Serengeti
Birth nameDavid Cohn
OriginChicago, Illinois, U.S.
GenresHip hop[1]
Occupation(s)Rapper
Years active2003–present

David Cohn, better known by his stage name Serengeti, is an American rapper from Chicago, Illinois.[1]

Early life

Serengeti is the great-nephew of jazz trumpeter Sonny Cohn.[2] He grew up in various places in Chicago, Illinois, as his parents divorced when he was 5 years old.[3] At the age of 12, he got into hip hop.[3] He started writing verses while attending Morgan Park High School.[3] He attended Southern Illinois University Carbondale, where he became friends with Open Mike Eagle.[2] He graduated from the university in 2001 with a degree in history.[4]

Career

In 2007, Serengeti released the first collaborative album with producer Polyphonic, titled Don't Give Up.[5] The duo released their second collaborative album, Terradactyl, in 2009.[6]

In 2011, Serengeti released his solo album, Family & Friends, which was produced by Yoni Wolf and Owen Ashworth.[7]

Serengeti is a member of Sisyphus along with Son Lux and Sufjan Stevens. The trio released Beak & Claw in 2012[8] and a self-titled album in 2014.[9]

In 2012, Serengeti released C.A.R.,[10] as well as Kenny Dennis EP.[11] Kenny Dennis EP was Serengeti's first release chronicling the biography of his meta character "Kenny Dennis", a once-famous Gangsta rap artist navigating life after the peak of stardom.[12] The EP was later ranked among the top 40 Hip Hop releases of 2012 by SPIN Magazine.[13] He followed this up with Kenny Dennis LP in 2013[14] and Kenny Dennis III in 2014.[15]

2020 saw the well-received release of Ajai with collaborator Kenny Segal, a continuation of the Kenny Dennis canon.[16] Cohn raps about the life of Ajai, a new character obsessed with Designer clothing and sneaker drops, who interacts with Dennis within the drop-collecting community.

Style

Serengeti's music is a sharp departure from most mainstream hip hop, which he considers "depressing" and always consists of "the same redundant ideas."[17]

In an interview, Serengeti said he created Dennehy as an "answer to common complaints about hip-hop" and "to put the fun back in hip-hop."[18]

Discography

Studio albums

Collaborations

Remix albums

EPs

Singles

Guest appearances

Compilation appearances

References

  1. ^ a b Christgau, Robert (August 5, 2011). "Serengeti: Play Your Part". NPR. Archived from the original on September 27, 2019. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
  2. ^ a b Weiss, Jeff (July 28, 2011). "Anticon MC Serengeti: The Quirkiest, Deepest Rapper". LA Weekly. Archived from the original on September 27, 2019. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
  3. ^ a b c Downing, Andy (January 19, 2007). "Real characters inspiring Serengeti's hip-hop vision". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on September 27, 2019. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
  4. ^ Westhoff, Ben (March 3, 2005). "Outsider Hip-Hop". Chicago Reader. Archived from the original on September 7, 2015. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
  5. ^ Huff, Quentin B. (September 6, 2007). "Serengeti & Polyphonic: Dont Give Up". PopMatters. Archived from the original on July 1, 2018. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  6. ^ Britt, Thomas (December 17, 2009). "Slipped Disc: Serengeti & Polyphonic - Terradactyl". PopMatters. Archived from the original on March 16, 2019. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  7. ^ Kelly, Zach (July 21, 2011). "Serengeti: Family and Friends". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on July 1, 2018. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  8. ^ Pelly, Jenn (February 27, 2012). "Sufjan Stevens Teams With Son Lux and Rapper Serengeti as s / s / s, EP Due on Anticon". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on March 16, 2019. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  9. ^ Minsker, Evan (December 19, 2013). "Listen: Sufjan Stevens, Son Lux, and Serengeti Announce LP as Sisyphus, Share "Calm It Down"". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on April 12, 2019. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  10. ^ Camp, Zoe (July 30, 2012). "Serengeti - C.A.R." CMJ. Archived from the original on August 4, 2012. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  11. ^ "SPIN's 40 Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2012: Serengeti - Kenny Dennis EP (Anticon)". Spin. December 11, 2012. Archived from the original on July 2, 2018. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  12. ^ "Serengeti: Kenny Dennis EP". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  13. ^ "Serengeti – Kenny Dennis EP (Anticon) SPIN". www.spin.com. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  14. ^ Galil, Leor (June 26, 2013). "The enduring appeal of Serengeti's alter ego, Kenny Dennis". Chicago Reader. Archived from the original on November 5, 2018. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  15. ^ Weiss, Dan (November 10, 2014). "Review: Serengeti's Emmy-Worthy 'Kenny Dennis III'". Spin. Archived from the original on December 21, 2019. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  16. ^ "Serengeti: Ajai". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  17. ^ "Serengeti: Music: Ben Rubenstein". CenterstageChicago.com. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007.
  18. ^ "Serengeti | Schedule". SXSW. Retrieved November 12, 2018.

External links

Serengeti
Authority control databases: Artists
Categories