Bad Rabbits

Bad Rabbits
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Background information
Origin	Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Genres	Funk rock, R&B
Years active	2007–present
Associated acts	The Eclectic Collective, Irepress
Website	badrabbits.com
Members	Fredua Boakye Sheel Davé Salim Akram Graham Masser Santiago Araujo

Bad Rabbits is an American band from Boston, Massachusetts, founded in September 2007. The band consists of Fredua Boakye (vocals), Sheel Davé (drums), Salim Akram (guitar), Graham Masser (bass), and Santiago Araujo (guitar). All five members of the band originally played in the Boston-based band The Eclectic Collective,which in 2007 they reworked and renamed Bad Rabbits. The band released a demo in 2008 entitled The Bad EP which was followed up by their debut EP, Stick Up Kids, in December 2009. Their first album American Love was released on May 14, 2013, and on July 19, 2014, Bad Rabbits released Dusted – an acoustic EP. They have won four Boston Music Awards, including Pop/R&B Live Artist of the Year in 2014. Bad Rabbits also won the 2010 Phoenix Music Poll Award for Most Downloaded Band. From 2007 to 2010, they performed as the backing band for rapper Slick Rick. They have been a part of five national tours, including the 2011 and 2014 Vans Warped Tour, the 2013 Don Broco Priorities UK tour, the 2014 Allen Stone US Tour and their own UK tour in 2014.

Early History

The five members of Bad Rabbits first came together in 2002 while attending Northeastern University and Audio Institute in Boston, MA. Boakye and Akram were performing as a duo, Davé was a member of experimental metal band Irepress, and Araujo was playing in a jam/rock band with Masser. A mutual friend introduced Masser and Araujo to Davé at the YMCA dormitory on Northeastern’s campus. The group performed their first show as The Eclectic Collective on January 16, 2003, at All Asia in Cambridge. There were various lineup changes which primarily included Akram, Boakye, Davé, Araujo, Masser, RP Thompson (keys), Geoff “DJ Special Blend” Ford, as well as singer Noni Kai on vocals, trumpet player and rapper Peter “Afrodzak” Shungu, and saxophonist Robert Oswald. After two independent album releases and a tour in the Fall of 2007 with artist Gavin Castleton, the group decided to call it quits.

Not happy with the direction The Eclectic Collective had taken, the band decided to change its name and overall direction. Bad Rabbits takes its name from one of Castleton’s songs, which the group performed while on tour with him.

Discography

The Bad EP (2008)

The band self-released a four-song demo in the fall titled “The Bad EP.” The EP contains the song “The Bad,” which became the song now known as “She’s Bad”.

Stick Up Kids EP (2009)

In Spring 2009, the band entered the studio with producer Jayson Michael Dezuzio to record their debut EP “Stick Up Kids.” The album was completed in Fall 2009 and released independently that December. The band also entered into a relationship with Boston-based online retailer Karmaloop.com, who distributed and promoted the album through their website. A remix compilation of the “Stick Up Kids” EP was released in the fall; it included remixes from Clinton Sparks, Crookers, Roxy Cottontail, Hot Pink Delorean, and Alex Suarez. Tracks on this release are as follows: "Booties", "Neverland", "Stick Up Kids", "Girl I'm Like Damn!" (featuring Travie McCoy of Gym Class Heroes), "She's Bad", "Advantage Me", "Can't Back Down."

We Can Roll Single (2012)

The first single from the American Love LP, the "We Can Roll" 7" is a one-sided vinyl single, with the iconic "BR" logo hand-printed onto the blank b-side. Each copy comes housed in a jacket that is hand screen printed with a 3D spot glitter and each record is individually numbered. Tracks on this release is as follows: "We Can Roll"

American Love LP (2013)

The album was released on May 14, 2013. It reached #1 on the iTunes R&B album Chart and #35 iTunes album Chart. The album also reached #10 on the Billboard Heatseeker Chart, #12 Billboard R&B Albums and #29 on the Billboard Hip-Hop/R&B Album Chart.

Dusted EP (2014)

Bad Rabbits released an acoustic album entitled Dusted on July 9, 2014.

Members

• Fredua Boakye – vocals
• Sheel Davé – drums
• Salim Akram – guitar
• Graham Masser – bass guitar, backing vocals
• Santiago Araujo – guitar

Discography

Albums

• American Love (2013, Bad Records)

1. "We Can Roll"
2. "Can't Fool Me"
3. "Dance Moves"
4. "Get Up and Go"
5. "Take It Off"
6. "Dirty"
7. "Fall in Love"
8. "Doin' It"
9. "Sayonara"
10. "Royal Flush"

• American Dream (TBD, Bad Records)

EPs

• The Bad (2008, self-released)

1. "Trix Are for Kids"
2. "Game of Chess"
3. "Vera"
4. "The Bad"

• Stick Up Kids (2009, self-released)

1. "Booties"
2. "Neverland"
3. "She's Bad"
4. "Stick Up Kids"
5. "Girl, I'm Like Damn! (ft. Travie McCoy)"
6. "Advantage Me"
7. "Can't Back Down"

• Cover Sessions (2011, self-released)

1. "Sextape" - originally by Deftones
2. "Human Nature" - originally by Michael Jackson
3. "1979" - originally by Smashing Pumpkins
4. "Walkin' on the Moon (ft. Moe Pope)" - originally by The-Dream

• Dusted (2014)

1. "Can't Back Down"
2. "Fall In Love"
3. "Stick Up Kids"
4. "Advantage Me"
5. "We Can Roll"

Remix albums

• Stick Up Kids Remix (2011, self-released)

1. "Booties (Alex Suarez Remix)"
2. "Neverland (Luther x Roxy Cottontail Remix)"
3. "She's Bad (Gadi Mizrahi & Soul Clap Remix)"
4. "Stick Up Kids (Crookers Remix)"
5. "Can't Back Down (White Indian Remix ft. Cody B. Ware)"
6. "Girl, I'm Like Damn! (MA5TER BA55 Remix ft. Travie McCoy)"
7. "Can't Back Down (Jayson DeZuzio Remix ft.Jay-Z)"
8. "She's Bad (Willie Green Remix)"
9. "Stick Up Kids (Tastemakers Remix)"
10. "Neverland (Fresh Direct Remix)"
11. "Stick Up Kids (Hot Pink DeLorean Remix)"
12. "Can't Back Down (Odie Remix)"
13. "Stick Up Kids (Clinton Sparks Remix)"
14. "Advantage Me (Jeremy Comitas & Jayson DeZuzio Remix ft. Jesse Korman)"

Singles

• "Can't Fool Me" from American Love (2013)
• "We Can Roll" from American Love (2013)
• "Fall in Love" from American Love (2013)
• "Doin' It" from American Love (2013)
• "Dance with You (ft. Teddy Riley & Clinton Sparks)" from Dance with You - Single (2013)

The music video contains a extended version of the song

• "Better Days" from Better Days - Single (2014)

Other songs

• "Stick Up Kids (Demo)" (2008)
• "Advantage Me (ft. Brandon Wronski)" from PacSun Summer Music Mix 2010 (2010)
• "Kassius Ohno Theme (ft. Florida Championship Wrestling Audio Team & Jim Johnston" (2010 Unreleased)
• "Booties (Big Chocolate Remix)" (2011)
• "Can't Back Down (Blunt Sinatras Remix)" from Turnt, Volume 1 (2011)

Collaborations

• "Gangsta Party (ft. Ninjasonik)" from Cody B. Ware's Welcome Home (2011)
• "Sailboats" from Chuck Inglish's WRKOUT. (2011)
• "Made", as Bad Rabbits x Vince Staples, from Converse's Cons, Vol. 2 - EP (2011)

Awards

Boston Music Awards

• 2010 - R&B/Pop Artist of the Year - WON
• 2013 - R&B/Pop Artist of the Year - WON
• 2013 - Artist of the Year - WON
• 2014 - R&B/Pop Artist of the Year - WON
• 2014 - Live Artist of the Year - WON

Phoenix Music Poll Awards

• 2010 - Most Downloaded Band - WON

TV Appearances

Jimmy Kimmel Live

• Performed “Can’t Fool Me” “Fall In Love” and “We Can Roll” on May 18, 2013.

The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson

• Performed “Can’t Fool Me” on May 31, 2013.

Arsenio Hall Show

• Performed “Dance With You” and “We Can Roll” on Sept 24, 2013.

Polartec Big Air at Fenway

• Performed on February 11, 2016

Touring

2010

• Support for Foxy Shazam and Young Veins
• Support for Mike Posner and Far East Movement

2011

• Vans Warped Tour
• Support for Taking Back Sunday and The Maine

2013

• Karmaloop Verge Campus Tour supporting Kendrick Lamar and Steve Aoki
• American Love Headline Tour
• UK Tour supporting Don Broco

2014

• Vans Warped Tour
• UK Headline Tour
• Support for Allen Stone

External links

• Official Website
• Facebook
• Twitter
• YouTube