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PARK CITY, Utah — Theophilus London is cool. An MC for the times, he resides at the intersection of authentic hipster sensibility and the commercial mainstream. So it only makes sense he'd be right at home at the Sundance Film Festival, where Hollywood meets independent filmmaking.
[bug id="sundance"]Wearing Jordan 6’s (the most rock-star Jordans, according to London) and a tight leather ensemble, he took the stage at Park City’s Bing Bar on Monday to deliver his steady cadence of flow, formidable singing, catchy melodies, and bass-heavy retro beats.
London opened up his set with “Why Even Try,” a favorite off of his latest album, Timez Are Weird These Days, followed by heavier, more rock-ish tunes like “Last Name London” and “I Stand Alone” before slowing it down again for tracks like “Flying Overseas” and “All Around the World.”
The rapper also brought his live band with him for the show, which went down in a space with the odd feeling of a tidied frat-house basement. The band's players made the songs (and crowd) bounce, fully bringing London's jams to life.
This appearance wasn’t just a regular part of London’s grueling tour schedule this year, but a special show for Bing. Microsoft's search service is one of the primary sponsors of the festival, and also of the MC’s upcoming album -- a collection of remixes of Timez are Weird These Days tracks.
The remix project came about when he was on tour in Seattle, the MC said in an interview with Wired.com prior to his performance at Sundance.
“I’m a big person on researching brands -- my favorite brand ambassadors are Ralph Lauren and Hugh Hefner -- I was interested in Bing,” London said.
So he started to use Bing, and finally set up a meeting with Microsoft, where the album and remixing competition was born.
“I like connecting with people through technology,” said London, who has consistently used social media to get his music to fans.
True to form, London -- through his Bing partnership -- opened up his forthcoming remix record to fans, who can submit their own versions of his track "All Around the World" for consideration for the album. Whomever London deems as the winner will be flown to New York to visit him in the studio. Fans can also vote for their favorite remixes here.
>"I’m a big person on researching brands — my favorite brand ambassadors are Ralph Lauren and Hugh Hefner."
London has never had any reservations when speaking about image and branding, so his explanation of why he’s into the idea of others remixing his work makes sense: He made a lot of this music for soundtracks, and he wants to give it another chance at life.
“This is the first time people get to remix me, I’m excited about it," London said. "I want people to make these songs theirs.”
London is so cool, in fact, that he has no qualms whatsoever about teaming up with a major corporation to release a new album. He is completely unconcerned with selling out -- he always wanted to make pop music, after all -- and he began his career working with major brands like Mountain Dew and Bushmills. Not to mention when he was working with Green Label Sound, the Mountain Dew label, he felt he had artistic control.
“I would work with MTV first-hand, I was predicting when the single would come out, I was working with the video treatment, I had a budget to work with,” London said.
With that attitude, it made the issue of collaborating with a corporation -- and being paid essentially to make an advertisement for that company -- seem less important, as long as the music came out the way he wanted.
That's not to say he’d necessarily work with anyone.
“I wouldn’t team up with McDonald's," he said. "But I would work with Bing.”
So what is the London brand? His personal style. The MC's all black leather ensemble, complete with a replica jacket from the fifties with giant metal spikes on the shoulders, speaks to something else about him that contributes to the cool factor. He’s played with his image in a very different way than most rappers, despite dropping the name of his preferred Nikes. He's a cool-hunter, curating his image according to a more off-trend version of taste.
“I visit awesome boutiques, I have friends that have amazing taste," London said. "If I walk into a store, I’m going to buy the best jacket or the best item in the store, hands down.”
Back at the Bing Bar, it's obvious London's show is a near-perfect metaphor for his career thus far. He has made it to Sundance, he has made it with Microsoft, yet it seems as though he is still an artist just below the surface of actual fame, picking up followers at every turn.
And the method appears to be working: It’s fun; it’s new. It’s pop.
