SAN DIEGO, CA - Jonathan Ballard (better known to fans as “DJ YOLO” or sometimes, simply “YOLO”) was headed down a dark path when music shifted his perspective and focus. A chronic battle with depression and ADHD left the artist at rock bottom. Expulsions from multiple schools and run-ins with the law followed the budding star; with everything from accusations of grand theft to drug and weapon possession. One particularly frightening accusation – of human trafficking – awakened YOLO. He knew his life needed to make a change for the better, and set himself on a better – and legal – path which has led him here today, debuting his music to the eager ears of many. With music, DJ YOLO wouldn’t need to “be paranoid, or worried about making enemies,” explains the artist, “I’d never have that feeling, because music will always be legitimate.” And legitimate is just how one would describe young YOLO. DJ YOLO’s music is, put simply, “turnt.” He elaborates, “I make music for people to turn up to.” Consistency and authenticity are key to the artist’s eclectic sound. “I write about personal experiences and how I feel,” he says, “but I also aim to write music people can relate to.” His latest project, a single entitled “VIDEOS.” The song chronicles a modern problem: When you’re out with friends – girls in particular – and someone takes a video you’re not prepared to be in. The song is fun, bound to be a club hit, and is relevant to practically anyone with a smart phone (which is just about everyone) who has ever landed on SnapChat, Instagram, Facebook, or one of the internet’s many social platforms, when they didn’t intend to. The artist has come a long way, and is prepared to conquer mountains in order to be a musical success. One thing is certain: YOLO is not afraid of failure. “I’m always learning something new. Whatever it is, if I fail at something, I learn from it.” To learn more about DJ YOLO, follow him on Instagram and YouTube.
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Everything about Swayze Jones is dope. Her image, music, personality and energy are contagious. Recently this hard working femcee regained everyones attention when she blessed the scene with "The $420 EP", a project laced with flows, emotions and ill production promised to leave you wanting more. Watch her latest video, "Lied to Me" ft. Raheem Kashon, and get acquainted with Swayze Jones. Washington, DC – 22-year-old DJ and producer Jerez Coleman (known by fans as “DJ Silent Asassin”) has had a deep love for music since his childhood. When his mother gifted him a keyboard and he made his first piece of music, he was hooked. Then and there, he decided music was his ultimate destiny. The gifted DJ has had the support and guidance of some of the most powerful names in the music industry: His mentors (which include female powerhouse Alicia Keys and the rapper YG, just to name a few) helped him discover his true potential, and put him on the right stages and in front of the right people which continue to help grow him into one of the most up and coming artists in the hip hop scene. With a production deal under the prominent YG's 4Hunnid Records / Roc Nation Records, the artist is making moves and taking names. (And people are taking notice – his latest single, "She Stacked," reached 938,000 streams on Spotify.) His latest project, a single entitled “Lean,” will release later this year to the ears of eager fans everywhere. The project is a “turn up anthem,” the perfect song for a night out at the club or in the car with friends. The song, a collaboration with Rockie Fresh, is a passion project for the young DJ. He confesses, “I don’t do music for the money,” explaining that his goal is to reach people and help them let loose and enjoy. “I do music because it’s my passion.” Passionate is the word that comes to mind when you hear DJ Silent Asassin’s name; he’s tenacious and persistent about reaching his highest potential with his music. “I’m a goal oriented person, when I say I’m going to do something I’m going to do it.” You’ll often find him in the studio, beginning with an 808 bass beat and making musical gold. His advice to other artists? “Invest in yourself, and have great people around you.” Follow Him on Twitter (@DJSilentAsassin) and Instagram (@OfficialDJSilentAsassin) Listen on Spotify Former actor from Bangladesh uses genetic gifts for music-making to create unique new hip-hop sound1/24/2017 BROOKLYN, N.Y. – One of Ataul’s favorite memories of growing up in his home country of Bangladesh is listening to his mother singing folk songs throughout the house. Amana Bhuiyan was a professional singer in Bangladesh while he grew up, and her musical influence on his life eventually led to the birth of his own professional music career. Today he performs under the stage name Nonamus – writing music and producing and engineering some of the sickest hip-hop tracks to come out of New York City today. But even as he sits in the studio analyzing sounds and notes that people love today, he almost always remembers back to the gentle advice from his mother over the years that helped him become a better musician. “I got most of my singing skills from her,” he said. “She taught me how to sing. I watched her and did what she did, trying to imitate her in some ways. She taught me breathing exercises and ways to excel my voice. When she’d catch me singing around the house, she’d give me tips and things like that. Eventually when we moved to America, me and my brother fell in love with hip-hop and we started doing different music than what she was singing. No I create pop and hip-hop music that’s different from what’s out there in the market right now, but it’s still music that people are listening to today and where the trends are. I’m into every type of music, though. I have some love songs, party songs, songs about break-ups. I can do pop or R&B or hard-core rap. I cover as much of the genre as there is.” Nonamus said the original idea behind his stage name was to create an artist who worked solely behind the scenes and whose face wasn’t necessarily recognizable or tied to his sound. He wanted the music to speak for itself because he puts the work into discovering and creating the perfect sound. “I like to make commercial music,” he said. “My main focus when I go in the studio is to have fun, but to make a buck from it. I don’t want to waste my time. I like music that can go mainstream – music that you could hear in commercials or on movies or played on the radio continuously. I do the science behind the music and find the sound and notes that people love. And the lyrics come from experiences in my life. I don’t like to talk about stuff that I haven’t experienced. All of my songs are previous experiences from my life written in a way that other people will be able to relate to.” He’s put together a full album’s worth of songs that he’s hoping to release in entirety sometime toward the end of 2017 or early 2018. In the meantime he’s releasing singles sporadically over the course of the year. Two of his most recent singles are “The Life” and “Overtime,” both of which have received high praise from New York fans and some local radio play from Hot 97 and the disc jockey Hip-Hop Mike. All of his five singles are currently available for purchase on iTunes, Google Play, Amazon, Tidal and Spotify. Fans can also sample more of his music on his Soundcloud page, or follow him @Nonamus_music on Instagram and Twitter, or under the name Nonamus Bhuiyan on Facebook. PHILADELPHIA, PA – Growing up in Philadelphia – the “city of brotherly love” – the streets weren’t always so loving for Maurice McDaniel. But thanks to the dedication and encouragement of his grandmother Theresa, mother Lisa and aunt Yolanda, McDaniel survived the streets and overcame those hardships. And it’s that journey through struggle that he uses as inspiration today when he makes music under the stage name Reese Bangem. Operating under his own label of Pure Hustle Entertainment, Reese Bangem has already released a mix tape “Learn to Love it (The preview),” and a recent EP “Light Year.” And now he’s ready to release his second EP, “Pure Hustler.” He said it’s an album that he’s extremely proud of because it chronicles his journey to date and highlights his determination in ways that he hopes will inspire others to never give up on their dreams. “It’s all about trying to hustle my way to the top,” he said. “Pure Hustle is the name of the company, and we’re all about trying to do our thing and independently get to the top and achieve our goals. We’re hustling hard, doing it pure without any help from pure muscle.” Reese describes his music as “content music,” with a sound that encapsulates a little bit of every genre. “I’m not trying to miss any points,” he said. “I have songs that could go to the club, some where you feel some pain, and something for the ladies. You can’t categorize me with any one type of genre or sound.” He said he’s loved music for a long as he can remember, and points to the same three ladies who raised him as his first inspiration for music. They would often play music while they were cleaning the house, and Reese remembers falling in love with hip-hop while listening to the likes of Jay-Z, Big Al and Jadakiss. That music helped get him through some extremely difficult times. Growing up without a father was hard on him, and though he has since reconnected with his father as an adult, many of his younger years saw him flirting with trouble. The first single off his upcoming album, entitled “Pure Hustle,” talks specifically about some of the ways he plan on applying his hustle and making it out the streets of Philadelphia. “Being from where I’m from, I just want to make sure my family is good and everybody around me is straight,” he said. “As you start reaching success, your goals change. Five years from now I could say I want to be a billionaire or a trillionaire. But if I’m only a millionaire I’m OK with that. Whatever it takes to get my mom and grandma out of their current situations, I’ll do it. I’ll keep going and keep pushing.” Fans who want to find out more about Reese’s music can check out some of his stuff on his Soundcloud page. Fans can also follow him on Instagram and Twitter to keep up with new music releases and live performances. MONTREAL, QUEBEC – There’s one simple goal that Karoli Naa wants to accomplish with her music: help her fans have fun. “The overall factor of my music is fun,” said the Canadian hip-hop artist who comes to North America by way of the African country of Ghana. “Music should be all about fun and feeling it. When people hear my songs, I want them to like what they hear and connect to it. I want them to live in and feel what it is that I feel when I’m pouring myself into the lyrics. I want to empower the ladies and I want everybody to enjoy it.” Her newest single, “Ultimate Queen,” fulfills all of those things and more by providing an anthem for women of all walks of life – the “queens,” if you will. She said she wrote the song with the intention of passing along a positive vibe and message for any girls out there. The lyrics within the song talk about being confident and standing your ground and staying true to who you are, even in the most challenging of times. “It’s a song about making your name and letting people know who you are,” she said. “It’s a song about being a confident and strong woman. It’s upbeat – more of a club or trap kind of song. You can definitely dance to it. Clubs will love it.” As an artist whose roots come from Ghana, she said she knows her sound and her style will stand out from the crowd of other hip-hop artists. She points to her sound, voice, tone and style as all versatile and different because of the influence of Africa. “Coming from far away, I adapted to what I heard over hear and grew into it and love it,” she said. “But you can feel the different flavor and strength in my voice. It’s a good energy, and I see that people like to gravitate toward me easily. I think people can see it and recognize that difference right away.” She said she remembers loving to sing and dance from a very young age while living in Ghana. When her parents moved the family to Canada to help their children have a brighter future, she said she gravitated to more of the musical legends – such as Bob Marley, Tupac and Jay-Z. By age 13 she was ready to pursue music professionally, and literally woke up one morning and started writing her first song. When she eventually went into the studio to record that song, she was hooked and hasn’t stopped making music since. In 2015 she was ranked as one of the most influential artists in Canadian Hip Pop and won the best rap single of the year at the 2015 Canadian Hip Pop Awards. Prior to that, she released her first mixtape, “Explicit World,” which included the singles “Dolly,” “In My Spaceship” and “Love Karoli Naa,” which got quite a bit of airplay throughout 2014. She’s been featured on the cover of Ambiance Magazine Montreal, has been featured on multiple mixtapes from other collaborating artists, and has even shown up in a handful of music videos. She has some music videos of her own that fans can check out on her YouTube page. Fans can also follower her @DaRealKaroliNaa on Twitter, @official_karoli_naa on Ingstagram, or @OfficialKarloliNaa on Facebook for more about upcoming music releases or live performances. NASHVILLE, TN - Artist $mitty (born Jared Smith), was compelled by music as a way of adjusting to a new environment. Though he grew up in a military-based suburb of California, fate brought his family to Norfolk where he discovered a melting pot of culture. Because he was unfamiliar with the “hood,” he was picked on and told he “talked like a white boy.” Eager to fit in with his peers, the artist took to music, and began to identify with the lyrics he heard on the radio. “I stared studying these ‘cool guys,’ and by the time I was 16, I was rapping myself.” As it turns out, hip hop needed $mitty as much as he needed hip hop. In the era of Soulja Boy-esque rap, a void needed to be filled with “potent product.” That’s exactly what $mitty delivers to fans. Heavily influenced by 90’s rap, the artist fuses West and East coast flare with a bit of southern charm. The artist explains, “My slang is very strange and broad in a sense – I might say something like a New York dude and then I’m really southern, because that’s where my people came from.” $mitty is inspired by the likes of Jay Z’s rags-to-riches story, and envies how the rap icon turned his talent into a massive empire (not to mention, $mitty knows almost every fact about Jay Z off the top of his head, right down to his birthday). Now, the artist is ready to debut his first mixtape entitled “The Hunger”– his entrance as a serious, accomplished rapper will release on January 20th. The album was written while $mitty sat behind bars, incarcerated and hopeless at the thought of his daughter being born “on the outside.” Instead of losing all faith, the rapper used his energy and funneled it into something positive, determined to make something of his gifts when he was ultimately released. “I really poured my heart into it,” he admits. The mix tape is a war cry, a commitment to a renewed sense of purpose. At 22 years old, $mitty hit rock bottom, but it’s his talent that’s going to put him back on top. Listen on SoundCloud. Follow on Instagram (@h.smitty12)
DETROIT, MI – When it comes to hip-hop, Marcus Ragsdale has a novel approach … literally. Before releasing any of his music or collaborating with anyone on an album, Ragsdale is releasing a full novel’s worth of poetry in a new book entitled “16 Bars.” He hopes the book will introduce him to the world in ways that will inspire others and put his name on the map and draw attraction from big-name labels like Def Jam or Rock Nation. “I’ve been writing poems since age 18,” he said. “When I first sat down to do poetry, my intention wasn’t to write a book, it was to relax my mind. I got to the point where I was writing four, five or even six different poems each day. When a year-and-a-half went by, I had all these poems and I decided I wanted to do something with a purpose. I needed something to change my life. I went for a walk one day and decided I was going to write a book.” But it’s not your typical chapter book – it’s a book so unique that it almost feels like an album – or, more appropriately, a book of albums. In fact, he describes the project as a five-album career that encapsulates poems that tackle subject matter about anything from self-realization to building up the African American community. “The longer you read and the deeper you get into my poetry, the more you’ll realize I’m a Black activist,” he said. “You won’t get that on the surface, but you’ll eventually see it. At the end of the day I want people to get enjoyment – to read it and be entertained. So many people out there enjoy poetry – even the ones who don’t like to read that much – and I have created a book that’s open for everybody. I like to think of it as a coffee table book because you can set it down on the coffee table and people will pick it up and read a couple of poems and then set it down and walk away inspired; and then the next person will come along and pick it up and read a couple of poems. There’s not too many people who can take their eyes off a poem once they start reading it.” The name of the book, “16 Bars,” stems from Ragsdale’s love of hip-hop and purity he finds in the “correct amount of bars per verse in a song.” “A lot of times today hip-hop artists don’t pay attention to that in a song,” he said. “But that’s the correct amount of bars per verse. I’m just a different kind of hip-hop artist, and my book is sort of like a guide to me and my albums. When I create my albums, 16 bars will be used. This book is a way for me to build a name for myself in the industry while giving people something that will be highly entertaining. Once people get their eyes on this book, they’re gonna want it.” Ragsdale has provided a sample of his book on his website 16BarsByMarcus.com. Fans can also purchase the book on the website. To find out more about Ragsdale, or to keep tabs on new releases, fans can follow him on Facebook and Twitter under the name 16bars@MarcusRagsdale. YOUNGSTOWN, OH – When Joshua Monroe was 5 years old, he was the kid that the family was yelling at to get off the keyboard whenever they would visit his grandparents’ house. But every time his plucking with the keys would become annoying, grandpa would come to his rescue. Today, his family is glad that grandpa stepped in when he did, because curiosity turned into piano lessons, which turned into producing and writing, which turned into a budding music career under the stage name Crash. Oh, and it also turned into a new single called “Let Me Live” – the first single off a compilation that will drop in the second quarter of 2017. It’s a single that he said speaks volumes about who he is both as a person and as an artist. “Crash is a catch-phrase that I used to have, but it’s also a name that’s based on the impact I want to leave on music,” he said. “If you’ve ever driven on the highway and driven past an accident, you know that everybody wants to slow down and look. That’s the kind of impact I want – that attention-grabbing sound that makes people slow down and pay attention. And with this song I’m trying to allow people to understand that you can’t have other people influence you because everybody has an opinion on your life, and if you want to be successful you have to find out how to be successful in your own way. For me it was learning how to be independent and telling others to let me do what I want to do – to follow what I want and not let others influence the path for my future.” Crash describes the sound of the single as “orchestral” – almost like the soundtrack from a film. He said the track has a heavy backbone of bass, but features an experience of different sounds and musical elements that he hopes will feed off the lyrics and inspire listeners beyond just the words. He said this single is just one of many examples of the wide range of styles that he can create to cater to the emotions of his listeners. His main focus comes in the genres of hip-hop and R&B, but he has more than 10 years of piano training and has been composing his own music since the age of 14. Since that time he has co-written and co-produced more than 200 songs and collaborated on four mixtapes. “With my daughter and family motivating me, my ambition towards my music grows every day,” he said. “I want my music to be in an inspiration to everyone to just be yourself – be unique and don’t feel like you have to live up to someone else’s standard. Create a whole new standard of who you want to be and what you want to accomplish.” Fans who want to sample some of Crash’s music can check out his Soundcloud page. Fans can also follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for more about upcoming music releases or live performances. JACKSONVILLE, FL – Getting shot during a mugging would change almost anyone’s outlook on life. When it happened to Yung Me on March 3, 2015, the promising young rapper from Jacksonville, Florida went through a complete life-change. The shooting nearly killed Yung Me, and even after emergency surgery he remained paralyzed for two months. It took many months for him to learn to walk again, and even more months to return to any semblance of normalcy. And it was during those months and years that he found an outlet for his myriad of emotions through music. Writing lyrics and creating new songs helped him explore a new path for his life and a new identity for his music – all of which is reflected on the new mixtape he just released called “The New Me.” “It’s an album with a street vibe and it has a couple of big features on there,” Yung Me said. “I’ve got features from Young Dolph, another guy named Trouble, Big Bank Black from Atlanta and also KE on the Track. It’s a smash album from songs one through 14. Every track is banging. After I got shot, I had to think of a new way of living. This album represents all the best of the new me. It shows who I am – and I’m just me. I can’t think of anything better to describe myself.” The first single off the album is called “Gettin’ Off (feat. Young Dolph).” Yung Me describes it as a “street banger with a nice beat to it.” He said it’s bouncy and will be popular in clubs or even just as a street track. Like most of the music he creates, the sound and lyrics of the song came together organically while in the studio. But because of the life change he’s gone through over the past three years, those lyrics definitely take a more inspirational bent than they did in the past. “My music is more motivational,” he said. “I’m trying to motivate people to get money and be successful, but put the guns down and care for each other,” he said. “Live good and help each other prosper. I feel like it’s one of my missions and gifts here on earth. I can make something out of nothing, and I feel like if you’re able to do something well, you’re supposed to help others with that and blessings will come to you. Not that I’m looking for blessings, but I have definitely been blessed in my life with the things I have today – like having a son and even being able to walk.” Though Yung Me takes his inspiration from greats such as Lil Wayne, Gucci Man and Master P., he said he has a distinct sound that doesn’t sound like anybody else. His lyrics explore different ideas than those being explored by other artists in the hip-hop genre, and his story reflects a man who never gives up on his dreams. Fans who want to sample some of Yung Me’s music can do so on his Soundcloud page. Fans can also follow him on social media on Instagram and Twitter. |
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