PROTON's Page

Name

PROTON

About Me

Take two MCs raised on a diet of golden era hip-hop, a craft forged during the outbreak and subsequent takeover by glitz and glamour types, give them a sound-scape that ghetto girls and frat boys can bounce to and you've got Proton. With a musical style labeled the missing link between Southernplayalistic and ATLiens, A-town native Larry and Chicago born Thomasan would like to introduce you to the other face of Atlanta. Don't let the name fool you; Proton quickly shatters all preconceptions of 'positive' music.

In a period where downloads and piracy threaten an artist's livelihood, Proton has developed a rather progressive outlook on the music industry. It is their philosophy that during such a time, diversity and unpredictability, which formerly were considered weaknesses, are their greatest assets. Their sound is primarily based in hip-hop music, but is diversified by electronic, rock, and alternative influences; fitting ingredients, considering their sole proclamation is not to bring 'real' hip-hop back, but to push it forward.

Touching on subject matter that was neither particularly boastful nor self-righteous, their second full-length project "Vintage Vegetarians", saw honors as one of the best local albums of the year. Songs like "Travel" and "Come To Your Senses" were among the key ingredients to an album labeled: "hip-hop electronic spoken word stew, with no apologies for being adventurous".

Since early on, the pair's blunt, comical approach to hip-hop has gone against the grain. Combining wit and humor into personal drama, the pair's contrasting rhyme styles balance the concrete and the abstract. Using a youthful approach in tackling sophisticated subject matter, this Atlanta based duo is able to appeal to 30-somethings as well as all the little soulja boys and girls. Unafraid of experimenting with U2 samples or chopping up Black Sheep vocals from '91, this group boasts a confidence that arguably enough, could "bring the jheri curl back".

Popular demand in the Atlanta community dictated that Proton release some body of work to follow up their “Vintage Vegetarians” release, which birthed the illegitimate album "Girls & Ghetto Sh*!" With songs like “Good Guys”, “Mighty Cold” and “What’s Up Now”, Proton re-captured music lovers’ imagination, and were motivated to quickly return to the studio, collaborating with producers Battery 5 on "The Usual Suspects" compilation album, which also featured notables like Jazze Pha and J.Que of The Clutch.

On the strength of the songs on their myspace page alone (myspace.com/proton2), Proton has caught the attention of several blogs and websites, garnering them features on Concreteloop.com, SOHH.com, and URB.com’s Next 1000 contest. They have most recently been selected for URB magazine's Next 100 artists of 2008 issue, hitting shelves this Spring.

Riding the fence between the South's underground scene and its mainstream counterpart, Proton strives to transcend regional appeal and bridge the gap between the two.

Website :

http://myspace.com/proton2

Occupation:

Rap Dudes Extraordinaire

Zodiac Sign

Cap/Gem

Smoke/Drink?

yes/yes

Band Question - Genre:

Visual / Hip Hop / Industrial

Band Question -Band Members:

Larry and Thomasan

Band Question - Sounds like:

Jamaican movies, golden-era hip-hop, comic books, titty bars, and juke joints.

Band Question - Musical Influences:

Everything from Atlanta to Chicago, Native Tongues to Memphis Crunk, Brooklyn to Bristol

Band Question - Record label:

Self-Distro