RICHMOND, VA – There were two constants in Mitchell “Hollywood Boogie’s” home as he was growing up in Richmond, Virginia: music and basketball. His father was a professional basketball player who played for the Houston Rockets. He was also an amateur musician and often sang or played around the house. His mother was a singer who served as a choir director for their church. She used to sing to young Boogie every day, using new words over the top of old records to modernize the lyrics in a way that would appeal to him. He started singing back to her as a child, developing a sense of rhythm that has evolved into a unique style and sound that today sets him apart as one of the hottest rising hip-hop artists in the country. In many ways, Boogie sees an evolution playing a key role in every step of his music career. From the moment his brother – a local rapper with a modest following – showed him that anyone could be a rapper if they had talent and were willing to work hard, he was dedicated to his craft. “So I began to write lyrics to instrumentals and say them to my friends to see if I was good enough,” he said. “After seeing their reactions, I decided to pursue a music career. But I also played basketball at a high level. I even played for the ABA for awhile until I broke my ankle. I had a choice to rehab and continue to do basketball, or focus instead on music. I’m a hard worker and I decided to put the work that I was putting into basketball into the music.” About four months ago he released a mixtape called “Evolution,” – named as a nod to the way he views his approach to music and his journey as a professional hip-hop artist. “When I started doing music again, I didn’t want to just make any old trap or urban record,” he said. “I wanted to expand peoples’ minds. ‘Evolution’ was my way of talking about a lot of things – education and sports and perseverance.” His new single, “BoogieMan,” is a bit of a return to the urban sound that put him on the map in the first place. He said he was intentional about choosing that sound because he wanted to pay homage to the fan-base that has stayed with him over the years. But he also wants to use the success from that single as a launching pad for his new mixtape, “Relapse,” which he said he hopes to release later this year. To sample some of his music, fans can visit his Soundcloud page, or check out any digital streaming site such as iTunes, Spotify or Google Play. Fans can also follow him on social media on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date on new music releases or live performances.
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North Carolina rapper/comedian showcases unique style with new single ‘Don’t Take It For Granted’3/23/2017 SHELBY, NC – For as long as he can remember, Aaron Lee has been able to make people laugh. In fact, to hear the hip-hop artist and stand-up comedian from Shelby, North Carolina tell it, he was born and people started laughing. “I’ve always been laughed at,” he said. “I don’t know why, but I figured if you’re going to laugh anyway then I’ll give you a reason to laugh and be a comedian. Plus, you can’t get mad at what I say because I’m always joking.” The young artist from the East Coast is working to establish himself in both realms of hip-hop and comedy. He’s launched some samples on a YouTube page, and already he’s beginning to grow a fan following. But opportunities like those were almost one car crash away from not being around. About a year ago Lee hit a tree going almost 60 miles per hour. Amazingly, he walked away from the crash with only a major concussion and an injury to his eye. But it was an experience that made him realize the frailty of life and how fleeting opportunities can be. “I woke up in the car and ever since then I’ve been working on rebuilding my life,” he said. “Every time I sit behind the driver seat of a car now, I get pretty nauseous. I know that I might not be here tomorrow, now. You say you know that, but when you go through something like that it lets you know for real. It let me know that if I want to be a comedian or a musician or an entertainer, then I have to do it now and not wait until tomorrow. Instead of putting in resumes at some regular nine-to-five job, I have to take a chance on what I love. There are always going to be roadblocks, and money will come and go, but I just had to do something to chase that dream.” When it comes to making music, Lee said he wants to bring back the originality of rap and tries to shy away from mimicking what other artists are doing nowadays. His new single, “Don’t Take It For Granted,” is the perfect example of that mentality. He said it’s a blend of old school and new school hip-hop. The lyrics talk about the lessons he learned after the car crash, and though it’s upbeat with a chill vibe, the message behind it is serious with a tone of inspiration. “When I was younger I would listen to Eminem and Tupac and I just fell in love with that kind of music,” Lee said. “I also loved 50 Cent, Lil Wayne, T.I., Boosie and Young Jeezy as artists I grew up on. As I’ve grown older I’ve become impressed by how they did something that it takes a lot of hard work to do. They were inspired by the drive they had within themselves, and that inspiration poured out onto others. And now I’m inspired and I want to try to do what they do.” “Don’t Take It For Granted” is currently available for purchase on iTunes. Fans who want to find out more about Aaron Lee and his music and comedy can follow him on social media on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Los Angeles, CA – A unique introduction to the music business has made singer / songwriter Jaysin Voxx’s music style one-of-a-kind. Born on stage, he developed his voice and stage presence by performing in musicals from a very young age, capturing the attention of audiences with his voice. But, when a young (and notably beautiful) girl in school told him that “he had a great voice, but she didn’t hear him on the radio,” he bid the Broadway scene goodbye and headed for the studio where he’d have to reinvent himself and his sound. What the average person might not know is, there’s a vast difference between the two performance arts, and transitioning to the studio and R&B was no easy feat. He’s come a long way from jazz hands and musicals – and without stage direction, he’s stepped into his own as an artist. Voxx has created a brand of music that a fellow musician dubbed “pop with soul.” Says the artist, “It fills a hole in the industry,” explaining that his music evokes a more passionate and soulful Pop R&B sound than the average song on Top 40 radio today, and his commitment to soulful music extends to the lyrics as well. “Everything in the Top 40, I like it, but I’m not always blown away by what the artist has to say.” Like in acting, the storyline of a song is paramount to the songwriting experience for Jaysin Voxx. “It’s like method acting,” he continues. “If you don’t write it, then how can you feel it?” The artist has been busy recently, serenading about girls, wanderlust and giving the male perspective on relationships. (He laughs that he might be the “anti-Taylor Swift,” noting how eager the blonde pop star is to throw men under the bus in relationships.) His most recent project, a single entitled “Careless Whisper,” is a unique trap club tribute to George Michael’s hit song. Working with music moguls like Phillip Peterson and Benny Blanco (known for their work with major stars like Ed Sheeran, Maroon 5, and Pink), he recorded the song the day after Christmas and as a way to pay homage to the late iconic singer, Michael. The song is a personal favorite, though the artist doesn’t generally play favorites with his music. “My songs are all my babies,” says Voxx, “They are all my favorites.” What can we expect next out of the immensely talented Jaysin Voxx? He has just dropped a World Pop single called “A Better World.” In 2017, when it feels like the whole world is full of challenges, political issues, and hurt, Voxx has tapped into a feeling of unity with the belief that “music gon’ heal the world,” a line which makes it’s way into the lyrics. Recorded at the iconic Pacifique Studios, where many greats have recorded their hits (Justin Bieber has been known to make an appearance or two), the song is a “direct and powerful” message that seeks to heal a divided nation and world. No matter the message of the song, Jaysin Voxx urges fans to “Voxx it out,” a motto that encourages listeners to live their lives to the absolute fullest, just as the artist aims to do. Fans who want to learn more about Jaysin Voxx can do so by visiting his website, or following him on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Subscribe to his YouTube channel. INDIANAPOLIS, IN – When Hot Dizzy was working as a bartender at a strip club some years ago, he had no idea that the large guy with the nickname “Big Ace” who ordered a drink from him would become one of his closest friends. But as the two bonded over a rap song being played in the club that night, their friendship grew and Big Ace became one of Dizzy’s biggest inspirations. The passing of Big Ace due to a heart attack hit Dizzy hard. He struggled to find a way to honor the memory of his friend, until he started diving into the hip-hop and rap of his youth. The process of grieving over a friend and writing to express his feelings uncovered a natural talent that he now uses as the hip-hop artist from Indianapolis known as Hot Dizzy. “I had tried rap back in the day, but didn’t take it seriously,” he said. “The thing that pushed me back into rapping was when Big Ace passed away. Now it feels like he’s pushing me to do this. When I played around with rap as a hobby before, it felt like I wasn’t doing anything with it. I even started driving trucks for a while. But now I owe it to him to make this real.” Dizzy said his unique style is that of a rap storyteller. He said his rhymes are often referred to as a narrator telling a story with a distinct flow and delivery. His stories tend to be metaphors for the struggles he’s going through or the things he’s seen. Sometimes his environment and the relationships he enjoys find their way into his music, as well. His single “Hood Low” is currently ranked No. 1 on the Emerging 200 Chart, and he has two other singles out that he hopes will make a similar splash. “Stand Still” is a song specifically dedicated to Big Ace. “It’s about being up in the club and seeing a girl dancing and liking what you see,” he said. “But when you holler at the girl you find out the club is ready to close. So you bounce to another club and find a honey and take her to the hotel and do the thing.” Another single, “Feedback,” is more of a statement piece that he said should let listeners know exactly who he is. Every verse has its own specific meaning, and the driving beat is something he knows will connect with fans. At the end of the day, though, he said he hopes his music is something that can help others out of bad situations by giving them an escape. “If they’re upset or going through something similar, maybe they can get a message out of one of my songs,” he said. “Maybe they can know they aren’t the only ones going through it.” Fans who want to sample Hot Dizzy’s music can visit his Soundcloud page, or check out some of his music videos on his YouTube channel. His new album is scheduled to drop in May, and fans who follow him on Twitter can find out more about upcoming music releases or live performances. WOODBRIDGE, NJ – To this day, Murc Jones doesn’t know why his best friend starting calling him by that nickname. When he was younger and started rapping professionally at around age 16, he and a friend would often get together and record their freestyle raps. At one point they started discussing stage names, and his friend randomly said, “I’m gonna start calling you Murc.” “I still don’t know why he called me that,” Jones said, “but I’ve been using it ever since. The Jones was something I chose to represent my change and growth as an artist.” That evolution from early freestyle rapper to one of the country’s hottest young hip-hop artists is perhaps best displayed on his new album, “Greatness Over Dishonesty.” It’s a 14-song album that he said tells the story of who he is and what his music is about. Its songs display a variety of different vibes – all of which, he said, show his versatility and unique sound in ways that make him stand out from the crowd. “I’m not trying to sound like anybody else,” he said. “I want to be great, and it’s gonna take honesty to be great. If you want people to listen to you, then you have to be the real you. I think it’s my originality and the fact that I’m not trying to sound like anybody else – that I’m just being myself – that makes me stand out.” Murc said his songs tend to lean toward storytelling, and that the medium of music as a vehicle to share stories is one of the things that first attracted him to hip-hop in the first place. He said he finds it amazing that you can tell a story through music, or create a music video that other people can relate to in a way that makes them perfectly understand what it is he’s trying to say. The main single off the album is called “Live For The Moment,” and is a perfect example of his use of storytelling through music. “It’s a song about how I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make it in the music industry,” he said. “The video is me and a couple of friends just hanging out, chilling to the song. And that’s, in a lot of ways, what I hope other people do when they listen to this album.” To find out more about Murc Jones, fans can follow him on social media @murcjones on Twitter and @murcjonesmusic on Instagram. Fans can also sample his album and other music he’s created on Reverbnation, Soundcloud and Spotify. FT. LAUDERDALE, FL – Growing up in north Ft. Lauderdale, Scott “S.A. Vents” Anderson and his family didn’t have much. Even when his mother got a promotion that allowed them to move to Lauderhill, Florida in Broward County, it was a difficult area in which to grow up. But it was within that neighborhood that he got an education, both in diverse cultures and music genres. Though hip-hop and reggae was always a big part of his household, he started getting into rock, techno and house music while in his early teenage years. By junior high school, he and a friend began playing around with beats and amateur producing on his friend’s laptop. “We would literally sit there and listen to music – like old hip-hop,” Vents said. “It’s how we picked up a passion for DJ-ing, and it really influenced the way I grew up. Those old-school rappers – like Tupac and Biggie and Dr. Dre – were teachers to me. I really got into that, and we continued to DJ all the way through high school.” His passion for music continued to grow during high school, but it took a back seat to basketball for a few years. College started off strong, but eventually became a struggle that turned into bad decisions with drug use and expulsion from school. He found himself in Atlanta, living in his aunt’s attic, and that’s where his love for music re-sparked. He enrolled at The Art Institute of Atlanta and majored in audio engineering. He discovered his own unique sound and style. And he began to develop a plan to make music a career. In 2016 he moved back to South Florida and has been working on an album ever since. He plans to release the album later this year, but is ready to drop a five-song EP called “Ground War” in the next month or two as a prelude to the larger album that will be released later. “The concept of it is that I’m an underground artist and no one knows about me,” he said. “’Ground War’ nods to that. I’m fighting this battle to get on the scene. I’m another person from the underground trying to get on the scene and shine. This EP has a hip-hop vibe to it, but I experiment a lot when it comes to my sound. My tone of voice is different, and I do some weird raspy sound effects. It’s different from anything I’ve heard melodically that’s out right now. Plus my wordplay is a little different. I don’t have regular bars – my bars are kind of abstract. Some of it is 808, and some of it has more of a west-coast vibe, but more than anything it’s just a diverse mixture of sound. You can’t put it in a box.” Fans who want to sample that unique sound can do so by visiting S.A. Vents’ Soundcloud page. Fans can also follow him on Instagram and Twitter, or at S.A. Vents on YouTube and Facebook. CHICAGO, IL – Travis Cox – AKA LV – remembers the exact age and place when he first fell in love with rap music. He was 10 years old, and it was during one of his many trips to his Uncle’s house. As a professional producer who went by the name Ju Beats, LV’s uncle had his own studio and would often invite young Travis over to his house to join him in the studio. “I remember he used to make beats for me and taught me how to record and rap and put words together,” LV said. “When I started getting serious about music, he helped me until I was able to get my own studio at home. Now I have a home studio and a professional studio in downtown Chicago that I use to make my music.” His mixtape “C4” – which stands for “Consequences 4” – is his most recent release to the world. It features 17 different songs – three of which are features from up-and-coming artists within the Chicago area – all of which have a storyline behind them that share the day-to-day ins and outs of LV’s life. “I use my music to tell other people about myself,” he said. “My previous albums were ‘Off & On’ and ‘Turn On,’ and were about my journey, and they got some good buzz. Then I started traveling and touring and filming some TV shows and movies and going out of state. I had a three-year acting role as a background artist on the hit TV show ‘Empire’ during seasons two and three. Now, C4 is a project that talks about the consequences of my journey.” The first single off the album is a song called “Amazing.” He said it’s a song that pays homage to the work and sacrifices he’s willing to make in order to be a successful musician. “I know my music is amazing, but how far can I take it?” LV said. “I close my eyes and visualize where would I go. Where can this take me and how far can I go? It’s a song that talks about the day-to-day things of how I used to sleep in the car and had no money and still have chains to the homeless, but how I’m climbing out of that and finding success with my music.” A second single off the album is called “Turn On,” and explores the rivalry that tends to pop up between different neighborhoods in Chicago. LV is from the west side of Chicago, and a few years back was visiting some friends in the south side of Chicago. He said his language and clothing stood out, and he was jumped by the locals because he was an outsider. “They jumped me and took all my money and everything I had on that day, all because I didn’t talk the same or dress the same,” he said. “This single isn’t something that I would call a dis track, because you can’t dis a whole side of town, but it’s definitely a track I made out of hate because of that situation.” Fans can check out these singles, the mixtape and more on his website, on Soundcloud, or on his YouTube channel. Fans can also follow him on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter to find out more about music releases or upcoming live performances. RICEBORO, GA – When Lil Hines was growing up, he had an older brother named Travis who loved old-school rappers. By the age of 10, Lil Hines was listening to the likes of JT Money, Trick Daddy, Outkast, UGK, Goodie Mob and Scarface. Their rapping would influence his tastes, and by the time he was in high school he was listening to Cash Money Hot Boyz, Master P and 8 Ball MJG. All of those rappers influenced his style and unique flow – something that fans all throughout the Atlanta, Georgia region are discovering with the release of his single “A Few Remix (feat. Nino Brown).” The single is one that Lil Hines describes as a “street anthem with a message that has a catchy club-banger” kind of vibe. It’s a song that he said explores the idea of people who hang around you just to eat the table scraps of your success. “It’s about people you can’t mess with or vibe with,” he said. “I like to keep my circles small. There aren’t too many people outside my circle I can trust. I mess with a few people. This song is about those people who come up to you with a smile on their face but then go talk behind your back. They’re only with you because of what they can get out of it, and they’re not there for you. There’s a line in the song that says, ‘There’s only 1 percent I mess with, the other 99 percent is fake.’ That’s words to live by and apply to your everyday life.” Lil Hines said his songs tend to be a reflection of how he’s feeling in the moment, and the message behind his lyrics are almost always a challenge for listeners to stay true to whatever it is that makes them unique. “That’s what I try to do,” he said. “I want to stay true to myself. I was taught at a young age that whatever you do, do it to the best of my ability. I don’t force something or make something up that I haven’t done. I don’t fake it. I’m not a fraud. My lyrics talk about the things that I’ve done, the things I’ve experienced, or experiences of someone that I know. “I write in the moment,” he continued. “I write what I feel, and when people hear me I want it to actually stick. At times there will be messages in there. But I also have party records that you want to turn up and vibe. Other records are just ride-in-your-car and chill to. Most of the time my music is just something that when you hear it, it’s something you feel. That’s what I want my music to be – something where you feel what I’m saying and can relate to it.” Those who want to sample some of Lil Hines’ music can visit his website at lilhinesmusic.com, or his Soundcloud and YouTube pages. Fans can also follow him on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. And promoters who would be interested in booking him for a live performance can email him at lilhinesmusic@gmail.com. Minneapolis, Minnesota – Midwestern songwriter and business mogul U-Sity hasn’t always been a savvy, successful entrepreneur. To the contrary, his story has humble beginnings. Raised “in the struggle,” the tenacious businessman turned to music and writing as a refuge from a difficult life. As early as fourth grade, the artist discovered music as a way to pursue his creative talents and find freedom of expression. His journey and can-do attitude took him all the way to college, where he majored in Music Business and learned the tricks of the trade. It was there he realized just how dynamic his creativity was, and began to cultivate a multi-platform brand, “Hit The Block Studios,” that would exhibit his many passions. U-Sity is following in the footsteps of iconic music moguls the likes of Jay Z; an artist-meets-CEO that inspires U-Sity to develop his brand. U-Sity says of his idol, “He’s always been the guy to stay independent and push his own brand, from liquor to clothing, the whole legacy. It’s a dynasty.” Indeed, Jay Z has been successful at capitalizing on his lifestyle, but not far behind him is U-Sity, who has taken a few notes from the powerful rapper. Hit The Block encompasses many platforms; music, skateboarding, photography, fashion, even tattoos (Keep your eyes peeled for Block Ink). Hit The Block is always looking for new and interesting ways to develop their brand’s reach. Eager to collaborate with other creative outlets, U-Sity is determined to make a mark on every kind of art and business the market has to offer. Hit The Block Studios began as a way for the artist to give back to his beloved hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota, by giving fellow artists the opportunity to grow and showcase their talents. “I’m opening up the doors to my hometown,” says the rapper and CEO. U-Sity is first and foremost, an artist. His single, “What a Life,” is an anthem of the artist’s success – a reflection on his journey “from the bottom.” Now that he’s successful, he’s looking back on the effort and hard work it took here, and sitting back to enjoy his musical and business victories. To find out more about U-Sity, fans can visit his website at u-sity.com, or follow him on Facebook or @usity on Instagram. Fans can also purchase some of his new singles on iTunes and Spotify. Listen to “What a Life.” |
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