Dos noun
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Dos-Noun is an American rapper from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is best known for his freestyling abilities, his intense performances, and his frequent European tours. He has travelled overseas eight times, despite the limited release of his records.
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[edit] Background
Dos-Noun was born Daniel Buckley Mortimer Muessig in Chicago, Illinois, on December 28th, 1981. He lived there for two years, until his parents relocated to New York City.
Growing up in New York City in the early 1980s, Dos-Noun was emersed in the city's burdgeoning hip-hop scene. Despite his young age, he was enthralled by hip-hop culture. He recalls listenning to Run DMC and The Fat Boys on the radio and watching break dancers performing in Union Square Park.
He remained interested in hip-hop when his family moved to Easton, Pennsylvania in 1987. There he began collecting autographs and baseball cards and regularly watching Yo MTV Raps. He still possesses authographs from celebrties including Dan Quayle, Don Mattingly and Donald Trump.
As a child, Dos-Noun was deeply interested in baseball, military history, and explosives. He played right-field for his little league team, aspiring to make the pros as a designated hitter. Dos-Noun was a dedicated fan of the Seattle Mariners, but he cast such allegiance aside when they changed their logo.
In 1995, Dos-Noun moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with his family. He briefly attended Falk School before beginning high school at Taylor Allderdice. At age 13, Dos-Noun obtained his stage-name when a Spanish teacher mocked him for learning only two Spanish nouns (bocadillo and gato). Later, when he began rapping, Dos-Noun utilized this monicker as a means of empowerment.
[edit] The Deadly Scribes
While in high-school, Dos-Noun fell in with a crowd of rambunctious hip-hop obsessed teenagers. Together they experimented with vast quantities of drugs and engaged in acts of petty vandalism. One such drug enduced experiment resulted in Dos-Noun speaking in tongues. His friends were impressed by his verbal dexterity and egged him on. This was Dos-Noun's first freestyle.
Days later, he and his friends formed the hip-hop group, The Platoon, heavily inspired by the rap group Killa Army. The Platoon had six original members, Dos-Noun, Ambush the Syllabist (later Ambush the Animated, then Timothy Brindle, a noted Christian rapper), Siege (later Cience), Lyrical Insight (later Mic Language), and ECO (who later became the group's graffiti artist, known as Mazer). After a single performance at a high-school talent show that later degenerated into a gang riot (through no fault of their own), The Platoon disbanded. They re-established themselves as The Deadly Scribes.
The Deadly Scribes heavily associated themselves with the underground hip-hop movement. They frequently referred to the four elements of hip-hop and performed frequent shows at small Pittsburgh venues. The Deadly Scribes released an EP entitled Parts of Speech in 2000. [myspace.com/dosnoun]
[edit] Parts of Speech
Ambush the Animated moved to Philadelphia to go to college in 1999. There he met Verbal Tec, a rapper from Baltimore who was also attending college in Philadelphia. Verbal Tec joined the crew. Dos-Noun moved to Philadelphia the following year. Together, they formed the Parts of Speech. The Parts of Speech frequently performed in Philadelphia, and toured the East Coast. They established themselves as excellent live showman, and released an album entitled "The Rhyme Scheme" in 2001. Later that year, the group released a single featuring the songs "Constructive Criticism," "The Situation," and "Apartment 420." Ambush the Animated left the Parts of Speech in 2002 after a sudden conversion to Christianity. The Parts of Speech exist now as a duo, consisting of Dos-Noun and Verbal Tec. They continue to perform.
[edit] Solo work
Encouraged by the positive reviews of his solo track "Irony," from the album "The Rhyme Scheme, Dos-Noun decided to embark on a solo career [1]. He recorded his first album in Pittsburgh with production from his high school classmates Skinny Friedman and Mr. Burns (later Burnso). The record, entitled Paper Animals was eventually released through the independent label Manifest Music in 2002, which would release his next two projects [2]. The album received positive reviews for its lyrical content, but some critics decried the lack of hooks and its faulty production. He toured in support of the album while studying in Philadelphia and summering in Pittsburgh.
In 2003, Dos-Noun released a vinyl EP entitled "It Can't Be Wrong," which was produced entirely by Burnso.
In 2004, Dos-Noun released his second solo album "Compelling," also produced by Burnso. Better received by critics, "Compelling" seemed destined for success, but its controversial cover alienated many. The cover depicted Dos-Noun being crucified in a concenctration camp uniform. While on the cross, Dos-Noun looks down at an African-American man in a Nazi SS uniform who is aiming a revolver at the musician's face. The liner notes and CD face show a pattern of crosses, stars of David, and swastikas. In an interview with the Pittsburgh City Paper, Dos-Noun explained that he did it for shock value, and purpotedly wanted to get himself hurt.
In 2005 Dos-Noun and Burnso began to work on what would become their final project together. In November, 2006, they released "Fall of 98." Dos-Noun once finished a Rubix cube in 16 seconds.
[edit] Touring
In 2005, Dos-Noun embarked on an American tour with friend and fellow underground rapper iCON the Mic King. They travelled for free on Greyhound buses with forged bus passes until they were stopped in Sacramento, California. After a brief altercation, iCON was detained, but Dos was able to negotiate for his friend's release by turning in their bus passes and agreeing never to ride Greyhound buses again (1). Later that year, the Ameripass format was altered, making it more difficult to forge.
Dos-Noun is known for his DIY tours. He books his own concerts, often communicating directly with foreign promoters using his parents' computer. Despite his inability to speak foreign languages and without a driver's license, Dos-Noun has supported himself touring the world.
In 2005, Dos-Noun went on two European tours, the first of which landed him in Holland, Hungary, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Slovenia, and Germany (1). The second tour brought back to many of these countries, but he also toured with Afu-Ra in Polland, and was stranded in Brussels for a week with Burnso, Verbal Tec, and professional skateboarders Pete Smolik and Gershon Mosley.
In 2006, Dos-Noun continued to play in Europe, participating in a solo tour of Scandinavia that brought him to Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland. He also toured Australia in April, Europe in May, and America in June.
[edit] Retirement controversy
In the midst of the Fish Can't Carry Guns Tour (1), which brought him, iCON the Mic King, Seez Mics, Awar and Fischyer Pryce across America, a MySpace post attributed to Dos-Noun appeared on many hip-hop forums and message boards(2). It discussed his disillusionment with the lifestyle of a touring rapper and his seeming lack of future prospects. The declaration also announced his plans to retire. In the message, Dos-Noun seemed irritable and unhinged, leading many to question his mental state. The announcement was met with a fiery response from the internet hip-hop community. Despite his declaration, he has not yet ceased touring, and in fact, released an album entitled "Fall of 98," calling in to question the validity and origin of the post.
[edit] Battling
Like many underground hip-hop musicians, Dos-Noun gained repute from freestyle battles. He lost his first battle in 1999 to noted Pittsburgh rapper Ron Noodles. He redeemed himself the following year, defeating Ron Noodles to win a local battle series sponsored by Influential Flavor productions. He defended his title the following year. While living in New York as a college student, he learned advanced battle techniques which he later utilized with successful results.
In 2002, Dos-Noun first battled at Scribble Jam. In the first round he defeated Robust. In the second round, he faced the more formidable Mac Lethal. Their battle was decided by a controversial ruling, awarding the win to Mac Lethal despite opposition from the crowd. In a gesture of goodwill, Mac Lethal presented Dos-Noun the Scribble Jam trophy. They battled again after the culmination of the tournament in a now legendary exchange.
In 2003, Dos-Noun returned to Scribble Jam, and engaged in a similarly controversial battle with Juice.
In 2004, Dos-Noun retired from battling after a first-round exit at Scribble Jam. Although Dos-Noun no longer battles, he keeps his competitive edge, often participating in eating contests.
[edit] Current work
In November 2006, Dos-Noun returned from his fifth European tour. His Myspace announces that he is currently looking to book shows in Europe and Australia in 2007. He is 5'9.
