BOSTON, MA – On the streets, the Spanish slang for the highest quality Heroin is “Monteca.” It’s a term that signifies high-quality – the best product you can get. As a former drug dealer who has since reformed and is now putting his talents to a thriving music career, Mr. Montega Man wanted to proclaim the same level of high-quality product to his fans when it came to his music. It was a no-brainer, he said, when it came time to choose a rapper name. “When you want the best stuff, I’m the guy you get it from,” he said. “Growing up on the streets in Boston, I would do anything to make money. The quickest and easiest way to make money was to sell drugs – and I was good at it. But it landed me in and out of jail. At one point I got out of jail and I was homeless and I learned that heroin was the drug of choice. Typically you get those types of drugs from Central America, and they call it Monteca. I made $10,000 in one month without even really having to try very hard. When I decided I had to leave that life behind and that I needed to reinvent myself, the name Mr. Montega Man seemed perfect because I’m still the guy you get it from, but now what you get from me is the best music out there.” His most recent single “Sippin’” is a great example of that high-quality musical sound. It’s a song about drinking alcohol, and though he said he hasn’t had any alcohol for more than a year, it is a song that he said he wrote very intentionally. “I give a bunch of shout-outs to some major alcohol labels,” he said. “There’s also some lyrics in there that compare females to alcohol. It’s a slow jam with a kind of auto-tune hook – similar to a Drake type of sound. It’s a little bit slow with a laid back vibe. I wanted to make something new and create something more up to day, and I thought it would be cool to do a whole concept on alcohol because I could get sponsorships with alcohol labels and strip clubs. That makes sense, since you go to the club and drink or to the strip club and drink.” Mr. Montega Man said he grew up with some of hip-hop’s greats during the 80s and 90s and he loves some of the new sound coming out today. He said he’s constantly on YouTube watching how younger rappers are utilizing technology to influence their sound. He said it’s an evolution of music that he wants to be a part of, and he knows his unique take on hip-hop is one that fans are going to love. “I want people to hear my music and just enjoy what they’re doing,” he said. “I create songs that go along with what you do in your daily life – like going to the club and stuff. I want people to hear those songs and want to play it again. That’s the ultimate goal. I just want people to relate to it and connect to it and really love what they hear.” Fans who want to sample some of Mr. Montega Man’s music can do so by visiting his Soundcloud page, or check out his new single Sippin’ also on Soundcloud. Fans can also follow him on social media @MrMontegaMan on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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MIAMI, FL – Most people who know him would call Sand Man an artist with a conscience. He’s a poet whose words are laced with deep meaning. He’s a musician whose sound is intentionally challenging listeners to think on a higher level. He’s a rapper with a message, and that message is reverberating across the country with his latest entitled “TRAP,” which stands for “The Rise Above Poverty.” “I’ve always been that conscious rapper,” Sand Man said. “If you’re not keen to the message in my music, you won’t get it – but you can still enjoy the sound and get a good feel from it. But every song I do has a message. This new single is a good example of that. There’s a lot of bad feelings out there right now with police and people not seeing eye-to-eye with law enforcement. This song was written from an experience I had with a judge who was trying to lock me up without having a good cause. The song is really about her, but it’s also a metaphor for everything going on with society today. Our country is going through a kind of a civil war right now, and I think what I was going through is something people can relate to on a bigger scale that they’re also going through right now.” Sand Man said the single is a political/conscious rap with an upbeat, club-type feel. While it’s a statement piece for him – and for fans who desire change with the country’s state of affairs – it’s also just a great song with a catchy beat and good hook. It’s a song, he said, that hip-hop fans will feel, but also a song that fits into the trap genre, which is on the rise in today’s music industry. This is a great example of the kind of music that Sand Man makes – good sound and catchy beat with lyrics that have a little more substance than a lot of other music out there right now. It’s a perfect extension of who he is as a person, too. From a young age it became apparent to family and friends that he had the soul of an artist. He was always drawing or painting or writing poetry. But when his mother passed away when he was a teenager, the passion for his art faded away and he struggled to find an outlet for the creativity he was born with. “I just couldn’t find an avenue to pursue art once my mom passed,” he said. “That was hard because I’ve always been an artistic kid. But my brother suggested I try to DJ, and I did a couple of gigs and people started to tell me I had a really good voice. They knew I had good poetry, and they suggested I mix that with singing and put it to a beat. Now I pull from every part of my life – my experiences, my friends, the society, what’s going on in the world – to create music. I’m the new sound of hip-hop. I bring in what I used to listen to back in the day – from the pure positive-ness of the 80s to the gangster rap of the 90s to the good vibes of the 2000s – and blend it all together into something that’s just feel-good music for today.” Fans who want to check out “TRAP,” or more of Sand Man’s music, can visit his Soundcloud page for samples, or purchase music from digital download sites such as iTunes, Google Play and Amazon. Fans can also follow him on social media and find out more about his private label, It’s Official Entertainment, on Facebook, @ItsOfficialSandman on Instagram, and @SandManBlkGhost on Twitter. INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA– It’s hard to remember, but there was a time before music made its way through social media. A time when musicians and rappers carried their music from city to city, getting it into the hands and through the ears of people by sheer force, will, and talent. 45-year-old rapper SharkkTeethSolo is not new to the game, but now that the game has changed, you won’t find SharkkTeethSolo selling cassettes or CDs, but pushing his music through the airwaves of social media, garnering over 300,000 Twitter followers. While being older than most up-and-coming artists might sound like an obstacle, Sharkk’s age is leverage. “I’ve been here longer,” exclaims the artist, “But we still have all the same problems. The only difference is, I’m able to articulate the journey.” SharkkTeethSolo doesn’t put himself in a box, allowing every genre and sound to influence his music. Whether it be country, dance, mo-town, or rap, Sharkk’s music pulls the best of everything to create a sound and vibe that will resonate with every listener. Breaking out from the status quo, SharkkTeethSolo doesn’t just appeal to the standard rap fan. “I don’t want a ‘cookie cutter’ following,” explains Sharkk, “My music appeals to a global demographic.” How does a rap artist appeal to absolutely everyone, one might ask? The answer is surprisingly straightforward: Sharkk’s message is universal. It tears down boundaries of race, age, and even language. The truth of the matter is, everyone can connect to a beat, a melody, and a message of peace and unity. The artist’s latest album, a project entitled Vocal Visions, is what Sharkk calls a “foundational project,” eager to spread the message that “peace and unity are attainable.” Peace is at the core of Sharkk’s music, and it’s his sole mission. “I don’t do this so I can have ten cars in the driveway,” confesses the artist, “I do it to reach the solitary space in your mind.” Allow Sharkk to enter your psyche, and you might just find you’re singing a new, more peaceful tune. Label: WREKLIS RECORDS Listen on SoundCloud 2 Days 3 Nights on YouTube Twitter: @sharkkteethsolo @REALsharkkteeth MIAMI, FL – Almost everyone has that one special love in their life – that person who always rests in the back of your mind and who you can’t ever seem to get over. That one person you’re passionate about and who elicits a feeling deep down in your soul unlike any other feeling in the world. That’s how Top Knotch describes his relationship with music. “Music for me is that girlfriend you can’t let go of,” he said. “It’s that love – that one love – that no matter how much I say I’m going to work on other things, I always come back to it. When you feel like you’re destined to do something – with every fiber of your being you know that’s what you’re supposed to be doing – that’s how I feel about music.” The Miami, Florida native has been making hip-hop music for many years, launching singles and EPs that have elicited a dedicated fan following. In recent year’s he’s partnered with fellow rapper Sandman on some projects, and the two of them are beginning to take Florida by storm with their new music. One of the most recent projects they collaborated on was Sandman’s EP “Past, Present, Future.” Top Knotch is featured on two singles from that EP – “For Meh” and “Ride” – and said he’s very proud of the work he’s put together in collaboration with Sandman. “I first met Sandman when we were both going through similar trials and tribulations,” Top Knotch said. “We bumped into each other and started discussing some things, and that’s how our first project came about. We got some good buzz from that and we’ve just been going ever since.” Most of Top Knotch’s music is born from stories from his life. In fact, he revels in the title of storyteller, and hopes that the lyrics from his songs are such that others can relate to them and feel connected to him in some way. “Music gives me that tingly feeling,” he said. “And I want people to get that same feeling. When they listen to my music, I want it to be almost a spiritual experience. I like songs that stand the test of time, and I hope that when you listen to my music you won’t forget it. I want my songs to be something you always revert back to and always stick in your head – whether it’s something catchy you hear or something I said that related to you.” And while many of his stories come from personal experience, some of it comes from his imagination – such as a recent single he wrote about the “nastiest stripper in the strip club.” Ultimately, however, all of his music is an outlet for him. Having spent much of his younger years getting into legal trouble, he has pursued music as a way to stay on the straight and narrow. In fact, that’s how he came up with the name TOP KNOTCH, which he said is an acronym for Types Of People Know No Other Than Criminal Heat. It’s a name and a life philosophy that he hopes others will be inspired by. “I know where I came from, but now I’m top knotch,” he said. “And that’s not just for me, it’s for everybody. It’s way bigger than just me. It’s a philosophy and a way of living. It’s a thing for the people. There’s nothing selfish here. My music is about how we can make something bigger than just us.” Fans who want to check out his singles on the “Past, Present Future” EP can do so by downloading them from iTunes. Additional music from Top Knotch can be found on Tidal, Google Play, Spotify, Datpiff and Soundcloud, and other digital download sites. And fans who want to know more about upcoming releases or live shows can follow him on social media on Instagram and Twitter and find out more about his private label, It’s Official Entertainment. |
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