worried about his blood pressure, his girlfriend wants him to be more communicative, BET thinks his video doesn't have good enough production values. (Well, OK, most of us don't have that last problem.) If rap is supposed to be about real life, Mello-D nevertheless presents a real life actually rarely discussed in rap, the life of paying bills, working for a living, and maintaining a relationship. This is one rapper who isn't celebrating drug-taking, misogyny, and violence, and it's also one who is not dependent on musical samples; he's perfectly capable of writing his own music and playing a mean saxophone, too.- William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
The 1998 debut of Mello-D's first album, Backsliding, received high praise from within the music industry, introducing this multi-talented artist to the world in a big way.
The 2002 release of The Ultimate Truth built on that momentum producing the blazing lead single, "Keep On", which dominated college radio in the U.S. and debuted in the top 20 on most major national music charts. The single climbed all the way to ..2 on the HITS / Rap Attack radio charts! Along with the success of "Keep On", MDR also released a video for the second single "Stupid Jerk" which features comedian T.L. Fitz (Comic View, Apollo) and was televised on BET, MHZ Networks and other national video programs. The band has sold thousands of CDs at live gigs and online.
Mello-D & the Rados - Live in D.C.
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COOL WITCHU MUSIC VIDEO f/ D'mite
STUPID JERK MUSIC VIDEO (2001)
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