21-year-old Brooklyn native /_\drian Daniel is fresh. It's not because he's got some girl moaning his name and approaching climax over synths and 808s on "Je Veux Plus," a track on his debut EP, Memoirs of a Stoner. And it's not that he spells his name with slashes and underscores, or that he can effortlessly rock a blown-out fro combed back and wrapped in a furled scarf. While these elements compliment his swag, they don't necessarily define it.
For a deeper and more well-rounded understanding of /_\'s freshness, you have to know that his musical influences span across genres and time: from Stevie Wonder to Queen, Jimmy Hendrix to Kid Cudi to MGMT and Coldplay, Sade, Sam Cooke and Luther, Jay and Kanye, N.E.R.D., Frank Sinatra -- the list goes and goes. You have to see how unabashed he is as he breaks into a happy feet or krump during a live performance. You have to hear his debut EP Memoirs of a Stoner, then read up on the intent behind the music. After all that, maybe you'd understand that /_\drian Daniel's fresh comes from his originality. He defies labels throughout. Memoirs is a work of art that embodies rock, r&b, soul, electronic, pop, and hip-hop genres -- all for the purpose of getting listeners high on the sounds and feelings extracted from each. Ultimately, this artist is fresh because he's not forcing anything; he's got a memoir to share, so he's telling his story the way he wants (and knows how) to, and you'll either like or you won't (you will, though).
Stream through Memoirs of a Stoner and download it for your listening pleasure. After the jump, join /_\drian Daniel at a live performance in Greenwich Village. Keep your eyes peeled for more releases from this guy (he's got a mixtape slated to drop this month). It's clear he's just getting started.
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