Tropidelic is an American band from

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

. They infuse multiple genres into a style that's a blend of

reggae rock Reggae rock is a subgenre of reggae fusion and rock music that primarily uses the genres reggae, rock, and ska. Typical lyrics of reggae rock songs incorporate love, personal awareness, and life challenges while incorporating music and beat el ...

, hip-hop and high energy

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

History

Formation (2005–2006)

Tropidelic was formed by founding members Matthew Roads (originally from

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

) and Kyle "Chevontez" Cheuvront while jamming together in the dorms at

Kent State University Kent State University (KSU) is a public research university in Kent, Ohio. The university also includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio and additional facilities in the region and internationally. Regional campuses are located in As ...

, located in

Kent, Ohio Kent is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the largest city in Portage County. It is located along the Cuyahoga River in Northeast Ohio on the western edge of the county. The population was 28,215 at the 2020 Census. The city is counted as pa ...

, in 2005. After collaborating with rapper Skillzz (Erick Steckel), the two recruited him as their hype man, as well as adding guitarist Andrew Mastrian to the band. In 2006, they found bassist Neal Badolato and drummer Rob Paternite on MySpace. With the band now complete, Tropidelic self-produced their first raw album, ''Funk Love'' the same year.

Self-produced EPs and lineup changes (2007–2011)

Tropidelic built up a following after they self-distributed over 10,000 free copies of their first self-produced EP, ''Rebirth of the Dope'' and relocated to

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

. After the original ensemble (including co-founding member Kyle Cheuvront) went on with their own lifestyles, Roads reformed the band with like-minded professional musicians which included, Chris Dunne on guitar, Corey Harper on bass, Jasen Bakette on drums and DJ Mekadog on the turntables. The band was finding their sound with all different musical styles. Roads describes himself as a "hip-hop guy", guitarist Dunne is mainly an "old-school punk kind of guy", and drummer Bakette is more into alternative rock, so they all make it work into this "reggae-rock style". Bassist Corey Harper, the most recent addition, has only been with the band since May 2010. And "scratcher" DJ Mekadog uses all original records to create his sound; around 7,000 vinyl records in his basement. With the new members, the band's self-produced second release, and first studio recording, ''Tree City Exodus'' was released in 2008. It was titled after the city of Kent's nickname. They followed it up with another EP, ''Erie Vibes & Irie Tides'' in winter 2010. Later that year, the band released a six-song EP titled, ''Working Class Phoenix'' that Roads described as "symbolic of the rise of our country's lost and disregarded generation."

''All Heads Unite'' (2012)

Over the years, the band has evolved through several member changes (the original and last lineup moved or got married) and Roads added Bobby "Chronic" Markouc as the lead guitarist, David "Pags" Paglisotti on bass, and Derek Willis on drums. The addition of a horn section, Derek McBryde on trumpet, and James Begin on trombone, as well as vocals/raps, who were both super fans of Tropidelic, led up to their first full-length major-released album, ''All Heads Unite'', being released on November 15, 2012. Special guests featured on the album were

Echo Movement Echo Movement is an American reggae band based in New Jersey. As of 2012, they are a seven-piece band. Echo Movement performed on the House of Marley Stage on the Warped Tour 2012, according to the tour's official website. The band released the ...

Jul Big Green Julien Raymond Huntley professionally known as Jul Big Green (born March 25, 1990) is an American singer, musician, songwriter, actor and audio producer. Biography Jul is from Cleveland, Ohio. He performs in diverse styles that range from pop ...

Shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

and Alex Fagan.

''Police State'' (2015)

Since the release of ''All Heads Unite'', Tropidelic has released six additional albums and EPs. Their follow-up self-produced album ''Police State'', which released on March 21, 2015. It included their first big single "Alcoholic" featuring Brandon Hardesty of

Bumpin Uglies Bumpin Uglies is an American punk reggae band from Annapolis, Maryland. The band's music features a "melody-driven, free-spirited blend of ska, reggae, and punk with a strong focus on lyrics and crowd-pleasing grooves." The band's influences ...

and their second single "If I Die Tomorrow" with Zach Fowler of Sun-Dried Vibes.

''Go Down With The Ship'' (2016)

Tropidelic released their third independent album, ''Go Down With The Ship'' on April 2, 2016 and featured the songs "Bad Cookie" and "Too Loose". Later that year on December 2, ''The Hard North EP'' was released. It featured two new tracks plus remixes of their previous songs.

''Heavy Is The Head'' (2017)

Their fourth album, ''Heavy is the Head'', was released on November 10, 2017 on

Pepper Pepper or peppers may refer to: Food and spice * Piperaceae or the pepper family, a large family of flowering plant ** Black pepper * ''Capsicum'' or pepper, a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family Solanaceae ** Bell pepper ** Chili ...

's LAW Records and reached #3 on the

Billboard charts The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in '' Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, p ...

on December 2, 2017. The band won Reggae 360's inaugural contest for Album of the Year in 2017 with their ''Heavy Is The Head'' album.

''Here In The Heights'' (2019)

Tropidelic's fifth album, ''Here in the Heights'' was released on June 7, 2019 throug
Ineffable Music Group
This full-length album features other notable artists such as Angelo Moore of

Fishbone Fishbone is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1979, that plays a fusion of ska, punk, funk, metal, reggae, and soul. AllMusic has described the group as "one of the most distinctive and eclectic alternative rock bands of the late ' ...

, Howi Spangler of Ballyhoo!, and

Zach Deputy Zach Deputy is a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter based in Savannah, Georgia and best known for his live looping shows. He describes his style as "island-infused drum n' bass gospel ninja soul." Biography Deputy has a diverse ethnic backgro ...

, among others. ''Here in the Heights'' peaked at #2 on the Billboard reggae charts on June 22, 2019. The band also finished out 2019 by releasing a five-track EP, ''Flyover Renaissance'', with Ineffable Music Group on December 13, 2019.

''Of Illusion'' (2020)

Tropidelic's sixth studio album, titled ''Of Illusion'' was released on November 13, 2020. It features artists

Devin the Dude Devin Copeland (born June 4, 1970), better known by his stage name Devin the Dude, is an American rapper from Houston, Texas. He is known for his unique rapping style and his 2002 songs "Lacville '79" and "Doobie Ashtray". Early life Devin Cop ...

Dirty Heads Dirty Heads is an American reggae rock band from Huntington Beach, California. Their debut album, ''Any Port in a Storm'', was released on September 23, 2008, by Executive Music Group (Fontana/Universal). Their newest album, ''Midnight Control' ...

The Elovaters The Elovaters are a Boston-based American reggae rock band that formed in 2014. History Formation and ''The Cornerstone'' (2014–2017) Formed in 2014 in their hometown of Marshfield, Massachusetts, The Elovaters were formally The Cornerstone, ...

Matisyahu Matthew Paul Miller (born June 30, 1979), known by his stage name Matisyahu (; ), is an American reggae singer, rapper, beatboxer Beatboxing (also beat boxing) is a form of vocal percussion primarily involving the art of mimicking drum mac ...

, and

Shwayze Aaron Smith, better known as Shwayze (born May 29, 1985), is an American rapper. His first single " Buzzin'" peaked at No. 46 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. His second single "Corona and Lime," reached No. 23 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in th ...

. ''Of Illusion'' was Reggae 360's "2020 Album of the Year" winner. The album went up against top contender, Arise Roots' ''Pathways'' album in a tournament-style bracket in the final round. Tropidelic was featured as one of many reggae bands on

Collie Buddz Colin Patrick Harper (born August 21, 1981), better known by his stage name Collie Buddz, is a Bermudian reggae artist best known for his single "Come Around". Career Although Harper was born in New Dadyal Hospital, AJK. He studied audio enginee ...

riddim album, ''Cali Roots Riddim 2021'' with their single, "Pivot Foot", which was produced by Buddz and mixed by

Stick Figure A stick figure, also known as a stickman, is a very simple drawing of a person or an animal, composed of a few lines, curves, and dots. On a stick figure, the head is most often represented by a circle, which can be either a solid color or som ...

's touring guitarist, producer Johnny Cosmic. In 2021, Tropidelic was one of several reggae and punk bands on ''The House That Bradley Built'', a charity compilation honoring Sublime's lead singer

Bradley Nowell Bradley James Nowell (February 22, 1968 – May 25, 1996) was an American musician and the lead singer and guitarist of the ska punk band Sublime. Born and raised in Belmont Shore, Long Beach, California, Nowell developed an interest in mu ...

, helping musicians with substance abuse. They covered Sublime's song "Smoke Two Joints" on the Deluxe Edition. On September 22, 2021, Tropidelic was voted by their hometown, the Winners of ''Best of Cleveland'' 2021 for "Best Band".

''All The Colors'' (2022)

Tropidelic recorded their seventh full-length studio album, titled ''All The Colors'' which was released on August 5, 2022. It features special musical guests

Brother Ali Ali Douglas Newman (born Jason Douglas Newman, July 30, 1977), better known by his stage name Brother Ali, is an American rapper, community activist, and member of the Rhymesayers Entertainment hip hop collective. He has released seven albums, ...

, Geoff Weers of The Expendables,

Nick Hexum Nicholas Lofton Hexum (born April 12, 1970) is an American singer, songwriter and rapper, currently the vocalist and guitarist for the multi-platinum alternative rock band 311 and The Nick Hexum Quintet. Early life Born in Madison, Wisconsin, to ...

311 311 may refer to: * 311 (number), a natural number * AD 311, a year of the Julian calendar, in the fourth century AD * 311 BC, a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar * 311 (band), an American band ** ''311'' (album), band 311's self-titled album ...

Krayzie Bone Anthony Henderson (born June 17, 1973), better known as Krayzie Bone, is an American rapper, singer, producer, and entrepreneur. He is a member of the rap group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. Personal life Henderson comes from a fourth generation famil ...

, Little Stranger,

Prof Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professors ...

, and Surfer Girl. This is the last album with the band's long-time trumpet player Derek McBryde who announced on

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...

on June 29 that he is moving to Florida with his wife to "help build an alcohol & drug rehabilitation center and run transitional housing". His last local show was at the band's own festival, Everwild and he will be finishing up touring with 311 in September. ''All The Colors'' is also being "considered" for a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

nomination for "Best Pop Vocal Album" at the 65th Grammy Awards in 2023.

Musical influences

Through the years, Tropidelic formed their sound by fusing together

, hip-hop,

and some punk rock. The band's influences range from music artists and bands such as, Sublime,

Red Hot Chili Peppers Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983, comprising vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea (musician), Flea, drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist John Frusciante. Their music incorporates element ...

Bad Brains Bad Brains are an American rock band formed in Washington, D.C. in 1976. Originally a jazz fusion band under the name Mind Power, they are widely regarded as pioneers of hardcore punk, though the band's members have objected to the use of this ...

Mike Patton Michael Allan Patton (born January 27, 1968) is an American singer, producer, film composer and voice actor, best known as the lead vocalist of the alternative metal band Faith No More. Noted for his vocal proficiency, diverse singing techni ...

Alborosie Alberto D'Ascola (; born 4 July 1977), better known by his stage name Alborosie, is an Italian reggae artist. He is sometimes called the "Italian Reggae Ambassador". Music career Early life (2001–2005) Born Alberto d’Ascola and raised in ...

Tom Morello Thomas Baptist Morello (born May 30, 1964) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, and political activist. He is best known for his tenure with the rock band Rage Against the Machine and then with Audioslave. Between 2016 and 2019, Morello ...

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

Funkadelic Funkadelic was an American funk rock band formed in Plainfield, New Jersey in 1968 and active until 1982. The band and its sister act Parliament, both led by George Clinton, pioneered the funk music culture of the 1970s.John, Bush. Funkadeli ...

Slightly Stoopid Slightly Stoopid is an American band based in the Ocean Beach neighborhood of San Diego, California, who describe their music as "a fusion of folk, rock, reggae and blues with hip-hop, funk, metal and punk." As a band, they have released thirt ...

, Outkast,

Atmosphere An atmosphere () is a layer of gas or layers of gases that envelop a planet, and is held in place by the gravity of the planetary body. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A s ...

Pantera Pantera () is an American heavy metal music, heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas formed in 1981, and currently comprised of vocalist Phil Anselmo, bassist Rex Brown, and touring musicians Zakk Wylde and Charlie Benante. The group's best-kn ...

Incubus An incubus is a demon in male form in folklore that seeks to have sexual intercourse with sleeping women; the corresponding spirit in female form is called a succubus. In medieval Europe, union with an incubus was supposed by some to result in t ...

and Unified Culture.

Tours

Tropidelic has been featured at

Electric Forest Festival Electric Forest is a multi-genre music festival produced by Madison House Presents and Insomniac Events with a focus on electronic music and jam band genres. Original named Rothbury Festival in 2008, it is held in Rothbury, Michigan, Rothbu ...

, California Roots Music & Art Festival,

Caribbean Cruise VI, and

Warped Tour The Warped Tour was a traveling rock tour that toured the United States plus three or four stops in Canada annually each summer from 1995 until 2019. It was the largest traveling music festival in the United States and the longest-running touring ...

. Since 2017, Tropidelic has also hosted their own annual grassroots music festival
The Freakstomp Music Festival

Official festivals

The Freakstomp Music Festival

Tropidelic started hosting a music festival in 2017
The Freakstomp Music Festival
is named after their song "Freakstomp" off of their 2015 album ''Police State'' and is hosted in annually in August. After hosting the first two events in

Medina, Ohio Medina ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Medina County, Ohio, United States. The population was 26,094 at the 2020 Census. It lies about 33 miles (53 km) south of Cleveland and 23 miles (37 km) west of Akron within the Clevelan ...

, the event has most recently moved to Clear Fork Adventure Park in

Butler, Ohio Butler is a village in Richland County in the U.S. state of Ohio. It is part of the Mansfield, Ohio Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 933 at the 2010 census. Early history Before Butler was founded and named, it was the site o ...

. The weekend event hosts national and local acts, including artists such as

Too Many Zooz Too Many Zooz is an American music group based in New York City, consisting of Leo Pellegrino ( baritone saxophone), Matt "Doe" Muirhead (trumpet) and David "King of Sludge" Parks ( drums). Formation and viral fame Pellegrino and Muirhead met a ...

, Mike Pinto, and

Afroman Joseph Edgar Foreman (born July 28, 1974), better known by his stage name Afroman, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, comedian and musician. He is best known for his songs "Because I Got High", released in 2000, and "Crazy Rap", which w ...

. During the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, the festival was canceled in 2020 and was eventually transformed into the Everwild Festival. It was decided by Tropidelic to embark on a "fresh musical journey" with their fans after stepping into a "New World" after

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

Everwild Festival

In the summer of 2021, Tropidelic debuted their second official music festival, called "Everwild", a two-night music festival, presented by JSGLive. Held on August 13 and 14, Everwild is a weekend of "music and memories" featuring two nights of Tropidelic at Brushy Fork Phamily Ranch in

Newark, Ohio Newark ( ) is a city serving as the county seat of Licking County, Ohio, United States, east of Columbus, at the junction of the forks of the Licking River. The population was 49,934 at the 2020 census, which makes it the 15th largest city in ...

. The lineup includes: Ballyhoo!,

Passafire Passafire is a reggae rock band based in Savannah, Georgia. History Formation and Self-titled album (2003–2006) Passafire was founded in 2003 by Savannah, Georgia natives Ted Bowne on vocals/guitar and Nick Kubley on drums who at the time wer ...

, Kash'd Out, The Palmer Squares, The Ries Brothers, Sun-Dried Vibes, Bikini Trill, and Zoo Trippin', as well as local bands.

Other projects

In December 2019, Tropidelic partnered with Platform Brewing Co. in

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

to create a winter-inspired

cream ale Cream ale is a style of American beer which is light in color and well attenuated, meaning drier and with a somewhat higher alcohol content than regular beer. First crafted in the mid-1800s at various breweries in the United States, cream ale r ...

, a 16-ounce can called "Snow Country" after their popular single. It's brewed with flaked corn and a touch of cinnamon, with 4.7% ABV. Tropidelic collaborated with Engine Athletics. First in 2020 with a basketball jersey paying homage to two classic

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

uniforms. Then with a baseball jersey in 2021 with two color styles to choose from, representing their hometown

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

Discography

Studio albums

EPs/remixes/live albums

Singles

Lineup

Current members: * Matthew Roads – Lead Vocals/Guitar (2005–present) * James Begin – Vocals/Trombone (2012–present) * Bobby "Chronic" Markouc – Lead Guitar (2012–present) * David "Pags" Paglisotti – Bass (2012–present) * Derek McBryde – Trumpet (2012–present) * Rex Larkman – Drums (2017–present) Tropidelic in NJ June 2021

Former members:
* Kyle "Chevontez" Cheuvront – Guitar (2005–2008) * Andrew Mastrian – Guitar (2005-2006) * Erick "Skillzz" Steckel – Rapper (2005–2006) * Neal Badolato – Bass (2006–2007) * Rob Paternite – Drums (2006–2007) *Chris Dunne – Guitar (2007–2011) *Corey Harper – Bass (2007–2011) *Jasen Bakette – Drums (2007–2011) *DJ Mekadog – Turntables (2007–2011) * Darrick Willis – Drums (2012–2017) * Tim Younessi – Saxophone (2016) * Frank Toncar – Keyboard, Saxophone and Percussion (2017)

References

External links

* {{official site, http://tropidelic.com/ 2008 establishments in Ohio American reggae musical groups Musical groups from Kent, Ohio Musical groups established in 2008