Guilty Simpson

Rooted in Detroit’s rap scene, Guilty Simpson has developed since the early 2000s a direct, minimalist hip-hop marked by a deep, weighty flow and lyrics drawn from street narratives. Born Byron Simpson in Detroit, he first gained attention alongside J Dilla before joining the Californian label Stones Throw, which released his debut solo album 'Ode to the Ghetto' in 2008 — a record balancing rugged soul productions and boom-bap aesthetics. He then pursued a path shaped by close collaborations with beatmakers, notably Madlib on 'OJ Simpson' (2010), Apollo Brown on 'Dice Game' (2012) and Small Professor on 'Highway Robbery' (2013), while also taking part in the group project Random Axe with Black Milk and Sean Price. In 2015 'Detroit’s Son' revisited his relationship with his hometown, and 'Guilt' in 2018 confirmed Guilty Simpson’s place in a rap that is both dark and measured, often built on stripped-down soul and funk samples. Performing across stages in North America and Europe, Guilty Simpson is firmly embedded in a Detroit-born hip-hop tradition that bridges the legacy of local beatmaking and an underground aesthetic.