If you like: Tally Hall, The Beastie Boys, El-P!

Hailing from Berkeley, Calif., Yoni Wolf, leads Why? After discovering a 4-track in his synagogue, he began to hone his poetry, rapping and drumming. He met partner Adam Drucker at the hip-hop festival Scribble Jam in Cincinnati, and together they formed an improvisational hip-hop group. Through musical experimentation and projects with friends and his brother Josiah, Wolf eventually formed Why?, an alternative hip hop group with several full-length releases to date. Other projects of theirs include “cLOUDDEAD,” “Reaching Quiet” and “Hymie’s Basement.”

Their most recent release, “Mumps, Etc.” is their most cohesive effort in my opinion. Yoni Wolf’s years of rapping, free styling and songwriting have led to a more professional, solid sound. Wolf stated himself that they’ve begun to stray away from a heavy hip-hop sound, which has provided a catchy blend of genres.

 “Just another Sunday paddle boat ride on a man-made lake with another lady stranger,” is just one of Wolf’s indifferent views on topics like relationships. Occasionally adding personal insights like, “I don’t wear rubbers and I don’t wear sunscreen,” Wolf’s a likeable and imperfect narrator of every song. He can also be touching though, as seen on “These Few Presidents,” saying, “Even though I haven’t seen you in years, yours is a funeral I’d fly to from anywhere.”

Sometimes rapping, sometimes singing, sometimes wailing, Why? is blatantly unique and keeps me interested. Take a listen to their most recent releases “Alopecia” and “Mumps, Etc.” first, their most recent releases. Songs that caught my interest were “Strawberries,” “These Few Presidents,” “Fatalist Palmistry,” “Good Friday” and “Waterlines.”

Why? is currently on tour and will be at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn on Feb.13, Union Transfer in Philadelphia on Feb. 14 and Ottobar in Baltimore on  Feb. 16.