Torn between boom-bap breaks and distorted electric guitars, Gnotes brings together his diverse talents as a poet and musician for the new album Rhymes and Beats. Rooted in live instrumentation and progressive lyricism, Rhymes and Beats is a 21st century outernational hip-hop record with a tinge of nostalgia for 90s grunge and golden era rap. Equally comfortable on stage with a guitar or outside with a cipher of MCs, Gnotes has been composing and refining Rhymes and Beats since the release of his debut album Broken Spoke in 2004. Lyrically taut and musically sound, Rhymes and Beats is a focused introduction to Gnotes' unique style of bohemian hip-hop. With beats made of bangers&mash, Rhymes and Beats features ten riddims self-produced by Gnotes, plus four exceptional tracks contributed by Organizer, J.Ferra, Scroll and Boogie Cy. Content on either side of the blurry border between electronic and organic music, Gnotes pushes further the expanding boundaries of hip-hop, alongside similarly adventurous artists such as Mark Ronson, k-os, Gnarls Barkley, and Beck. With rhymes like razor blades, Gnotes cuts to the point: "Bounce when my band hits your town with the funk / Technics in the backseat, guitars in the trunk." Gnotes raps with a sincere passion and progressive global focus akin to MCs such as Immortal Technique, Sage Francis, and Brother Ali. Featuring deft guest appearances from Afro DZ ak, Elemental Zazen, Kabir, DJ Special Blend, and Noni Kai (of the Eclectic Collective), Rhymes and Beats deserves to read along with. Born and raised in Seattle, Gnotes played the guitar, bass and drums from a young age, selling home-dubbed cassette tapes of his band out of his backpack during recess since the 5th grade. Recruited to play college football in Boston, Gnotes has been performing regularly in New England since 2001.