Diligent Thought is Jibberish (MC), Toofless (MC), Sol-Phonic (Producer) and DJ Solo (DJ/Producer), formed in spring 2007. The group members come from diverse cultural backgrounds, brought together by the desire to create good music.
Jibberish the Lyric Illisist a.k.a Jibba the Serendibian a.k.a the Mutant Ninja MC is of Malaysian heritage but hails from the tropical island of Sri Lanka, where he first got a taste of the urban sound from the tape collection of his uncles and cousins, brought down on their visits from the United Kingdom. It was not until his later years however, upon graduating high school and moving to the U.A.E for undergrad work, that he delved deeper into hip hop, often spending hours sampling albums off Amazon.com. Through this he discovered his affinity to the word-play and delivery of such Mcing greats as Black Thought, whom he cites as his main influence. Always a fan, he never participated in music until he met Sol-Phonic in passing at university in the fall of 2005. Inspired by Sol-Phonic's passion for the genre and hyper-active manner Jibberish decided to try his hand at writing rhymes. Initial effots proved to be far below the calibre he wished to attain and subsequently he dropped the pen and the pad. A year later, a chance meeting with Sol-Phonic and his then more developed sound, rejuvenated his desire to make music. It was in November that year he penned his first complete rhyme, written while playing the beat "Edith's Piano" off of DJ Solo's myspace page. Solo and Jibberish would eventually meet in March 2007 at a J-Live gig, a few months after Sol-Phonic introduced him to Toofless. The duo clicked and have been trading rhymes and concepts since then.
Toofless a.k.a Psychotropic Poet born and raised in Dubai is of Sudanese heritage. He started MCing at the age of 17 after being inspired by acts such as Nas, AZ, LB Fam, Wu and Talib etc. Ever the strong silent type, his introverted nature found its outlet in writing. AntiSocial commentary, emotional expression, frustration and joy would be poured onto pages that littered his bedroom floor after being committed to memory. He would later meet a partner in rhyme in high school, Kay a.k.a. Karma, after which the two would soon become best friends. U.T.O.P.I.A (Unified Thoughts Of Psyche Instrumental Abstract)would be formed. The two would develop their rhyming skills together over the course of several years. However despite his talents far surpassing those of the average, venues to perform at were scarce and studio projects would fall through, causing a frustrated Toofless to cease writing temporarily. His passion would be renewed upon a chance meeting with Sol-Phonic through mutual friends in the fall of 2006. Encouragement from Sol-Phonic lead to Toofless's involvment in Sol-Phonic's projects and quest to create a strong Dubai based hip hop outfit. And the rest is history.
Sol-Phonic was born in Sudan and raised in Dubai. Growing up listening to the sounds of his father's Soul and Funk collection, Sol-Phonic developed a taste for the groove. He recalls seeing a classmate performing on the drums at the age of 15 and marveling at the raw sound and energy produced. Despite his new found interest in delving into music he could not afford a drum kit. Instead he constructed a contraption out of old pillows, cushions, chairs and tennis rackets as a substitute; whatever it took to get into the music. A few years later he would join a death metal band, it would be his first time playing on real drums and would lead to his first stint as part of a live act. The group dissolved over time, but not after making a name in Dubai's rock scene. Sol-Phonic kept himself involved in music, learning how to construct beats using software. This coincided with some of his early experiences with true hip hip, turning his passions to beats, rhymes and life. Inspired by people such as Madlib, Dilla, The Roots, DJ Premier etc. he worked his way towards purchasing his first MPC and setting up a make-shift studio in his bedroom. Over the course of the next few years he would hone his skills, with an eye out for any and all whom he could work with to make his dream of having his own group come true.
DJ Solo originally hails from High Wycombe, UK. He discovered hip hop in 1989, when hip hop was everywhere in his home town. His first taste of music came via the piano, and later the guitar, but soon after he started collecting records he started djing around Wycombe as most other DJs seemed to be representing different musical genres. After moving to London in 1998 his skills and love for the music developed. He played regularly at his college, internet radio stations and local coffee-shops around Whitechapel where he resided. Also around this time he was the third member (scratch dj) of D'n'B collective White Noise (now Diverted), playing up and down the UK including warm-up for the Scratch Perverts. Whilst in Dubai he has been the scratch DJ for local jazz collective Abstrakt Collision, playing gigs in Lebanon and Dubai, and featuring on two of their albums. He was introduced to production early on by his friends however, it wasn't until he bought his MPC that he started making beats on his own. As one from a diverse musical background his first compositions were somewhat experimental, but later as he came into contact with MCs his sound became more focused. A lover of funk ridden boom bap hip hop, he has played frequently in Dubai, Lebanon and Sri Lanka, and continues to organise events in Dubai promoting the music he feels, which is hard to come by in the desert. One gig he organised featured fellow Middle east hip hop head Boikutt (Ramallah Underground), from Palestine. More recently he has taken up a friday residency at his new night 'On The Corner', spinning Soul, Funk, Jazz and Hip Hop.
Currently the group is workin towards their first release, and performing live around Dubai. Watch this space for further developments and updates on their events and releases. Diligent Thought is also interested in collaborating with international artists. MySpace Profile Photo Editor
