Sleep | |
|---|---|
 Sleep performing live in 2011 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Christopher Tafoya |
| Also known as | Sleep of Oldominion |
| Born | (1975-06-02)June 2, 1975 (age 49) Farmington, New Mexico, U.S. |
| Origin | Portland, Oregon, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation | Rapper |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Labels |
|
| Website | www.strangefamousrecords.com |
Christopher Tafoya (born June 2, 1975), better known by hisstage nameSleep orSleep of Oldominion, is an Americanhip hop artist fromFarmington, New Mexico, who is currently based inPortland, Oregon.[1] He is a founding member of thePacific Northwest hip hop collectiveOldominion[2] and hip hop duoThe Chicharones alongsideJosh Martinez.[3][4] He is signed toStrange Famous Records.[5][6]
Tafoya grew up in the small town community ofFarmington, New Mexico. He is ofMexican descent.[7] At the age of five, Sleep was already rapping andb-boying with his friends and relatives in the small town, with himself namingRun DMC as an important influence when he first began.[8][9]
In addition to the hip hop he heard early on, his father was a former bass player for blues musicianGatemouth 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.[10] 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.[11][12]
Growing up in New Mexico, Sleep went to the same school asOnry Ozzborn, which led them to meet Pale Soul.[13] Together, they formed the group Oraclez Creed, which would later becomeOldominion after combining with Frontline (Destro, Nyqwil, and Snafu).[14] After the join, the massivePacific Northwest hip hop collective grew to over twenty members.[15]
Sleep released his debut album,Riot by Candlelight, in 2002.[16] Following the release, he was heavily involved in the multiple albums by Oldominion.[17] In 2001, Sleep met Canadian rapperJosh Martinez by chance encounter at theSouth by Southwest festival inAustin, Texas.[18] Together, the two would create the hip hop duothe Chicharones.[19][20] Sleep's second album,Christopher, was released in 2005 (and then re-released with bonus tracks in 2009).[21]
Leading up to 2009, Sleep had contactedSage Francis in an attempt to receive a feature for his upcoming album, which eventually led to his signing to Sage's independent labelStrange Famous Records.[22] In 2009, Sleep released his third solo album,Hesitation Wounds. It features verses fromGrayskul andDel the Funky Homosapien as well as production from likes ofZavala andReanimator, among others.[23]
Sleep's fourth solo album,Oregon Failure, was released on April 15, 2014 on Strange Famous Records as well.[24] The entire album is produced by Maulskull and has features fromOnry Ozzborn andCeschi, among others.[25]
Sleep's style has been described as "having intricate rhyme schemes and rapid-fire delivery," with his lyrics being both witty and personal.[26][27]
