The Tones

The Tones

The Tones are a West Coast hip-hop duo from the California Bay Area, formed in 2001. The group consists of rapper-producer Retro and rapper-singer Suhn.

Style and work

Their music is rooted in soulful, honest hip hop and combines laid-back soul grooves with vintage beats and strong lyric writing. The group is associated with hip-hop, rap, underground hip-hop, new age and blu, and its sound is described as crossing genre boundaries while remaining centred on rap.

Activity and collaborations

Since forming, The Tones tour with artists including Common, Slum Village, Little Brother, QuestLove and Dr. Cornell West. Suhn and Retro develop a long-running musical partnership and friendship through the group’s years of activity.

Release

Dreamtalk is one of their albums and focuses on pursuing dreams while dealing with the struggles and pleasures involved in that process. It is presented as a motivational record built around that theme.

Reception

The Tones receive comparisons to acts such as Black Star, A Tribe Called Quest, Slum Village, De La Soul, Little Brother and Mobb Deep. They are also associated with praise from Common and with an album review on Okayplayer.