The Five One

The Five One’s influences range from legendary rock/pop artists to the most iconic figures in hip-hop culture. If you had to define their sound you would have to imagine The Beatles rapping over a punk song made by Bob Marley. Although their sound is refreshing, the most meaningful aspect behind The Five One is their concept. Revalulion [rev-uh-loo-lee-n], is the action of personifying oneself as a color, which is a philosophical term coined by the band. The members of The Five One Red, Blue, Green, and Gold, have simplified themselves from the complexities of societal identity by becoming colors. Defined only by the color in their closets, the color-coded quartet has a niche for meaningful lyrics and a sound that defies the norms of popular music.

Trekking around their area now known as the DMV (Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia), they have spread their music and mythology while sharing the stage with local acts whose genres range from Rock and Reggae to Hip-Hop and R&B. In the summer of 2008 the band played the Afro Punk Festival in Brooklyn, New York joining an eclectic blend of artists such as Janelle Monae, Saul Williams, and Murs. The Five One has always been able to naturally integrate into any music scene or genre. Entering MTV’s Dewcircuit Breakout Contest, they obtained national exposure with their song “Active” on MTV2, side-by-side various rock acts across the nation.

With the emergence of niche music blogs, the band gained a lot of attention on the internet through rearranging songs of various artists such as Bob Marley, Lykke Li, N*E*R*D, Gorillaz, Zero 7, Vampire Weekend, Kanye West, and many more. With songs like “District of Colossus” and “What Sarah Said” The Five One grants listeners a sample of their approach by creating songs that deliver intellectually, as well as providing infectious choruses and melodies. This remix project has accrued over 40,000 downloads, and individual songs and videos have been covered on various sites such as MTVU, USAToday, Chicago Now (Gowherehiphop) and Washington Post.