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Conceived as the first "virtual hip-hop group," Gorillaz blended the musical talents of Dan "The Automator" Nakamura, Blur's Damon Albarn, Cibo Matto's Miho Hatori, and Tom Tom Club's Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz with the arresting visuals of Jamie Hewlett, best known as the creator of the cult comic Tank Girl. Nakamura's Deltron 3030 cohorts Kid Koala and Del tha Funkee Homosapien rounded out the creative team behind the Gorillaz quartet, whose virtual members included 2-D, the cute but spacy singer/keyboardist; Murdoc, the spooky, possibly Satanic bassist and the brains behind the group; Russel, a drummer equally inspired by "Farrakhan and Chaka Khan" and possessed by "funkyphantoms" that occasionally rise up and provide some zombie-style rapping; and last but not least, Noodle, a ten-year-old Japanese guitar virtuosa and martial arts master. The group's website, /www.gorillaz.com, showcased Hewlett's visuals and the group's music in eye- and ear-catching detail.
Gorillaz debuted in late 2000 with the Tomorrow Comes Today EP, which they followed early the next year with the popular Clint Eastwood single. A self-titled, full-length debut album arrived in spring 2001. Gorillaz was a massive worldwide success and achieved platinum-level sales in the U.S.; worldwide, it sold over seven million copies. The group's Svengalis were quick to capitalize, and released the B-sides collection G-Sides, the Phase One: Celebrity Takedown DVD, and the dub-inspired remix album Laika Come Home in 2002. The project soon went on hiatus, however, as Albarn resumed work with Blur for their seventh album, 2003's Think Tank.
When he was ready to begin the next Gorillaz album, Albarn turned to Danger Mouse (the DJ behind The Grey Album, the infamous mash-up of the Beatles' White Album and Jay-Z's Black Album) and a host of other collaborators, including De La Soul, Shaun Ryder, Debbie Harry, Dennis Hopper, and Martina Topley-Bird. Although Del tha Funkee Homosapien and Nakamura did not return, 2-D, Russel, Murdoc, and Noodle were all present and accounted for on Demon Days, another Top Ten hit, which arrived in spring 2005. The album went double platinum in America and enjoyed even more success in the U.K.; it also received a host of Grammy nominations, a sign that the band had secured critical as well as commercial approval. Gorillaz broke ground for a new album in 2007, but the project wasn't released until 2010, when Plastic Beach marked the band's third studio effort. Heather Phares, Rovi

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The Gorillaz are a collaborative project by Blur front-man Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett (creator of Tank Girl), involving four animated characters -- 2D, Murdoc, Noodle and Russel -- who make up the hip-hop band. Given the alter-persona notion of Gorillaz, videos are a mix of cartoon, realism, and sound, which explore ideas of artifice and authenticity in music. The idea for Gorillaz grew out of viewing MTV and the realization that a majority of the content was manufactured for consumption.

Albarn was joined by Dan the Automator, Del Tha Funkee Homosapien and Kid Koala -- all members… Read more

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Albarn was joined by Dan the Automator, Del Tha Funkee Homosapien and Kid Koala -- all members of hip-hop collective Deltron 3030 -- for the release of the Tomorrow Comes Today EP in 2000. The record helped to generate a media buzz about the band, with everyone keen to know who was behind the enigmatic newcomers. This was built on by the single “Clint Eastwood” which was a Top 10 hit in the UK and helped prepare the ground for the debut album. In 2001 the album Gorillaz was released, containing a mix of influences including rock, pop and electronica. It was a huge critical and commercial success and went on to sell seven million copies.

At the end of 2001 they collaborated with an Eminem-less D12 and ex-Specials member Terry Hall on the free download track “911”, which would later appear in the film Bad Company.

In 2005 the single “Feel Good Inc.” was released, reaching No.2 in the UK and earning a nomination for the Grammy’s Record of the Year. On the back of the single’s success, the album Demon Days was released, debuting at No.1 in the UK charts. Another eclectic mix, the album featured collaborations with Shaun Ryder, De La Soul, Neneh Cherry and Dennis Hopper (who provides a narration to one of the tracks). The album was another huge seller, going multi-platinum in the US and UK, and receiving five Grammy nominations.

Plans for a tour in 2006 had to be sidelined due to the prohibitive expense and technical limitations involved in touring with an animated band. An album of B-sides and remixes, D-Sides, was released at the end of 2007.

2010 saw the release of Plastic Beach and Gorillaz headlining the Coachella Music Festival, Denmark's Roskilde Festival, and Glastonbury. Their live line-up features Albarn, Hewlett as well as two members of The Clash; Mick Jones and Paul Simonon. They frequently welcome guests to their stage shows, adding to the idea that the band is a collaboration and greater than the sum of their individual parts.

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