Doug York and Brian “Bugout” Ladd, two of the three members of the Exeter-based hip-hop group Granite State, measure success in terms of being different. It’s in their roots — friends since childhood, York and Ladd discovered hip-hop through their older brothers’ record collections. They played artists like Nas and Wu-Tang Clan obsessively. But as teenagers in New Hampshire in the early 1990s, being hip-hop fans wasn’t easy.
“Being into hip-hop around here was not the cool thing,” York said.
But they stuck with it and, eventually, their love for hip-hop and a dedication to developing their own sound led to Granite State, two albums, and countless shows, including a tour with A Tribe Called Quest. Both York and Ladd are 35 now, with full-time jobs and families, but their hip-hop dreams haven’t wavered. Later this spring, they’ll release their newest album, “A Tribe Called 30.”
“We wanted to make music that we weren’t hearing,” Ladd said of the album, which he and York said is about passion, dedication, and getting older. “Just because we’re in our 30s, we aren’t going to run from that. … We want to talk about what it means to be 30. A lot of people give up. A lot of people turn 30 and say, ‘Well, I guess I’m done.’ … We want to say fuck that, you’re never too old. If there’s something inside you, it’s what you should be doing every single day.”
York and Ladd have been collaborating since junior high. That’s when they met Patrick Baril, known today as Statik Selektah. A professional DJ and producer now, as a teenager, Baril often deejayed dances at school. Ladd and York would take the stage and rap along to Baril’s mixes — and, to their surprise, the audience loved it. The positive response encouraged them to make music, and after high school, the three moved to Boston and attended the New England Institute of Art. But the transition was difficult for Ladd, who’d never really been outside of New Hampshire as a child. And York was torn between becoming a visual artist and making music.
“I hit kind of a wall with art,” said York. “But, with music, I was part of something bigger than me. I could do something that people could hear overseas.”
The three friends drifted apart during the next five years. They reconnected in 2005. York was living in New York City at the time, and Ladd moved there to make music with him.
“That’s kind of what motivates you during those times of doubt … knowing that this is bigger than me.” – Doug York
“We still felt like we had more music in us,” Ladd said. “We wanted to tell a story together, one that was better than what we could do on our own.”
The next year, they released their first album, “The Breaking Point,” and performed a sold-out show at the Ioka Theatre in Exeter. The album was a breakout hit for the band. Though it didn’t receive radio airplay, it was a word-of-mouth sensation; the band gained a cult following on MySpace and earned a top spot on Hip Hop Nation’s charts.
Despite their growing popularity, Ladd and York felt as though they weren’t gaining any real traction in the industry. They took a brief hiatus until their 2008 release, “The RE:Public,” which York said was a commentary on the public’s reaction to music and culture.
“It’s all about the shared experience,” said York. “That’s kind of what motivates you during those times of doubt … knowing that this is bigger than me.”
They played shows and toured, but their lives got busy with family and other commitments. Another hiatus followed until 2015, when York and Ladd returned to their home studios to start work on “A Tribe Called 30.”
According to York, the album tackles the balancing act that comes with having a family and artistic ambitions.
“It’s not always pretty,” he said. “I wear my heart on my sleeve. I’m a very raw and honest type of person … It’s a story that … relates to everybody — ‘Is this what I’m supposed to be doing?’ We’re speaking to our peers, people who are our age, but also to younger people, to say that you don’t have to think that you have to get it all in by a certain time or else. Do what you love doing.”
The two are planning a regional tour to support the album, and a record release show is tentatively slated for April in Newmarket. Though they said it would be nice for audiences outside of New England to hear their music, York and Ladd said they might have everything they need here in the region.
“There is no strategy,” said York. “We’re going to keep sharing music the best way we know how, and maybe someone will hear it and pass it on. It’s what we enjoy doing, and if we can reach as many people as we can along the way, that makes it even better.”
York and Ladd feel connected to New Hampshire. It’s where they first discovered their passion and experimented with what they could bring to an audience. They said a big part of their success has been due to staying in the area and making the most of what they have around them.
“We never ran from our story or who we are,” York said. “A big reason why we call ourselves Granite State is because we want people to know that we’re proud of where we’re from.”