Sleep (rapper)

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Sleep

| image = File:Sleepperforminglive.png

| alt =

| caption = Sleep performing live in 2011

| birth_name = Christopher Tafoya

| alias = Sleep of Oldominion

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1975|06|02|mf=yes}}

| birth_place = Farmington, New Mexico, U.S.

| origin = Portland, Oregon, U.S.

| death_date =

| genre = {{flatlist|

}}

| occupation = Rapper

| instrument =

| years_active = 1996–present

| label = {{flatlist|

Strange Famous Records
Camobear Records
Up Above Records
Under the Needle Recordings

}}

| associated_acts = {{flatlist|

}}

| website = [http://www.strangefamousrecords.com/sleep/ www.strangefamousrecords.com]

}}

Christopher Tafoya (born June 2, 1975), better known by his stage name Sleep or Sleep of Oldominion, is an American hip hop artist from Farmington, New Mexico, who is currently based in Portland, Oregon.[https://archive.today/20130202175559/http://www.spinner.com/2010/03/13/sleep-of-oldominion-interview-sxsw-2010/ Spinner - Sleep interview] He is a founding member of the Pacific Northwest hip hop collective Oldominion[http://www.allmusic.com/artist/sleep-mn0000026582 All Music Guide - mini-biography] and hip hop duo The Chicharones alongside Josh Martinez.[http://musicthatisntbad.org/2012/06/17/album-review-the-chicharones-swine-flew/ Music That Isn't Bad - Swine Flew album review] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130415102626/http://musicthatisntbad.org/2012/06/17/album-review-the-chicharones-swine-flew/ |date=2013-04-15 }}[http://www.indymojo.com/the-chicharones-at-sxsw-interview/ Indy Mojo - interview] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131230232704/http://www.indymojo.com/the-chicharones-at-sxsw-interview/ |date=2013-12-30 }} He is signed to Strange Famous Records.[http://www.strangefamousrecords.com/sleep/ Sleep at Strange Famous Records][http://www.wweek.com/portland/article-10693-sleep_hesitation_wounds_%28strange_famous%29.html Willamette Week - album review]

Early life

Tafoya grew up in the small town community of Farmington, New Mexico. He is of Mexican descent.{{Cite news|url=https://www.strangefamousrecords.com/artists/sleep/|title=Sleep of Oldominion - Strange Famous Records|newspaper=Strange Famous Records|language=en-US|access-date=2017-02-03}} At the age of five, Sleep was already rapping and b-boying with his friends and relatives in the small town, with himself naming Run DMC as an important influence when he first began.{{Cite web|url=http://www.reocities.com/hiphopinterview/sleep.html|title=An Interview with SLEEP of Oldominion- Interview by Todd E. Jones|last=Poet|first=Todd Jones aka The New Jeru|website=www.reocities.com|access-date=2017-02-03}}[http://english.fakeforreal.net/index.php/post/2005/10/03/138-sleep-interview-english-version Fake for Real - interview]

In addition to the hip hop he heard early on, his father was a former bass player for blues musician Gatemouth Brown, and would play a wide array of music, from Mariachi, to blues, to rock. Sleep also grew up with seven other brothers who all played musical instruments and had a grandfather who was also a multi instrumentalist.{{Cite web|url=http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/15704|title=STIFF Licks Closing Party with Sleep and A Gun That Shoots Knives|website=www.brownpapertickets.com|access-date=2017-03-07}} Entering the world of rap, he felt that his talents as both an MC and a writer were overly slept on, hence the creation of his name Sleep.{{Cite web|url=http://thehypemagazine.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-hype-magazine-interviews-sleep-of.html|title=The HYPE Magazine Interviews Sleep of Oldominion! {{!}} @SleepSFR|access-date=2017-02-03}}[http://www.xlr8r.com/reviews/sleep-oldominion/riot-candlelight XLR8R - album review]

Growing up in New Mexico, Sleep went to the same school as Onry Ozzborn, which led them to meet Pale Soul.{{Cite news|url=http://www.rapstation.com/article/onry-ozzborn-rs|title=Onry Ozzborn: The RAPstation Interview|date=2015-12-12|newspaper=Rapstation|language=en-US|access-date=2017-02-03}} Together, they formed the group Oraclez Creed, which would later become Oldominion after combining with Frontline (Destro, Nyqwil, and Snafu).{{Cite web|url=http://english.fakeforreal.net/index.php/post/2005/10/03/138-sleep-interview-english-version|title=SLEEP - Interview - Fake For Real|last=codotusylv|website=english.fakeforreal.net|date=3 October 2005 |language=en|access-date=2017-02-03}} After the join, the massive Pacific Northwest hip hop collective grew to over twenty members.{{Cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/one-mw0000217832|title=One - Oldominion {{!}} Songs, Reviews, Credits {{!}} AllMusic|website=AllMusic|access-date=2017-02-03}}

Musical career

= 2001-2008: ''Riot by Candelight'', ''Christopher'' and the Chicharones =

Sleep released his debut album, Riot by Candlelight, in 2002.{{cite magazine|first=Thomas|last=Quinlan|url=http://exclaim.ca/Reviews/HipHop/sleep-riot_by_candlelight|title=Sleep - Riot by Candlelight|magazine=Exclaim!|date=October 2002}} Following the release, he was heavily involved in the multiple albums by Oldominion.[http://exclaim.ca/Reviews/HipHop/sleep-riot_by_candlelight Exclaim! - Riot by Candlelight album review] In 2001, Sleep met Canadian rapper Josh Martinez by chance encounter at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas.[http://www.urb.com/2009/07/07/sleep-hesitation-wounds/ URB - album review] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20131229030651/http://www.urb.com/2009/07/07/sleep-hesitation-wounds/ |date=2013-12-29 }} Together, the two would create the hip hop duo the Chicharones.[https://archive.today/20130202193120/http://www.spinner.com/2010/02/09/sxsw-2010-the-chicharones/ Spinner - Chicharones interview][http://voices.yahoo.com/interview-chicharones-2012-warped-11388148.html?cat=40 Yahoo Voice - interview] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131231000430/http://voices.yahoo.com/interview-chicharones-2012-warped-11388148.html?cat=40 |date=2013-12-31 }} Sleep's second album, Christopher, was released in 2005 (and then re-released with bonus tracks in 2009).{{cite web|url=http://sfrstore.myshopify.com/collections/cds/products/sleep-christopher-bonus-tracks-cd|title=Sleep - Christopher + Bonus Tracks CD - Strange Famous Records}}

= 2009-2013: Strange Famous Records and ''Hesitation Wounds'' =

Leading up to 2009, Sleep had contacted Sage Francis in an attempt to receive a feature for his upcoming album, which eventually led to his signing to Sage's independent label Strange Famous Records.{{cite magazine|author=URB magazine|url=http://www.urb.com/2009/07/07/sleep-hesitation-wounds/|title=Sleep - Hesitation Wounds (Review)|magazine=URB|date=July 7, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20131229030651/http://www.urb.com/2009/07/07/sleep-hesitation-wounds/|archive-date=December 29, 2013}} In 2009, Sleep released his third solo album, Hesitation Wounds. It features verses from Grayskul and Del the Funky Homosapien as well as production from likes of Zavala and Reanimator, among others.{{cite news|first=Chris|last=Faraone|url=http://thephoenix.com/boston/music/84996-sleep-hesitation-wounds/|title=Sleep - Hesitation Wounds|newspaper=The Phoenix|date=June 16, 2009}}

= 2014-present: ''Oregon Failure'' =

Sleep's fourth solo album, Oregon Failure, was released on April 15, 2014 on Strange Famous Records as well.{{cite magazine|url=http://urb.com/2014/04/08/crosscheck-sage-francis-sleep/ |title=Crosscheck: Sage Francis & Sleep |magazine=URB |first=Jason |last=Chang |date=April 8, 2014 |accessdate=April 9, 2014}} The entire album is produced by Maulskull and has features from Onry Ozzborn and Ceschi, among others.{{cite web|url=http://sleepofthechicharones.com/ |title=Sleep x Maulskull - Oregon Failure - Tues April 15th, 2014 |publisher=Sleep |first=Christopher |last=Tafoya |date=2014 |accessdate=2014-02-19}}

Style

Sleep's style has been described as "having intricate rhyme schemes and rapid-fire delivery," with his lyrics being both witty and personal.{{Cite news|url=https://www.strangefamousrecords.com/artists/sleep/|title=Sleep of Oldominion - Strange Famous Records|newspaper=Strange Famous Records|language=en-US|access-date=2017-02-03}}{{Cite news|url=http://hiphopdx.com/news/id.29206/title.sleep-reflects-on-his-intricate-rhyme-styles-touring-with-sage-francis|title=Sleep Reflects On His Intricate Rhyme Styles & Touring With Sage Francis|newspaper=HipHopDX|language=en-US|access-date=2017-02-03}}