Aaron Henry ‎- The Poet Laureate - 1997

12" - 1997 - Not On Label  

12" vinyl released in 1997 by Aaron Henry, a Hip-Hop artist from Pennsylvania. The record is composed of four tracks with the instrumentals on the B-side, produced by Aaron Henry, Generation 2000, Ham Bone Washington, Jamal Reid, Sugarcane Otis and the well-known Kokayi, producer from Washington DC.

"Unfettered by the everyday confines of commercial hip-hop, Aaron Henry has his sights set on redefining the world's music scene...., while making a little bit of history for himself at the same time.

This twenty-five year old Capricorn has developed his soulful sound through studying his childhood idols such as Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Tracy Chapman, and John Mellencamp. 
"My ecletic tapestry seeks to bridge the gap between the old and the new."

Aaron best describes his style by saying "It's a beatnik coffee house funk, filled with bluesy acoustics, folk oriented lyrics and an undeniably hypnotic flow." Aaron likes to keep the majority of his tracks simple but still funky in order to let his baritone poetics take the forefront of his songs.

While avant garde enough for the buzz clip generation, closer inspection reveals Aaron's likeness towards his hip-hop influences: Rakim, De La Soul, Pete Rock, and his hometown favorites, the Roots.

"I admire these individuals because they made hip-hop what it is today with their originality and classic songs. I want to make classics because they never go out of style."

-- and just listen to his work or see him perform. Filled with melodic tunes and bouncy cadences, this dude from Pennsylvania proves to have nothing less than classic material...always striving to out-do himself, Aaron tries to complete one new song a month. "Writing is my favorite thing to do , it helps me keep my insanity!" His laid back rage for the stage and improvisational rhyming skills has also led him to acquire membership within the Washington D.C. based Freestyle Union allowing him a chance to do his thing for the D.C. audiences at the State of the Union, Arena Stage, and also opening for the Last Poets and Guru at the 9:30 Club. "To say his old school feel and off-beat swagger is addictive is an understatement....... so sit back and watch when Aaron Henry drops in his two cents." " - courtesy of  IUMA archives