Perhaps partially inspired by the mind of Jay Electronica, Baton Rouge, Louisiana native Dude With No Name — aka Tajh Spikes creates the type of music that’s meant to strike up conversations, while also stimulating the senses.
And like 50 Cent and Kendrick Lamar’s current best friend, DWNN’s new EP, Channel 5 is sprinkled with dialogue from the popular Adult Swim anime show Cowboy Bebop, much like Act I: Eternal Sunshine (The Pledge) sampled bits and pieces of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
When listening to Tajh Spikes, the ambiance of his music strongly supports his mission statement: a cat from Baton Rouge who wants to bring alternative forms of Hip-Hop to the forefront. His alias alone signifies that his focus weighs more heavily on his art than his persona. Impressively enough for a newcomer, DWNN is ambitious in his arrival, with several teaser trailers leading up to the release of his project, Channel 5 (The Movie),—surely setting lofty goals yet creating legit buzz around the release. In a testament to how left Dude likes to keep himself on the mainstream spectrum, the full clip for Channel 5 features him flowing over scenes from the anime classic Cowboy Bebop. And the nod to Japanese illustration isn’t a one-and-done either, as this motif reoccurs in the emcee’s artwork and occasional philosophical lyrical musings, echoing the monologues of Spike Spiegel himself.
