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Draft:Cliff Notez

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  • Comment: If "seamlessly manifests" is a quote, then it needs an end quote and a reference. If it's your words, then it should be reworded into neutral language. GoingBatty (talk) 20:02, 21 September 2024 (UTC)
  • Comment: Thanks for your submission! Going off a quick search, it's likely that the subject of this draft meets the notability criteria for musicians, but the excessively promotional language needs to be removed before this can be accepted. For example, "It’s no surprise ... as their influence extends far beyond the hip hop scene." and "embarks on an sonically adventurous release schedule" are just fluff which don't impart any information, which is not appropriate language for an encyclopedia article. Let me know if you have any questions! (please Reply to icon mention me on reply; thanks!) TechnoSquirrel69 (sigh) 19:53, 21 September 2024 (UTC)


Cliff Notez
Background information
BornBoston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Producer
  • songwriter
  • engineer
  • director
  • actor
  • rapper
  • singer
  • writer
  • photographer
  • painter
  • digital artist
Websitewiild.is thehipstory.com

Cliff Notez is a multimedia artist, musician, filmmaker, and actor based in Boston, Massachusetts

Early life and education

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Cliff was born in Boston, Massachusetts. A basketball scholarship allowed him to attend the Taft School in Watertown, Connecticut. He obtained a dual degree in Music and Psychology from Wheaton College in 2013.[1] In 2017 he obtained a Masters in Digital Media at Northeastern University.

Career

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Cliff Notez is the founder of HipStory[2], a digital media agency and production company based in Boston. Established in 2017, HipStory was initially formed as a collective of musicians, aiming to highlight and support the voices of Black, Brown, and LGBTQIA+ creatives who were often underrepresented in the media landscape. The company is responsible for landmark events like Boston Answering[3] in 2019 and We Black Folk[4] in 2024. Cliff Notez would later go on to play Boston Calling in 2022.

Through their work at Hipstory and as an individual creator Cliff Notez has produced media work for artists and organizations.

Musical style and influences

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Their work spans various genres, including hip hop, jazz, folk, soul, and R&B, often drawing comparisons to Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly and Radiohead’s Kid A.[5]. Notez’s artwork addresses themes such as trauma, the Black experience, and healing, often juxtaposing heavy lyrical content with bright, uplifting instrumentation[6][7][8].

Notez said his work was influenced by Childish Gambino, Stevie Wonder, Bon Iver, Andre 300, Jay Z, D'Angelo, and Radiohead[9].

Personal life

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He is currently an Assistant Professor at the Berklee College of Music and Tufts University, he previously taught at MIT, Emerson, and Northeastern University[10]

Critical Acclaim

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Cliff Notez’s work has caught the attention of publications like The New York Times, NPR, The Boston Globe, and Boston Herald, among others and have garnered shoutouts from the likes of Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley.[citation needed] They performed at Boston Calling Music Festival in 2022 and have previously shared the stage with Ja Rule, Arcade Fire and Gym Class Heroes.[citation needed] Cliff had their first solo art Exhibition at the Dorchester Art Project in 2020, then Followed it up with a solo show at FPAC assemblage in 2022 on the Boston’s Seaport. Cliff was featured in the New York Times[11] while completing their second artists residencym in 2021 at Mass MoCA.

Uproxx dubbed Cliff "one of the most remarkable music figures in Boston[12]", as their influence extends far beyond the hip hop scene. Cliff Notez has worked hard to give back to their local community and to lobby for inclusion[13].

Cliff Notez was named "Best Musician"[14] and one of the "100 Most Influential Bostonians[15]" by Boston magazine, and listed among the "50 Most Influential Bostonians" by Boston Common Magazine. With over 11 Boston Music Award nominations and as the winner of "Song of the Year" in 2020 and the coveted "Best New Artist" award in 2018.

Their critically acclaimed short film "Vitiligo" got them featured on Al Jazerra and Blavity in 2019 speaking to the importance of Black people in the Horror film Genre[16][17]. The film would go on to be featured in several film festivals including the March on Washington Film Festival where it took home the grand prize in 2017[18].

References

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  1. ^ "Alum nominated for Boston Music Award". Wheaton College Massachusetts. 2018-10-24. Retrieved 2024-09-23.
  2. ^ "HipStory". Hipstory.
  3. ^ "With Boston Answering, An Opportunity To Represent A Local Music Scene". www.wbur.org. 2019-05-21. Retrieved 2024-09-23.
  4. ^ "A music festival at Club Passim reclaims folk music's Black roots". www.wbur.org. 2024-02-02. Retrieved 2024-09-23.
  5. ^ "Interview: Cliff Notez on his album 'When The Sidewalk Ends' One Year Later". Boston Hassle.
  6. ^ "Cliff Notez". www.uncsa.edu. Retrieved 2024-09-23.
  7. ^ Wasylak, Victoria (2019-09-10). "It Takes Two: The duality of Cliff Notez and his 'Wild Things'". Vanyaland. Retrieved 2024-09-23.
  8. ^ "Cliff Notez Explores Duality, Race And Mental Health In New Album". www.wbur.org. 2019-09-11. Retrieved 2024-09-23.
  9. ^ "Q&A with Cliff Notez, a True Renaissance Man". BLACKFISTS. 2023-11-30. Retrieved 2024-09-23.
  10. ^ "Instructor Spotlight: Cliff Notez | Experimental College". excollege.tufts.edu. Retrieved 2024-09-23.
  11. ^ "At Mass MoCA, Supporting Artists Beyond Exhibitions". The New York Times.
  12. ^ Corcoran, Nina (2020-03-12). "Cliff Notez Is The Humble Hip-Hop Star Uplifting Everyone In Boston's Music Community". UPROXX. Retrieved 2024-09-23.
  13. ^ Compass, Boston (2022-09-08). "GET THAT MONEY! 5 QUESTIONS ABOUT ARTS FUNDING W/ CLIFF NOTEZ". Boston Compass. Retrieved 2024-09-23.
  14. ^ "Cliff Notez". Boston. June 25, 2019.
  15. ^ "Power List: The 100 Most Influential Bostonians". Boston Magazine. 2020-04-28. Retrieved 2024-09-23.
  16. ^ "What do US horror films say about blackness?". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2024-09-23.
  17. ^ Notez, Cliff. "The Black Guy Dies First: The Importance of Horror in Black Culture - Blavity". Blavity News & Entertainment. Retrieved 2024-09-23.
  18. ^ "Vitiligo: A Racial Trauma Thriller". Allston Pudding. 2019-07-25. Retrieved 2024-09-23.