U-N-I

Bio

U-N-I (short for "U-N-I To The Verse") are a hip hop duo from Inglewood, Los Angeles, consisting of Y-O (born Yonas Semere Michael) and Thurzday (born Yannick Koffi).
Y-O and Thurzday were originally part of a four-man group, the Rap-Ture Kamp, along with fellow St. Bernard student Ablaze and local producer Unjust Ant. This crew released two mixtapes, Rap-Ture Kamp Unleash, Volume 1 and Jacking Beats. After graduation in 2006 they split from the Kamp and formed U-N-I, the name inspired by The Roots' 1996 album Illadelph Halflife. Y-O is the mohawk emcee whose name "Yonas" translates to "Soldier" in his native Ethiopian and he moved from Seattle, Washington to Inglewood, California in 1996. Thurzday is a descendant of both Côte d'Ivoire and Belize, taking his moniker from his last name "Koffi" which translates in Ghana’s native language of Akan to "boy born on Friday."

U-N-I flipped The Wu-Tang Clan's "C.R.E.A.M" into the 2007 hit song "K.R.E.A.M." (Kicks Rule Everything Around Me) which to date has received 430,000 hits on YouTube. That same year the duo released their satirically titled street album Fried Chicken & Watermelon which contained 14 songs including the single "Beautiful Day" and "Phat Girls," an ode to bigger women.

Subsequently they were signed by ICM Agency and opened up for artists including Lupe Fiasco, 50 Cent, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Wale, Ludacris, Busta Rhymes, The Roots and Redman.
In October 2008 their rendition of "Stakes is High" was featured on The Honor Roll Mixtape (DJ Mick Boogie) while the remix to "Beautiful Day" featured Big Pooh and Evidence of Dilated Peoples. In February 2009 to set the precedent for their second album “A Love Supreme” the duo released the mixtape "Before There was Love" (DJ Mick Boogie) featuring collabs with Talib Kweli, Aloe Blacc, Fashawn, Mickey Factz, Evidence, and Kes Kaos.

In February 2009 while promoting the debut LP A Love Supreme they were featured in UK’s Dazed & Confused Magazine. In Summer 2009 they secured a record deal with Mountain Dew’s Green Label Sound for the release of the single “Land of the Kings.”

In March 2010 they released the follow up to their LP A Love Supreme 2.0 which contained 5 new tracks as well as a remixes with Evidence, Bun B and Jive Recording R&B Artist Miguel. The duo have been credited with reviving the "true essence" of hip-hop, rejecting the Gangsta rap style that had become common.

Music

Track artwork
ike's beats
U-N-I - Beautiful Day (Remix)
06:26
SoundCloud
USLos Angeles, United States

Contact

U-N-I Music
Profile added by Stanley Gazemba on 04 Sep 2015
Advert
Apply for showcases