​Up-and-coming hip-hop artist aims to bring rap industry back to substantive roots

 
 
LONG ISLAND, NY – Cliff Davis doesn’t ignore his humble beginnings. In fact, it’s something he shares freely in his music and often pays homage to through poetic lyrics – lyrics like “A lotus flower starts from mud before it sprouts,” which can be found on his new single “Sideways.” The new single is available for purchase on all digital media sites such as iTunes, Google Play and more.
 
The single is one that he considers a song that brands him as an artist. It’s his calling card to the world that though he may have started from humble beginnings, he’s serious about making his mark on the music industry and his talent is not something you’ll be able to ignore.
 
“I’ve been through a lot of trials and tribulations over the past couple of years, especially in the music industry,” Davis said. “So I’m coming into the game sideways – in more ways than one. Everything out there today is so auto-tuned and snappy. But I’m coming in sideways – I’m not gonna sound like what everything else sounds like right now. I’m coming in with a different type of sound.”
 
Much of his music is laced with personal experience that he uses to comment on current events and the issues that so many today deal with. He said he’s constantly inspired by real-life events and issues – from politics to police brutality and racial reconciliation. And though he works with producers to find the right beat and instrumentation to his work, everything he comes up with – from the hook to the rhymes – is 100 percent his.
 
“And that’s what I want people to know about my music – that it’s real,” he said. “I want them to know that you can go through life and deal with situations and come up out of it. I want them to get strength and knowledge out of my music.”
 
He said he expands on that idea with a 12-song mixtape called “Till I Get On,” which was released Sept. 29 through Mymixtapez and has received some attention from major blogs within the industry in the weeks since.
 
“It’s a mixtape that displays a lot of lyrical content,” he said. “I’m bringing it back to the substance of music. It’s just basically a thing for me to show who I am until I can make it big. There are a lot of microwave raps out there right now, but I’m bringing it back to substance.”
 
He’s had success with that message, too. Recently he was discovered by Gregory Fields, president of AMS Music Records – who delivered his music to CEO Alvin Mays, and a deal was quickly done with AMS Music Entertainment. He also launched his own company called Sqwalla Unit Inc., which is based out of New York City. His new single “Sideways” is currently experiencing heavy airplay and extensive online coverage during Hip Hop Weekly Magazine’s Third Annual Soundstage and Interview Suite – which took place recently at BET’s Hip Hop awards in Atlanta, Ga.
 
Fans who want to learn more about Cliff Davis can check out his website IAmCliffDavis.com, or follow him on Facebook or @iamcliffdavis on Twitter and Instagram. He also has a YouTube channel with multiple music videos of his music.