Artist
BADBADNOTGOOD
Canadian instrumental band
Toronto, Canada • Formed 2010
BADBADNOTGOOD is a music group from Toronto, Canada, active since 2010. Their discography on Gatefold includes 8 records.
8
Albums tracked
136
In collections
2010
Since
Biography
BADBADNOTGOOD (abbreviated as BBNG) is (formerly) pianist Matt Tavares, saxophonist Leland Whitty, bassist Chester Stone Hansen and drummer Alex Sowinski. The original trio (Tavares, Hansen and Sowinski) met at Humber College in Toronto, Canada and bonded over their mutual musical interests - OFWGKTA, Gucci Mane, and Waka Flocka Flame. BADBADNOTGOOD released their first two albums in 2011 and 2012, both for free from their official Bandcamp.
The Arc of BADBADNOTGOOD
The pivots — what forced BADBADNOTGOOD to reinvent.
The YouTube Odd Future Sessions
Everything started with the pig mask and those viral 2011 sessions where they covered 'Bastard' and 'Lemonade.' They were capturing a very specific moment where the internet was obsessed with the shock-rap of Odd Future, but the band played it with the technical proficiency of classically trained students. You can hear the hunger in those early recordings—low budget, high energy, and a desperate need to prove that jazz didn't have to be background music for a dinner party. It got Tyler's attention and shifted them from a college project to a global touring act almost overnight.
The Ghostface Pivot
Sour Soul in 2015 was the moment they stopped being 'the kids who cover rap songs' and became legitimate collaborators. Working with Frank Dukes—who has a genius for making new recordings sound like 70s library samples—they tracked a full-length record with a Wu-Tang heavyweight. This era redefined their sound as a cinematic, soul-inflected powerhouse that relied more on atmosphere and precise arrangement than the frantic technical displays of their debut. It proved they could hold down a groove for a legend without overplaying.
The Fourth Member and IV
When Leland Whitty officially joined as a full-time member for the album IV, the band’s dynamic shifted from a rhythm-heavy trio to a lush, multi-instrumental ensemble. Bringing in his woodwinds allowed them to dive into the spiritual jazz sounds of the early 70s and pull in guests like Mick Jenkins and Charlotte Day Wilson. The sound became more expansive and polished, moving away from the basement-grit of their early days toward a sophisticated, midnight-drive aesthetic. This was the record that finally got the critics to stop talking about their college grades and start talking about their composition skills.
Influences
- J Dilla — The band has cited Dilla’s 'human' swing and unquantized drum patterns as the primary blueprint for Sowinski’s drumming. You hear it in the way they intentionally drag the beat on tracks like 'Title Theme / Saria's Song.' It's the sound of a live band trying to mimic a MPC3000.
- The Mizell Brothers — Their production work for Donald Byrd and Bobbi Humphrey defined the fusion of jazz, funk, and soul that BADBADNOTGOOD mines for records like III. The heavy use of the ARP Odyssey and lush string arrangements is a direct nod to that Sky High Productions era. They even covered Byrd's 'You and the Music' during their early live sets.
- Odd Future — The band literally built their initial fan base by covering 'Orange Juice' and 'Seven' on their 2011 debut. The raw, nihilistic energy of early OFWGKTA shaped the band's aggressive approach to improvisation. Without Tyler's cosign on Twitter, they might have stayed in the Toronto local circuit for years.
- John Coltrane — The band has specifically pointed to Coltrane’s 'A Love Supreme' as the benchmark for their spiritual jazz leanings on IV and Talk-Memory. You hear it in Leland Whitty’s modal saxophone runs and the way they build long, hypnotic crescendos. They treat the stage like a sacred space, a move ripped straight from the Coltrane playbook.
- Arthur Verocai — His 1972 self-titled Brazilian masterpiece is a frequent touchstone for the band's orchestral arrangements and bossa-inflected rhythms. They eventually collaborated with him on 'City of Mirrors,' bringing the influence full circle. That specific blend of acoustic guitars and cinematic strings on their later work is pure Verocai worship.
Discography
Their records — most-collected first.
Related artists
Frequent collaborators
Around the web
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