Encore

Encore is a Californian hip-hop artist from Palo Alto, raised in Milpitas. He starts recording seriously after hearing Main Source’s Breaking Atoms in 1990, which he describes as the moment he decides to pursue emceeing properly. As a teenager, he is involved in b-boying and follows new hip-hop closely, and he also writes raps with friends before beginning a more focused career.

Early recordings and development

His early creative partnership is with longtime friend Architect, with the two developing a close working relationship that shapes Encore’s sound and leads to Architect producing much of his later work. Encore’s first major recording break comes through producer Peanut Butter Wolf, after a mutual friend, Charisma, introduces them. Following Charisma’s death, Encore and Peanut Butter Wolf record together, and the track “Think Twice” appears on Peanut Butter Wolf’s 1995 debut EP Step On Our Egos, released independently on South Paw Records and helping to lead to the creation of Stones Throw.

In 1997, Encore releases the single “The Essence” on Stones Throw. Around the same period he meets Dan the Automator, who invites him to sign to the future 75 Ark label. He then builds a profile through 12-inch singles and guest appearances, including work with Evidence of Dilated Peoples, Rasco and Pep Love.

Albums and notable collaborations

Encore records “Waterworld” for Handsome Boy Modeling School, the 1999 project by Prince Paul and Dan the Automator, released on Tommy Boy Records. His debut solo album, Self Preservation, follows on 75 Ark in 2000. The album is largely produced by Architect and receives strong reviews; it is also ranked number 5 in Amazon.com’s Top Ten Hip Hop Albums of 2000.

In 2003, Encore plans his next album, Layover, for release on the Hieroglyphics label. Production on the album includes work from Seattle producers Jake One and Vitamin D, alongside Architect. The record is described through its own concept as a departure from narrow ideas of underground rap, with Encore presenting it as a more complete and professional record rather than one made to fit a regional or subcultural label.

Style and place in hip-hop

Encore is associated with conscious lyrics, a forceful delivery and technically assured rhyming. He is also described as an artist whose work draws on a broad range of influences while remaining rooted in his own approach. He resists being defined only as a Bay Area or underground rapper, and presents himself as focused on making strong records rather than fitting a particular category.