Oliver Nestor, better known as DL Incognito, is a Canadian hip hop rapper and producer from Ottawa, Ontario. He previously signed a distribution deal with URBNET Records but also operated his independent label Nine Planets Hip Hop along with his brother. In 2007 and 2009, he was nominated for a Juno for Best Rap Recording.[1][2]
DL Incognito | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Oliver Nestor |
| Origin | Ottawa, Ontario |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | Rapper, record producer |
| Years active | 1999-present |
| Labels | URBNET, Nine Planets Hip Hop, Universal Music Canada, Orng Peel Laab |
| Website | dlincognito |
Musical career
editDL first started his career in 1999 when he appeared on the Nine Planets Hip Hop compilation Welcome To The Land Of The Lost.[3]
His first solo release was his 2002 release, A Sample and a Drum Machine. Two years later, he released the album Life's a Collection of Experiences.
In 2006, he released Organic Music for a Digital World. Rowald Pruyn of RapReviews gave the album a very favorable 8.5/10, saying "DL Incognito, whose name he interprets as 'delivering lyrics on the down low,' has skills on the mic which are surpassed only by his ability for self-reflection."[4] The album received a Juno nomination.[1]
Following this, he released A Captured Moment in Time in 2008, which like his last albums, also received a Juno nomination.[2]
In 2013, he released the album Someday Is Less Than a Second Away, which features D-Sisive, along with others. Exclaim! gave the album a very favorable review and Chayne Japal said: "His recent efforts have resulted in a fifth album, Someday is Less than a Second Away, a tight, potent record that utilizes his and his collaborators' strengths."[5]
DL Incognito said in an interview that his main goal is "just trying to give Canadian hip-hop an identity."[6] In another interview, he said what inspires him to rap is life: "Life inspires me, all the ups & downs that people go through, current events, happiness, pain, everything is an inspiration. As I continue on this journey I've realized that life's a collection of experiences and my albums are captured moments in time."[7]
Name
editThe name 'DL Incognito' means "Delivering Lyrics on the Low".[8]
Personal life
editNestor is of Haitian and French-Canadian descent.[9]
Discography
editSolo albums
edit- A Sample and a Drum Machine
- Released: July 23, 2002
- Label: Nine Planets Hip Hop
- Life's a Collection of Experiences
- Released: November 23, 2004
- Label: Nine Planets Hip Hop
- Organic Music for a Digital World
- Released: June 20, 2006
- Label: Universal Music Canada/URBNET Records
- A Captured Moment in Time
- Released: April 8, 2008
- Label: Nine Planets Hip Hop/URBNET Records
- Someday Is Less Than a Second Away
- Released: April 16, 2013
- Label: URBNET Records
- What Once Was Will Never Be
- Released: December 2, 2022[10]
- Label: Orng Peel Laab
Singles
edit- "Rugged Raw"
- "Spit Forever 2"
- "Proof"
- "Verbalerity"
- "Live In My Element"
- "Make a Difference"
- "Air Play"
References
edit- ^ a b "2007 | Rap Recording of the Year | DL Incognito | The JUNO Awards". The JUNO Awards. Retrieved 2017-02-18.
- ^ a b "2009 | Rap Recording of the Year | DL Incognito | The JUNO Awards". The JUNO Awards. Retrieved 2017-02-18.
- ^ "CapCityHipHop Ottawa's #1 Urban Media Site Exclusive Interview with DL Incognito at Winterfest - CapCityHipHop". www.capcityhiphop.com. Archived from the original on 2014-02-13. Retrieved 2017-02-18.
- ^ "RapReviews.com Feature for October 17, 2006 - DL Incognito's "Organic Music for a Digital World"". www.rapreviews.com. Retrieved 2017-02-18.
- ^ "DL Incognito Someday is Less than a Second Away". Retrieved 2017-02-18.
- ^ "DL Incognito Interview with MVRemix Urban | Online Rap Magazine | US and Canadian Underground Hip Hop and Soul - exclusive interviews, reviews, articles". www.mvremix.com. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
- ^ "Level 1 Productions". Archived from the original on 2009-06-25. Retrieved 2009-01-19.
- ^ Urbnet DL Incognito Biography.
- ^ "DL Incognito | Biography & History | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2017-02-18.
- ^ "Orng Peel Laab®". Orng Peel Laab. Retrieved 10 May 2023.