Santogold

b. Santi White, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Santogold's music is tailor made for the media-saturated, musically diverse late 00s, with its genre-hopping mixture of indie rock, dub, hip-hop and electronica. White had studied Cuban, Haitian and West African hand drumming at Wesleyan University, before taking a job in the A&R department of Epic Records in New York. She graduated to production work when she helped R&B artist Res on her 2001 debut, How I Do, but her musical eclecticism also saw her performing as lead vocalist with the Philadelphia-based ska punk band Stiffed. Adopting her childhood nickname of Santogold she then embarked on a solo career, releasing two singles on the UK independent label Marrakesh Records. In 2007, she came to wider notice as a guest vocalist on Mark Ronson's hit album Version, performing a cover version of the Jam's "Pretty Green". The following year's self-titled debut, which was recorded with the help of former Stiffed bandmate John Hill and released on the Downtown Records label, drew freely from indie rock, electro, dub and rap in a style that gained comparisons to the UK's M.I.A.. With the potential to be a complete mess, the album triumphantly eclipsed its magpie predilections by virtue of its sheer verve and melodic drive.