Merging genres with a smooth pop sense,
Mr. Hudson (aka Ben Hudson on vocals and guitar) applied his love for
Chet Baker and
Cole Porter to his skills in hip-hop production. Initially emerging in 2007 on
Mr. Hudson & the Library's
A Tale of Two Cities, he made a mainstream breakthrough in 2008, serving as a crucial collaborator on
Kanye West's
808s & Heartbreak. Riding his newfound momentum, he issued his solo debut, 2009's Straight No Chaser, before retreating to a singles-based release cycle. He wouldn't issue another album for an entire decade, returning in 2019 with When the Machine Stops.
Born Benjamin Hudson McIldowie in Birmingham, England, he juggled being a student at Oxford and gigging around town in various bands. One of those groups,
Mr. Hudson & the Library, became a full-time affair. Alongside bandmates Maps Huxley (bass), Wilkie Wilkinson (drums), Joy Joseph (steel drums, vocals), and Torville Jones (piano),
Hudson issued an EP titled Bread & Roses, which came out on Deal Real in October 2006. The group toured with
Amy Winehouse in early 2007 in support of their debut album,
A Tale of Two Cities, released through Deal Real/Mercury. A slate of festival appearances followed during the summer, but
Hudson's biggest act of promotion came courtesy of rapper
Kanye West, who signed him to his G.O.O.D. Music label and featured
Hudson's production and vocals on 2008's number one album
808s & Heartbreak.
Mr. Hudson's first solo album, Straight No Chaser -- issued and recorded without
the Library -- appeared in August 2009 and was greatly assisted by a single ("Supernova") featuring
West.
January 2010 brought further success when
Hudson's guest appearance on
Jay-Z's single "Young Forever" helped it reach the Top Ten in both the U.K. and the U.S. During the same period, "Playing with Fire" -- a collaboration with the London hip-hop act,
N-Dubz -- also hit the upper reaches of the U.K. chart. The following couple of years saw
Mr. Hudson build his own studio and he increasingly spent time producing acts, rather than performing. However, in 2012, the fruits of a project with Rosie Oddie -- daughter of Bill, the star of the '70s hit U.K. comedy TV show The Goodies -- appeared in the form of the album Never Grow Up. Released under the BIGKids moniker, the record betrayed the influence of material by pop acts such as
the Ting Tings and
Lily Allen. A solo single, "Fred Astaire," appeared in March 2013, before "Real and True" -- another collaboration, this time with rapper
Future and pop star
Miley Cyrus -- was issued that November. The rest of the decade was occupied by singles, including collaborations with
Idris Elba ("Step Into the Shadows") and
Vic Mensa ("Coldplay," "Chicago"). He also concerned himself with production, aiding acts such as
Duran Duran,
JP Cooper,
Janelle Monae,
Kids See Ghosts,
Jake Shears,
DJ Snake, and others. He wouldn't return with another solo full-length until 2019, a decade after his previous effort. When the Machine Stops arrived that summer. ~ Kenyon Hopkin & James Wilkinson