Joe Christie, better known as Braintax, is a British rapper and record producer. Christie had also recorded or appeared under the pseudonyms Brando Flux and Joey Brains. All of his releases were on his own record label, Low Life Records.
Braintax | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Joe Christie |
| Also known as | Joey Brains Brando Flux |
| Genres | British hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | Rapper, record producer |
| Years active | 1990[1]–2008[2] |
| Labels | Low Life |
Originally Braintax was a duo, consisting of Christie and DJ Test who also contributed vocals and production. Test departed following the 1997 release of the Future Years EP and Christie retained the Braintax name; it has since become synonymous with him as a solo artist.[3] On the track "Monsoon Funk" on Panorama, Christie explained Braintax means "we can all get busy if we use our brains." Braintax's lyrics have made multiple references to spirituality, healthy eating, the state of hip hop music, environmentalism, and politics. On Mr. Scruff's 2002 album Trouser Jazz, Braintax was featured on the song "Vibrate".
In 2008, Braintax suddenly announced his retirement with the release of his final album titled My Last And Best Album and also the end of Low Life Records.[2]
Discography
editAlbums
editSingles and EPs
edit- Fat Head EP (1992)[8]
- Future Years EP (1997)
- The Travel Show EP (1999)
- Hard Working EP (2000)
- "Don't Drag Me In" (2001)
- "Riviera Hustle" (2002)
- "Godnose" (2002)
- Chapter Seven – Verse Two EP "Out the Bunker" (2003)
- "D90 Rules" (2006)
- "Run the Yards" (2006)
- "Syriana Style" (2006)
Low Life Records
editLow Life Records was an independent record label from London established in 1992, promoting and releasing UK hip hop music.
History
editLow Life was owned by Braintax. The label's signed artists included many UK hip hop artists such as; Braintax himself, Task Force, Skinnyman, Jehst, Harry Love, Verb T, Mystro, Asaviour, Dubbledge, Micall Parknsun & Rodney P. Low Life released around 70 records, including 12" singles, EPs and LPs.[citation needed]
Cessation
editLow Life came to an abrupt end in 2008 when Braintax announced his retirement and release of his last record; 'My Last and Best Album'. This came as a shock and disappointment to many UK hip hop fans. According to various sources, many of the artists signed to Low Life felt as if they had been ripped off/underpaid by Braintax[9][10] – however Braintax stated in an interview, "There's been too much stress, mainly the large amount of bullshit you have to contend with when you run a record label. If you're not ripping people off then you're busy not trying hard enough to sell records that no one wants to buy."[11]
References
edit- ^ Mike Ellis (27 November 2008). "Interview: Mr Scruff Quirky hip-hop legend takes time out to chat to Mike Ellis". Archived from the original on 1 May 2009.
- ^ a b "Braintax – the Final Chapter | Rapnews.co.uk UK rap, grime and hiphop…". Archived from the original on 21 April 2013.
- ^ "A Farewell From inthemix: Thanks For All The Memories". Junkee.com. 31 October 2018.
- ^ "Birofunk – Braintax". The Wire. 2002. p. 23.
{{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires|magazine=(help) - ^ "Braintax – Biro Funk". ukhh.com. Archived from the original on 13 September 2012. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
- ^ "Arts Diary". New Statesman. 23 October 2006. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
- ^ "Review of Braintax – Panorama". BBC. 23 October 2006. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
- ^ "Braintax at Low Life Records". Archived from the original on 10 February 2008.
- ^ "LEWIS PARKER EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH UKHH.COM". UKHH.com. 3 April 2012. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
- ^ "The story behind Skinnyman's Council Estate of Mind". TheFace.com. 2 May 2019. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
- ^ "Braintax – The final chapter". Rapnews.co.uk. 12 March 2008. Retrieved 3 August 2015.