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Jneiro Jarel (born Omar Gilyard)^[1] is an American alternative hip hop artist.

For over a decade, Jneiro Jarel has provided listeners with an eclectic mix of sounds ranging from hip hop to electronic to Brazilian funk to bass music. Noted for his abstract style, he is also known for his beat-making alias Dr. Who Dat? and his groups Willie Isz, JJ DOOM and Shape of Broad Minds who've shared the stage with artists ranging from Jay-Z to Radiohead. He has collaborated with artists such as Damon Albarn, Count Bass D and TV on the Radio among others.^[2]

History [link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

Early life [link]

Jneiro Jarel was Born in Brooklyn, New York, spending the first few years of his life in the Brownsville neighborhood. His family would later relocate from Brooklyn to Atlanta when he was five years old. Being that his mother was in the military, Jarel lived in a number of places such as Georgia, Maryland and Arizona, before finally touching down in Houston, Texas in 1983.

Houston years 1983–1998 [link]

In 1989, Jneiro Jarel, his cousin Tarek Gibbs, and best friend Anton Bennett formed a group called Top Gauge Posse, later changing the name to Aliens From the Planet Brooklyn (APB). The trio went by the monikers MC Jarel G, Just Chill, and KCL. They quickly landed gigs with established artists like Hi Five, YZ and Special Ed.

In the early 1990s, APB disbanded and Jneiro Jarel (now going by Gwizzo) started a new collective called The Ozarkians (aka The OZ's, pronounced Oh-zees), which included many of his friends, as well as former APB members Tarek Gibbs (now Seveno 007) and Anton Bennett (now Quipto). Other members included brother and sister Michael Thomas (Kwezzo) and Candis Thomas (Kyzzo), Dashaunda Baldwin (Dizzo), Greg Alix (Cereo), and a few others.

In 1992, Jneiro Jarel formed the spin off group The Pslum Kedz (pronounced The Slum Kids) (aka Rhythmic Crew). This group consisted of Jarel (now going by both Gwizzo and Phish Bone), Anton Bennett (now going by Egg head), Michael Thomas (now Alley Cat), Greg Alix (Aahtue), and Nahuma Holiday (Nahuma). Initially more of an emcee, Jarel eventually became the primary producer for the group in '93. Although the group was doing shows and even performing with prominent acts such as The Pharcyde, Prodigy of Mobb Deep, and The Geto Boys, various circumstances caused them to disband. The most significant being the incarceration of Anton Bennett, who's been in prison for over a decade. This was especially difficult for Jarel and caused him to take a "spiritual hiatus" to reevaluate his life.

New York years 1998–2004 [link]

After The Pslum Kedz' breakup, Jneiro Jarel decided to move back to New York in 1998. Upon his return, he officially changed his name to Jneiro Jarel and quickly became a fixture in Okayplayer's "Black Lily" gigs at The Wetlands and Butterfly Cafe. In 2000 he started his own label Orienj Recordings (now Label Who), releasing his first EP as a solo artist, Section A.^[3] Public Enemy producer Hank Shocklee of The Bomb Squad later discovered JJ through MP3.com and instantly had him opening up for Julie Dexter, Lord Finesse and others. It was during this time that JJ honed his production skills and started to build a buzz behind the board. In 2003, he signed to indie record label Kindred Spirits. Later that year he was the sole representative from New York to participate and perform at Red Bull Music Academy in Cape Town, South Africa.

Philly years 2004–2009 [link]

2004 saw Jneiro Jarel relocating once again; this time to Philladelphia. Through his success in the indie music scene he was able to work with some of the city's most influential hip hop artists Rich Medina and King Britt. He also began to develop himself more as a producer, collaborating with Jazzanova, Count Bass D, Dego, Lizz Fields, Tiombe Lockhart, Fertile Ground and Vinia Mojica. From 2004 on forward Jarel has released a number of albums such as Timeless Vol. 1 and Three Piece Puzzle. In 2006, he signed a new deal with Lex Records and shortly thereafter released Beat Journey and later Beyond 2morrow under the alias Dr. Who Dat? Eventually Jarel linked with old time friend Jawwaad to feature him in the fictitious group Shape of Broad Minds, later releasing the album Craft of the Lost Art on Lex Records. Following the album was Amazonica (2001–2004) with his fictitious group Capital Peoples, and Georgiavania with his Atlanta group Willie Isz in 2009.

Los Angeles years 2009-present [link]

Jneiro Jarel's music has been cited as having been a major influence on a relatively new genre that has so many complexities it's difficult to define. Having been dubbed as wonky, this progressive, futuristic sound fuses hip hop with electronica, and has gained traction and popularity in recent years on the Low End Theory/Brainfeeder scene. Though Jneiro's sound is often being described as experimental and psychedelic, he simply calls it "The Viberian Experience", where various musical styles and influences have beautifully coalesced to become something all its own. The sound is ever changing because Jneiro himself is constantly evolving. Add the extra element of a deliberate attempt to weave visual art into his work and one could easily call this "conceptual music". This artistic approach has garnered him respect and adoration among fans and peers alike (as noted on Pitchfork.com), and has served as a conduit for notable creative ventures with labels such as Lex Records and Kindred Spirits.

2010 found Jneiro with two releases; Android Love Mayhem EP and the Brazilian beat project Fauna.

Discography [link]

Jneiro Jarel [link]

• Timeless Vol. 1 (2004)
• Three Piece Puzzle (2004)
• "Big Bounce Theory" b/w "Quantum Leap" (2005)
• Fauna (2010)
• Android Love Mayhem EP (2010)
• "Amazonica" b/w "See Them Cry" (2010)

Dr. Who Dat? [link]

• Beat Journey (2006)
• Rhyme Cycle EP (2006)
• Beyond 2morrow (2009, reissue 2010)

Shape of Broad Minds [link]

• Blue Experience EP (2007)
• Craft of the Lost Art (2007)
• Raiders Of The Lost Mix (2007)
• "OPR8R" (2008)

[edit] Willie Isz

• Georgiavania (2009)

Capital Peoples [link]

• Amazonica (1999-2004) (2009)

DRC Music [link]

• Kinshasa One Two (2011)

[edit] JJ DOOM

• Key to the Kuffs (2012)^[4]

Productions [link]

• "Choklit Ninja" by Rich Medina on Connecting The Dots (2005)
• "Rhyme Cycle" by Stacy Epps on Ruff Draft (2007)
• "The Experiment" "Vocal Overload" by John Robinson on I Am Not For Sale (2008)

Remixes [link]

• "Yellow Daisies (Jneiro Jarel Remix)" by Fertile Ground on Remixes 01 (2005)
• "Holdin' On (Dr. Who Dat? Remix)" by Champion Souls on Holdin' On EP Two (2005)
• "Vibes From The Tribe (Jneiro Jarel Remix)" by Build An Ark on Remixes (2005)
• "Dust (Rocque Wun Mix)" by Recloose on Dust (Remixes) (2005)
• "My Affection" by Vassy on My Affection (2005)
• "My Juvenile (Jneiro Jarel's Minimal Animal Remix)" by Bjork (2009)
• "Atlas Air (Jneiro Jarel's Lavender Jungle Remix)" by Massive Attack on Atlas Air EP (2009)
• "Pretty Wings (Jneiro Jarel's Willie Isz Remix)" by Maxwell (2009)
• "Gazzilion Ear (Dr. Who Dat? Remix)" by DOOM (2009)
• "Gazzilion Ear (Jneiro Jarel Remix) feat. Dave Sitek" by DOOM (2009)
• "Harmony Korine (David A. Sitek and Jneiro Jarel Magnetized Nebula Mix)" by Steven Wilson (2009)
• "Shout Me Out Remix" by TV on the Radio on Crying (2009)
• "Groove Me (Jneiro Jarel Remix) feat. Theophilus London" by Maximum Balloon (2010)
• "Balada 45" (Like A Brazilian Girl Remix)" by Arthur Verocai (2010)

Mixes [link]

• "Mindgames (Sneaky Pete Edit)" by Rich Medina (2004)

DJ Mixes [link]

• Houston We Got A Solution (2005)
• Andrew Meza's BTS Radio (2007)
• Return of The Shoegaze (2008)

Guest appearances [link]

• "Lookin' At Me" by Kid Sublime on Basement Soul (2005)
• "Not Tomorrow But" "No Game" by Breakthrough on Breakthrough (2005)
• "Choklit Ninja" "Blues Baby" "Weight" by Rich Medina on Connecting The Dots (2005)
• "Chea Chea" by King Britt on Jazzmental (2005)
• "Eyes And Ears" by Ohmega Watts on Watts Happening (2007)

Compilation appearances [link]

• "Sun Walkers" "Eeee Love" "Do You Thang" on Soul Purpose Is To Move You: Kindred Spirits Collection (2004)
• "Sun Walkers" "Doinis!!" on Witness Future Vintage (Vol. 1) (2004)
• "Doinis!!" on Undercover Cuts 21 (2005)
• "Soul Starr" "Big Bounce Theory" "Get Yuh Own" on Rush Hour Mixed Series Vol.01 (2005)
• "Lookin' At Me" on Habitat Collection: Fireside (2005)
• "Lookin' At Me" on Jimmy Woo One (2006)
• "Big Bounce Theory Part 2" on Witness Future Vintage (Vol. 2) (2007)
• "Picante" on Basement Soul (2007)

References [link]

External links [link]

• Official website
• Jneiro Jarel on Alpha Pup Records
• Jneiro Jarel on Lex Records
• Jneiro Jarel on Twitter
• Jneiro Jarel on Facebook
• Jneiro Jarel on Myspace
• Jneiro Jarel discography at Discogs