thes one

🏷️ SAT, JUNE 20th 4-9pm *FREE PARTY* 4th Annual Chemistry Collective + Timeless Box Set! Join us in the back patio at @tremont_collective for a beautiful Sat afternoon free party with food & drink specials from @shootsog | All ages welcome We will be announcing the winners of the Chemistry Collective Surf Video competition and celebrating the release of this year’s “Timeless” installment, a limited edition boxset that includes 4 45s, @raen shades, a journal and a custom @nixon designed by Thes One! Live performances by: The Mighty 388s (SD) Thes One (LA) Kyle Rapps (NJ) Dj Day (PS) DJ Chaps (Oside) Flxres (Oside) Live Spray Art exhibition by @j_drawls562 Afterparty info to follow…

“You can’t release it with that cover.” “Why?” I replied. “How will anyone know it’s a hip hop record?” Roc responded angrily. “Exactly!!” I yelled back. And with that, our fifth album Stepfather was released 20 years ago on April 18, 2006. A transitional moment, well aware that we were in uncharted territory - most of the groups we looked up to rarely made it past a third album. We had released our opus to jazz hip hop in OST and our peers were fading away. We had begun touring the US as it teetered on the brink of a financial collapse that would change venues, ticket pricing and touring forever. Downloads posed an existential threat to income, and streaming was barely in the Pandora phase. And most importantly, the party life had lost its luster; Mike and I could feel the transition into responsibility as we had aged. We were no longer the Youth Explosion. Which left us with this existential question - should we keep trying if the kids won’t listen? A Stepfather. And on a fateful day at the Cambridge street house, as Mikey and I trudged upstairs to the studio, we could hear my roommate @djkaleem laughing hysterically. He had stumbled across a lost movie from the 90s titled Fly By Night, and soon we found ourselves sitting on the floor watching with him. The idea of making music faded away as we became enthralled with FBN, how utterly funny the whole thing was - obviously an earnest attempt at capturing the 90s hip hop movement that birthed us, but if anything it shined light on the sheer hilarity that a hip hop that takes itself too seriously could be. Because ultimately this culture is performative, and the harder you’re hard, the funnier this shit was tbh. And in that moment something clicked for Mike and Chris. We would abandon the tropes of the whole thing. The jazz samples, the posing on album covers, the collabs and features clogging up promo stickers. The scientifical raps, the boom baps, the cargo shorts. We simply had nothing to prove anymore and if anyone truly listened, our skill, talent and appreciation for hip hop would be obvious. Fans could meet us on our own terms, and we’d tour their town and shake their hand. We were free. ⬇️

▪️LINK IN BIO▪️Bid on a Thes One Beat! // Blood Cancer United Charity Auction now live! Friends, fans, family, business acquaintances - In partnership with Blood Cancer United, a 501c3 nonprofit and @charitybuzz - I am auctioning off a custom beat to the highest bidder. Entirely directed by you, style, bpm and vibe at your discretion and yours to own forever. Everything feels out of hand right now and I want to do something extraordinary and positive for the world. As this admin has cut research and cancer care funding to zero, this cause is very dear to me. So many of you helped out two years ago as my father fought for his life, and I will never forget your generosity. For decades I’ve been asked for beats, and as you know, never sold any. The transactional nature of selling beats and productions turned me off. But to help out now, would be everything to me. It’s all I can contribute. My hope is that a label like @rostrumrecords @stonesthrow or @rhymesayers will see the value in this and throw their hat in the ring. Maybe an MC or fan! Let me make a beat for you. 100% of proceeds to charity. Let’s help out those who continue to fight Cancer. 🙏🏽 @bcutd_greaterla

▪️5 years▪️ do we heal? If I move too fast in any direction, the wound reopens, the muscle re-tears. Cautious now, when that happens the pain is unbearable, as if for the first time all over again. With every year the promise of healing fades, and all I can do is remember the way things were. We had so many meals together - More than any friends ever could. We’d live for the nights off; just us, our drink and our food. Sometimes you’d tuck your napkin in to your shirt like a big baby because you knew how it would make me laugh, other times we’d sit in silence and take in the view. I miss the meals, the side quests, the hunt for the most barren beach. The laughs, the tears, the empathy. The music, sure. But mostly I miss you.

“Our only competition is silence.” Thank you so much Birju Shah and @kelloggschool for having me guest lecture to 70 of the world’s brightest candidates in the Kellogg/Northwestern Executive MBA program. An amazing discussion on how Spotify grooms passive listening to pad a bottom line - clearing the path for generative AI music consumption. I appreciative the ability to advocate for musicians and each of our unique journey as artists, fans and humans. We won’t go silently into a prompted future, dollars be damned. 🙏🏽

And we’re still your kind of people… Thank you to everyone who jammed the P this year. I have my qualms with Spotify but if I don’t post this, they’ll keep trying to write us out of Hip Hop History. Regardless, the P army continues to grow and the music lives on stronger than ever - so measure us in Millions. I know Mikey is looking down smiling - 1M hours in one year??? Thank you all for keeping this legacy alive. More to come in 2026, I promise. 🙏🏽💙

You’d be hard pressed to find this happening anywhere else in the world any time soon… Thes One of People Under The Stairs is making the cross-continental flight from LA to Providence with a box of 45s to treat you to an evening of music hand-picked from his extensive collection of rarities. The funk will definitely be in the building, as guided by the spirit of his PUTS partner Double K. This is a special opportunity to vibe out in an intimate space with a singular and iconic musical voice. Reservations are live at courtlandclub.com - so book your spot and come hang loose!

Another trip around the sun 🤝 Thank you everyone for the birthday wishes!! I went back a year in my camera and found nothing but joy, laughter and unforgettable moments. Though the world can feel dark and overwhelming at times, I’m carried by the gentle hands of the hommies 😂. Family, friends and all thank you so much for being there for me. To tha 40 Dogz, Wonderful Radio, Make Money Ben, Tragic Calzone, P Army, Teddy T, Wine Club and all the rest… Let’s do it again. 🙏🏽

We stand on the shoulders of giants… On August 12th, 1988 DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince stepped onstage at Nassau Coliseum and dropped a routine that instantly became ingrained in young Mike and Chris. Though we hadn’t met yet, we were studying every tape and routine front to back, building an encyclopedic knowledge of HipHop. When we eventually met at 16, our bond was built through this shared experience, and we soon took it to the stage determined to prove ourselves and pay tribute to those that inspired, informed and taught us in Hip Hop. Decades earlier, on Live at Union Square, a 17 year old Will starts his routine by saying “before we got started here I’d like to pay a couple respects to the people that made me what I am today, all the people I used to listen to when I was growing up” and proceeds to shout out Grandmaster Caz, Melle Mel, Mr. Magic and DJ Red Alert before a single note drops. Mike and I carried this spirit with us. It meant everything. Pay homage and build a bridge between generations. For us, as kids hearing that it linked us to their inspiration. It’s the same reason that, instead of sueing Mac Miller over SF knights, we offered to open for him on his tour. The perfect opportunity to build new bridges. And every night of that tour, and most every other night on the road, we’d always slip into our favorite routine, an homage to our favorite DJ @djjazzyjeff - we stood on the shoulders of giants. And so, I just want to thank @djjazzyjeff and @playlistretreat for giving me an opportunity and space to personally thank not only Jeff but @kooldjredalert - allowing me to cross the bridge after hearing his shout out 39 years later. I love hip hop. 🙏🏽

A bridge to the infinite… Playlist 2025 There are hardly words to describe the enormous gratitude and love I have for @djjazzyjeff @lynettectownes and the entire Playlist family but here goes… Every moment, conversation and note played I’ll take with me forever. From spontaneous joy and dancing at amazing dinners to hours-long personal and deep conversations with my heroes, it’s hard to capture this feeling in words, photo or video. This collection of little moments are just a small glimpse. A very sincere and humble Thank you to everyone 🙏🏽 Group 7 gang, Ice Bath Fam, Basement boys for life!

On Sept 21, 2009, 400 clicks southwest of Swaziland - Mike and I crashed a local afterhours and got on the mic. No stage, no problem. Found footage I filmed on digicam in Africa while rapping (apologies for shakiness) before passing it to a guy in the crowd. At the time, just another night of our 23 year run but looking back, what a moment. The crowd, the energy, the P. As Mike would say, The Dynamic Duo. One of the Greatest of all time. Forever the P 🙏🏽 #peopleunderthestairs #hiphop #doublek #thesone

As summer fades, here’s a beat I made to honor Brian Wilson when he passed - a musician and producer who greatly influenced Mike and I. We spent many nights watching his interviews, studying his approach and celebrating his influence and brilliance. Thank you Brian. Link in Bio for SoundCloud DL.