The Nextmen

The Nextmen are a production/songwriting hip-hop duo consisting of Dom Search (aka Dominic Betmead) and Brad Baloo (aka Brad Ellis). Born and raised in Cambridge, they are based in London. Their music fuses U.K. soul and reggae with a hip-hop foundation. They also run their own independent record label, Custom Records, a joint venture with Fat City Records. They began remixing popular and underground records in 2000 as part of a string of mixtapes and are well-known for their two-man, four-turntable DJ sets. Their first album, Amongst the Madness, appeared in 2000, followed by Get Over It, released in 2003, which featured such artists as rapper J-Live and reggae artist Cutty Ranks. The 2005 reggae compilation Blunted in the Backroom included two Nextmen tracks — "Blood and Fire" and "Piece of the Pie." The Nextmen released their third studio album in 2007, entitled This Was Supposed to Be the Future, on Antidote Records. The album featured vocals from artists such as Alice Russell and rap group Kidz in the Hall. ~ Vincent Thomas