| Braille | |
| Birth Name: | Bryan Winchester |
| Alias: | Braille Brizzy, Reflection |
| Birth Date: | 27 September 1981 |
| Birth Place: | Portland, Oregon, US |
| Instrument: | Vocals |
| Genre: | Hip hop |
| Occupation: | Rapper |
| Years Active: | 1994–present |
| Label: | Syntax, HipHop IS Music, Talking Textures, Humble Beast |
Bryan Winchester (born September 27, 1981), better known by his stage name Braille, is an American rapper.
The concept behind the name Braille relates to "Helping People Understand the things they can't see."[1] He has worked with a host of premier hip hop recording acts including his group Lightheaded, with rapper-producer Ohmega Watts and rapper Othello. Braille was also a part of a group called Acts 29 consisting of himself, Ohmega Watts, and Soul Plasma. Acts 29 has only released one album and is not planning on releasing any more material.[2] Braille was signed to Syntax Records in 1999 and continues to record for the label.[3] The majority of his recordings are credited to his own label imprint "Hip-hop Is Music."[4] Influenced by the positive vibe of the group A Tribe Called Quest,[5] Braille started recording Christian hip hop music. His first album called Lifefirst: Half the Battle was released when he was 17 years old.[6]
See main article: Beautiful Eulogy.
His fourth album The IV Edition released in 2008, and was a collaboration with Speech from Arrested Development. The song is included on the video game NBA Live 09.[7] Braille toured internationally including in Europe and Japan. His most recent projects include Cloud Nineteen,[8] an album release and interactive DVD. He is also planning a special concert tour and youth presentation aimed at students of the arts, emphasizing the importance of education to all children.
In 2012, Braille collaborated with Odd Thomas and Courtland Urbano to form the group Beautiful Eulogy. David Kincannon of Rapzilla stated, "This musical triumvirate is responsible for some of the most creative hip hop of the last few years, and Satellite Kite does nothing but add to that resume. From the concepts to the beats to the lyrics to the delivery, everything about this album is on point. There is a working relationship between these three men that is obvious by listening to this album. There is also a shared creative spirit that is obvious, and it's that creativity that makes Satellite Kite great."[9]
In 2004, Braille collaborated with his group Lightheaded (consisting of himself, Ohmega Watts, and Othello), Manchild of Mars Ill, Sharlock Poems of LA Symphony, Tony Stone, Celph Titled, Kno of Cunninlynguists, the Masterminds, 9th Wonder and Rob Swift to produce the album and accompanying video for "Shades of Grey".[10] That year the national publication URB Magazine recognized him as an up-and-coming "Artist to Watch". He was also named "Lyricist of the Year" with Shades of Grey and awarded "Album of the Year" honors by Sphereofhiphop. The following year Braille was selected to open for the Godfather of Soul James Brown's World Tour in 2005 -2006.[11]
The publication R&B Showcase Magazine recognized Braille as "Hip-Hop's New Force" and honored him with a feature and cover story in the fall of 2006. He joined hip hop group De La Soul touring throughout the summer of 2007. The same year Braille added speaking engagements to his tour dates and spoke at a South Jersey benefit for Hold on to Education Foundation Inc. A youth motivational speaker, Braille was chosen by the organization as an honorary board member.
The spiritual collection called Box of Rhymes was Braille's third full-length album, released exclusively in Japan on the Universal/Handcuts record label.[12]
| Release Date | Title | Label | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | LifeFirst: Half The Battle | ESPW | ||
| 2004 | Shades of Grey | HipHop IS Music | ||
| 2006 | Box of Rhymes | HipHop IS Music | ||
| 2008 | The IV Edition | HipHop IS Music | ||
| 2009 | CloudNineteen | HipHop IS Music | Album credited as "Braille and Symbolic One", because all production was by Symbolic One aka S1 | |
| 2010 | Weapon Aid | Syntax | Later made available as a free download from Humble Beast | |
| 2011 | Native Lungs | Humble Beast | Released as a free download from Humble Beast with limited CD copies. |
| Release Date | Title | Label | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Shades of Grey Japanese Version | HipHop IS Music | Released exclusively in Japan with alternate cover and bonus tracks | |
| 2005 | "HipHop Music" 12" vinyl single | HipHop IS Music | Limited edition 12" vinyl with B-Side "10 Years" and exclusive remixes. | |
| 2005 | Scatter Brain | Indie release | Limited edition, hand printed CD-R with no artwork. | |
| 2006 | "Sonset" 12" vinyl single | HipHop IS Music | Japan exclusive 12" vinyl | |
| 2006 | Box of Rhymes Japanese Version | HipHop IS Music | Released exclusively in Japan with alternate cover and bonus tracks | |
| 2006 | "Box of Rhymes" 7" vinyl single | HipHop IS Music | Limited edition 7" vinyl with Box of Rhymes instrumental. | |
| 2007 | Extra Box for Japan EP | HipHop IS Music | EP with tracks from Box of Rhymes, instrumentals, and remixes. Released exclusively in Japan with 300 limited edition copies released outside Japan. | |
| 2007 | Survival Movement & Evacuate EP | HipHop IS Music | Limited edition, 12" vinyl EP with songs from Box of Rhymes, remixes, instrumentals, and a new song. | |
| 2007 | Box of History mixtape mixed by DJ iDull | HipHop IS Music | Free digital download compilation mixtape of Braille's work over the years. Mixed by DJ iDull. | |
| 2007 | "The IV" 12" vinyl single | HipHop IS Music | Limited edition 12" vinyl with "Counter Attack" and "Shades of Grey" B-sides. | |
| 2008 | The IV Edition Japanese version | HipHop IS Music | Released exclusively in Japan early with bonus tracks. |
| Release Date | Title | Label | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Pure Thoughts | Day By Day/HipHop IS Music | Released on Day by Day in 2003, then re-released with bonus tracks in 2005 on HipHop IS Music | |
| 2006 | Wrong Way | Tres |
| Release Date | Title | Label | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Satellite Kite | Humble Beast | ||
| 2013 | Instruments of Mercy | Humble Beast | ||
| 2017 | Worthy | Humble Beast |