Mayer Hawthorne: Sweet Sound & Style

Hawthorne’s voice is a smooth, soulful glide – like what you’d hear from a top artist in the 1960s. He combines this with hip-hop beats to freshen up and renew his sound. All walks of life can find something to appreciate in the musician.

“I don’t even know what it was like in the ’60s—I wasn’t alive then—so the Mayer Hawthorne sound is taking what I can learn from the classics, and blending it with my hip-hop DJ and producer background and punk-rock bands that I played in as a kid,” Hawthorne told Time Out New York.

Originally from Detroit, Mich., Hawthorne’s sound is a masterful blend of several genres. There are the hip-hop samples, the soul in his voice and the general f**k it all attitude found in punk rock. This blend is something Hawthorne has a blast making and was able to convince others of too.

“You know, I think a lot of the people were hip-hop heads. Even John Mayer, he likes hip-hop. I make soul music for hip-hop heads. It’s music I’d want to sample if I were a rapper. I think that was the initial appeal of it, and then, you know, another side of it is that it’s just fun. Everybody wants to have fun,” the musician said with Ask Men.

Hawthorne’s musical ability started early in life. He played in a basement in middle school with a friend now known as Andrew W.K. After that, Hawthorne spent his high school years in a punk band called Something Like That. Later he began playing in a funk trio and eventually became interested in rap. He started rapping with a group of friends he met playing basketball when they realized they needed a DJ. Hawthorne gladly volunteered and spent the summer learning and practicing.

“I wanted to make my own samples so I wouldn’t have to pay for song clearances. Really, that’s how Mayer Hawthorne started. I recorded a couple of half-baked soul tunes in my bedroom that I could use for sampling purposes in our rap songs. They didn’t even have a bridge or a last chorus. I never dreamed that stuff would be released on its own,” Hawthorne explained to online sports mag Grantland.com.

Aside from his voice, Hawthorne is also noted for his style. He dresses in sharp slacks, sweaters and bowties – resembling Marvin Gaye in style (and sound as well). Gaye is listed as a stylistic inspiration, but the similarities in sound are striking, too. Hawthorne has a long list of inspirational trendsetters, mostly Eric B. and Rakim.

“I’m sure a lot of people would argue and say Run-D.M.C, but for me Eric B. and Rakim were the ultimate hip-hop b-boy trendsetters. Anytime I think of gold chains and fly sneakers, I think of them. Eric B. used to rock the furry Kangols, and they always had the custom leather jackets with their logos on the back. I come from a hip-hop DJing and producer background so they were some of my earliest style influences. They defined flash,” the musician told GQ.

Like his musical ability, Hawthorne’s fashion sense also started out early. Never one to look lax in appearance, the musician pays close attention to the style in his sound and on his body.

“Even in school I made sure that we kept it classy,” Hawthorne said with Time Out New York. From the hip-hop, ‘60s and punk rock inspirations, Mayer has a little bit of something for everyone to love.

-Geneva Toddy