The Wisemen

Flipping through the FM dial these days, it's difficult to recall a time when integrity was pervasive in hip-hop, when lyricism and "commercial viability" were neither conflicting nor mutually exclusive. In 2004, with crunk music aspiring to airwave dominance, a movement was brewing in Detroit amongst a collective of disenfranchised, yet impassioned emcees. Ardent followers of early '90s hip-hop such as the Wu-Tang Clan, A Tribe Called Quest, Prince Paul & even the inimitable Kool G. Rap, The Wisemen was born equally from necessity as well as an underlying purpose: to revive the enlightened aesthetic of the so-called "golden era" of hip-hop.

Spearheaded by Bronze Nazareth, a Detroit producer/emcee with deep ties to the RZA of the seminal Wu-Tang Clan, the group is rounded out by Detroit stalwarts Kevlaar 7, Phillie and Salute (the Kid). The name "Wisemen" refers to the individual members' commitment to prudence in the face of adversity, an ideology spawned from each emcee's proven perseverance in the face of hardships.

Like most inner city youth, for years the members of the Wisemen subsisted by any means necessary. For Bronze, that meant a 9 to 5 job, scraping to make ends meet and even stealing food from the local grocer. Also growing up in the city dismally referred to as "Gun Rule," Kevlaar 7 was rolling the city streets with friends, similarly aspiring to escape the oppression of his surroundings. Finding a common catharsis in music, Bronze & Kevlaar eventually formed a group entitled "The Unknown." After releasing an album in the late '90s that garnered a healthy level of internet and local buzz, Bronze's production soon caught the eye of Wu-Tang impresario RZA.

Bronze's first break came when RZA tapped him to produce a few tracks on his highly lauded solo LP Birth Of A Prince. Shortly thereafter, Bronze and Kevlaar 7 began discussing the formation of a new group. Originally planned as a 7 man collective entitled "The 7 Wisemen", Bronze set out to find his constituents. Discovering Phillie in the streets of West Detroit while circulating his business card to prospective clients/members, Bronze elaborates: "We met at a weed spot, and Phillie told me he rhymed, so I played him some beats and we went back and forth freestylin', and we just seemed to connect on the same mental plane." Growing up on the infamous "numbers" streets, a rough set of blocks in Southwest Detroit, Phillie learned to use his intellect and innate street savvy to contend with the daily hazards of street life. While trying to keep afloat in a less than hospitable environment, Phillie would hustle money while concentrating on music. Paying dues on the local scene for years, Phillie drifted in and out of several groups and label scenarios, unable to identify people, or entities, worthy of his work ethic and raw talent…until he met Bronze.

Meanwhile, on the east side of Detroit, a chance meeting at work led Bronze to Salute (the Kid). Salute and Bronze also experienced an instant connection: "We felt the same way about shit, and since that day, we always looked out for each other," says Salute. Growing up in the projects near 7 Mile and Canfield, Salute embraced a string of self-described "wild years," frequenting the grimiest of spots and eventually finding himself a witness to his mother's tragic suicide. Shocked into drastically altering the direction of his life, Bronze initiated Salute's introduction to Kevlaar & Philie and from this tight-knit unit would evolve the core of The Wisemen. Recognizing that the four captured a unique dynamic, the prospect of a 7 member group was abandoned and in 2004 the Wisemen began to plan their underground ascent.

In 2005, Bronze Nazareth's beats and rhymes were highlighted on the underground smash Think Differently Music: Wu-Tang Meets The Indie Culture. 2006 saw the release of Bronze's solo debut, The Great Migration, to both critical and commercial fanfare. Now, with the long awaited 2007 release of Wisemen Approaching on NY indie powerhouse Babygrande Records (home to GZA, Hi-Tek, Jedi Mind Tricks, Immortal Technique & more), the cerebrally menacing Wisemen unleash their debut aural assault, drawing generously from the Wu-Tang blueprint of pensive soundscapes, mesmerizing beats, bleeding, emotive piano riffs and sprinklings of soul.

Featuring a slew of guest appearances including GZA/Genius of the Wu-Tang Clan, Sunz of Man core constituent Killah Priest, Vast Aire of Cannibal Ox, Prodigal Sunn & more as well as production by Bronze Nazareth, Kevvlar 7, amongst others, Wisemen Approaching is an historic snapshot of four emcees guided by a common purpose, hardened by experience but optimistic about hip-hop's future. They're fighting hip-hop's noble fight: a return to the fundamental pursuit of beats, rhymes and life.