Touré is set to leave an indelible mark on hip-hop with the release of his debut solo album, Touré's Theory. A member of the revered hip-hop collective Hieroglyphics as both a DJ and producer, Touré puts his innate production skills center-stage in a collection of speaker-blowing party joints, slow-burn R&B jams, and blunted street funk. Also featuring a stellar lineup of guest appearances, Touré's Theory is a hip-hop album that is both raw and sophisticated and a definitive statement from an artist whose time has come.

With this debut, Touré provides a fresh offering to hip-hop fans tired of posturing and played-out ideas. The producer builds tracks with instant hooks and jaw-drop beats, allowing the stellar guest MC and vocal talent to shine.

Planet Asia gives us a street-level take on rap relevancy over a quintessential Touré piano and bass groove on “Longevity”. For “Be The One”, R&B songstress Vivica Hawkins dims the bedroom lights over Touré’s elastic synth melody.Then, the producer takes it back to the street with a King Beef spit on “Love That”. Not to be outdone, rap legend Too Short shows no mercy on the addictive “Mind Your Business”.

Born and raised in Oakland, California, Touré realized his hometown was also his musical ground zero – a fertile crossroads of gospel, hip-hop and R&B. Touré soon immersed himself in production and turntable culture. Simultaneously, he was serving notice as an up-and-coming musician, playing drums for Grammy winning gospel heavyweights Edwin & Walter Hawkins, Yolanda Adams, and Ben Tankard.

As a member of Hieroglyphics, a group that Rolling Stone says, “hums with a power greater than the sum of its already formidable parts”, Touré produced tracks on albums that define cutting-edge West Coast hip-hop – Casual’s Fear Itself, Souls of Mischief's No Man's Land, Pep Love's Ascension, Del Tha Funkee Homosapien's Future Development, Hieroglyphics’ 3rd Eye Vision, as well as upcoming Hieroglyphics Imperium releases.

Touré also produced the classic Casual single, “Later On”, which was featured on the A Low Down Dirty Shame soundtrack. Collaborations with hyphy innovator Keak da Sneak, neo-soul vocalist Goapele, and Tony! Toni! Toné!'s D’Wayne Wiggins followed.

Confident, versatile and naturally gifted, Touré knows that tenacity and preparation are the real keys to success in a fly-by-night game. With this release, Touré masterfully works his way through the full spectrum of hip hop, pulling spectacular performances out of his guest players and producing an album that is, ultimately, timeless. No gimmicks, no shortcuts, no filler. Touré's Theory is in full effect. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.