Earl Hondo is a hip hop artist from Atlanta, Georgia currently based in Los Angeles, CA. In his original hometown of Langhorne, Pennsylvania, before spending his teenage years in Georgia, Hondo spent his weekends and Wednesdays in the children’s church. As early as three, his parents had him singing in the choir, learning the harmonies and melodies that proliferate throughout his current music. Hondo credits his family of music fanatics that gave him a love for jazz, gospel, and a host of other genres, but his recent studies at NYU for his master’s and Embry-Riddle for his bachelor’s provided a new world of influences that shine through within his latest project.
The title says it all on the latest, laid-back track “The Vibe” from Hondo. Clear, smart storytelling weaved into an inventive flow is front and center over the deep, 90’s 90-inspired bass groove. “The Vibe” is off Earl Hondo’s latest release Southernplayalistic, out now.
“The vibe takes inspiration from a number of different sources. Lauryn Hill, Outkast, Kanye, Michael Jackson, Isaiah Rashad. The list goes on. We made the record in New York, but it feels like a Southern sweet tea in my opinion. Simple ingredients: a good bass line is the sugar, the melodic instrumentation is the quintessential tea bag, the bars are the water, and the drums are the lemon juice that screws up your face just enough to prevent an over-sweetening,” says Hondo.
