The Kid With Talent

You may have remembered him as Zero in the popular movie Holes or his supporting role along side The Rock in Walking Tall, but Khleo Thomas is now spreading his talents into the music industry.

Photo Courtesy of khleothomas.com

The LA based MC’s first major break into the music industry was when he co-wrote and performed the theme song “Dig It” which was featured on the Holes soundtrack. The song even maintained a #1 spot on Radio Disney for 12 consecutive weeks in 2003. Since then he has performed alongside several well known Hip-Hop artists such as Bow Wow, Soulja Boy, and most recently opened for Ice Cube and Snoop Dogg on the ‘How the West was Won’ tour.

In 2010 he released his debut mixtape, “The World is a Cartoon” which was a success having over 200,000 downloads within the first month. He then went on to release his next project, “The Next Episode” mixtape that had similar numbers and viral success.

His online core group of fans called, Team Khleo, fueled his viral success. They download, share, watch, and support all of his material. It’s safe to compare Team Khleo to Lady Gaga’s online fan base, which she calls her little monsters. They all work in the same fashion supporting their particular artist faithfully.

Khleo recently released new music for Team Khleo to get excited about.  His latest project, After Everything Fades, is a joint venture with rising MC Chris Batson. After Everything Fades is a window into the lives of Khleo and Chris so be prepared for what you see. The EP is immersed in deep emotions, passion, and thought provoking material.

Listening to tracks such as Delay and Becoming you will feel the pain that these two have encountered and the severity of their don’t care attitudes about your opinion. They lay down their emotions and expose the real situations in their lives on every track in this EP.

Khleo Thomas is well on his way into turning more heads and raising more eyebrows within the music industry. The actor now turned Hip-Hop artist has a promising career ahead of him. 

The Versatile Educated Hustlers

Photo Courtesy of JWR Photography

They are young, they are talented, and they are known as Educated Hustlers. Educated Hustlers is a Hip-Hop duo hailing from Tallahassee. The duo is comprised of Justin Harris (Stage name Timbo) and James Wright (Stage name J. Write) and both are graduates of Florida A&M University. It was through their fraternity Phi Beta Sigma, Incorporated where the duo met and started creating music together.

Hip-hop fans that appreciate southern artists such as Big Krit, Bun B, David Banner, Devin the Dude, and the popular rap group OutKast will connect with their music. Their sound embodies the southern culture of glossy cars, good marijuana, and having a great time with friends.

However, do not put these two in a set category or consider them as bubble gum rappers only rapping about money and a fast lifestyle. Attached to the wonderfully produced beats are soulful conscience lyrics. Their lyrics have a true message behind them, such as the music industry agenda to promote a detrimental lifestyle to the people. They also have an interlude dedicated to the injustice pertaining to the Trayvon Martin case and the racial ignorance that is still prevalent in our country.

The versatility that Educated Hustlers possess is their strength. The ability to speak upon social injustices and conscience ideas and still sound credible when making feel good music for the masses is a hard feat to accomplish, but they accomplish it well. Their latest mixtape D.O.P.E. (Doing Our Part as Emcees) is a great example of their versatile skills. Take a listen to tracks like HITW (Hole in The Wall), Pimps Up Hoes Down feat. Le$, and Pause feat. Jax they are personal favorites that exemplify their talent.

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The future is bright for these emerging Hip-Hop artists. If they continue to stick to their strengths and continue to produce quality music, the music industry will have to make room for these rising stars. Remember, good music should be a standard not an option. 

The SXSW Conference and Festival

I usually dedicate this blog to emerging hip-hop artists that are making strides in their respected paths within the music industry. Today though, I want to share with music lovers, artists, and music industry executives about a conference that has helped artists and industry folks make an impact within the music industry. It is the South by Southwest Conference and Festival.

I am only going to cover the music portion of the event, but the South by Southwest (SXSW) conference and festival is geared towards the music, film and interactive industry. The SXSW music conference is geared to educating and inspiring artists from all genres. It is filled with discussions with panels of industry executives discussing a wide range of topics such as the role that music plays in advertising campaigns, improving your social reach and engagement with fans, copyright issues, and more.  Whether you are just a new artist beginning your career, a fan of music, or even a veteran in the music industry, there is something you can learn and enjoy at the conference.

In the past, attendees visit from all over the United States and over 50 different countries around the globe; so networking opportunities for your band or company are there. You might even find that lucky big break you were waiting on while you attended the conference.

Besides the discussions that SXSW provides the other cool features SXSW has is the Music Gear Expo Store, the Startup Village, and the Music Showcases.  The Music Gear Expo Store is an opportunity to test out and purchase the latest equipment such as drums, keyboards, DJ equipment and more. The Startup Village is a showcase event where current and future entrepreneurs can network with investors, digital creators, and media representatives that can help you with your startup business. 

Furthermore, the Music Showcase is one of the largest most anticipated events in the conference. A wide variety of artists have performed on the stages at SXSW. Alumni performers include 50 Cent, the Beastie Boys, Cypress Hill, Wiz Khalifa, and many more.

If you are serious about the music industry and want to have the opportunity to network and learn as much as you can about this industry; I would advise attending the SXSW conference. It will be a truly entertaining and insightful event that you will not regret! See you in March! 

Emmanuel Jal: A War Child’s Redemption Story

Emmanuel Jal is an inspirational figure to anyone who has heard any of his music, read his book War Child, or have simply spoken with him. The captivating individual has a unique story of pain, bloodshed, and tears but also his story is a redemption story. It is also a story that is filled with hope, activism, and love for mankind.

Emmanuel Jal is a Sudan native born during the civil unrest of the 1980’s. During his speech on TED.com he accounts how the war burned down his village and claim the lives of most of his family.  At the young age of 7 he was swept up into the Sudanese rebel army, where for 5 years of being a child soldier he was a part of 2 civil wars. Out of a group of 400 soldiers who escaped from the army, Emmanuel was one of 16 survivors who did not fall to starvation, ambush, and animal attacks.

An enthralling moment in Emmanuel’s speech is when he performs a poem describing his feelings and experiences in the war. The poem details avoiding cannibalism and eating the rotting flesh of dead comrades; he resorted to eating snails, vultures, and snakes to survive. 

The turning point in Emmanuel’s life was when he began to use the power of music. Music was his outlet for the world to see his difficult past and also the message of hope, describing the beauty of life and peace. At the end of his speech, Emmanuel performs the hit song “Emma”, a song dedicated to Emma McCune, the British aid worker who adopted him and gave him a second chance at life. The powerful lyrics such as “What would I be if Emma never rescued me / What would I be another starving refugee” exposes an emotional truthfulness he shares with the listeners.

Some of the world’s top musicians have already noticed the powerful message in Emmanuel’s music. Alicia Keys, the world-renowned singer has collaborated with him, as well as other artists such as Will Smith, Eddie Grant, and the late Amy Winehouse. He has also received praised from fellow musician Peter Gabriel, who called Emmanuel an artist “with the potential of a young Bob Marley.” He recently released his album See Me Mama a few weeks ago on October 2^nd, which includes the touching single We Want Peace.

Furthermore, what makes Emmanuel an even more powerful individual is his service to his homeland. He is the founder of the charity Gua Africa. Gua (which means peace in Nuer, a Sudanese tribal language) Africa is focused on working with individuals, families, and communities to overcome the tragedies of war and poverty. The charity also focuses on providing education to children and young adults who would normally not have the opportunities to educate themselves. 

This emerging star is well on his way to becoming something phenomenal on the international stage. Whether through his emotional lyrics of his destructive past and the prosperous message of hope for the future or his charity work for his fellow African brothers and sisters, Emmanuel Jal is living a redemption story that will inspire all who will soon learn of him. Personally, after hearing his speech on TED.com and learning more about him, I am inspired to always promote truth, love, and prosperity throughout the music industry. It is messages like this that makes music so compelling and a source of comfort for so many.

Welcome to Wade's World

Photo Courtesy of thewadecollins.com

If you are a fan hip-hop who appreciates such names like Nas, Andre 3000, 9^th Wonder and Just Blaze, I would like to invite you into Wade’s World. Wade’s World consists of skateboards, good music, and a prosperous lifestyle.

 Wade is a talented individual who is a gifted emcee and also a skilled producer. He has already produced for up and coming artists such as Will Brennan and Lamar Adot Thomas; who were openers for superstars like J. Cole, B.o.B., Erykah Badu, Young Jeezy and more. Wade first began sampling and mixing tracks in high school that soon turned into the first produced tracks for his debut album Counter Culture. Along side of some friends who also recorded with Wade, Counter Culture was a hometown favorite in the Tampa area. Just a week after its release, Wade and his friends were performing at local venues in Ybor City.  Since that early start Wade has continued to record and produce new music. His catalogue consists of the popular “In The Water” Mixtape series, the “Smoke and Mirrors EP”, the “Dearly Departed EP” and the recently released “One Day Away EP”. 



The emerging dual threat artist is currently working on his album G.L.O.R.E. (God Living Omnipotent and Redeems Endless) that is scheduled to be ready in January of next year. I had the chance to interview Wade and learn more about Wade’s World.   

Emerging Hip-Hop: What inspired you at an early age to pursue a career in music? 

 Wade: Well, I was enrolled in Performing arts school since 3rd grade, and everyday I was forced to have some sort of art class whether it be dance, music, 2d art, and etc. So music had become part of daily life. In 4th grade I was a drummer for the school steel drum band, and we would performed in Ybor City and at other elementary schools and middle schools so I got used to performing and improvising at a young age. I was in concert band where I played the French horn for 3 years as first chair, I also was in the school chorus, so I learned to read music, and vocalize. I wasn't allowed to listen to cursing music. So I had to listen to music with a message, so Nas became my idol and the beef with Jay Z is what got me into hip-hop. I learned the general idea of sampling, and studied Tribe Called Quest, Gangstarr, Nas, then Madlib, and then Fela Kuti. Music just became all I did and who I was, I wanted to live a better intelligent life because of Nas music. I made my first beat officially in 2005 and let a few people hear, and they were amazed, so I did another one, and another one, and I ended up with an entire album worth of music. So all my friends from high school and me rapped over the beats and I released the Counter Culture album. We sold it across 3 schools, word got round, and we were performing a week after release in Ybor. From then its just been something I know how to do that people respond to and as long as there is a response I'll be here. 

Emerging Hip-Hop: I know one of you hobbies/interests is to go skateboarding. You were on a skateboard before most people started to migrate to the sport and give it a chance. Do you feel that there is a connection between hip-hop music and the sport? (Please don’t say Lil Wayne lol) 

Wade: Hahaha yea I mean I started at 11/12 yrs. old, and I was the ONLY black skater at the school. I would get picked on for wearing the same exact Vans that people wear to the club now day’s hahaha. Skateboarding is a melting pot culture, which included hip-hop, where misfits from all circles migrated and we would have our own lingo, hang out spots, and fashion. It became mainstream at some point I’m not sure when, but there is a connection because hip-hop is a misfit underground culture. It’s crazy though because my first job was working at the Skatepark of Tampa and now I see Wayne skating there on Worldstar when I used to get talked about for the same thing. But if it will make skaters lives easier to be accepted for their culture than its a good thing. 

Emerging Hip-Hop: For those who know and don’t know, you produce all or most of your material; so the question is what do you want to be known as the rapper who is also a beat maker or the beat maker who also raps? 

Wade: At first I wanted to walk in Kanye's footsteps, and be known for the best hip hop songs as a producer and as a rapper. I study them both as if I only produced or only rapped. I give each 100 percent so I would like to be known as a producer rapper who produced himself to the top and was so dope he changed the face of hip-hop. I want to produce for r&b singers, and pop singers, and do movie/video game scores just because I have a love for ALL music. But hip-hop is where I want to reign as king of producers, and innovative lyricist. 

Emerging Hip-Hop: At the early age of 17 you released your first album “The Counterculture” which was completely self-produced/self-recorded by you, and over the next few years you released a couple of mixtapes and EPs. Now that you released the “One Day Away EP” yesterday and your latest album G.L.O.R.E. is to be released next year, how would you describe your growth so far as an artist and producer? 

Wade: It is wild because I didn’t even have a copy of the Counter Culture until I recently ran into someone from high school who still had the disc I burned in my mama house and wrote the title on haha, but when I heard it I was shocking. I didn’t know I had so much talent back then, untapped and not influence by the trends at all. So I see how organic I was, then with In The Water it was more like a feel good get high album you know, and then I did ITWM2 which was a bunch of singles, not really a personal album. Smoke and Mirrors was me returning to an organic style and I started smoking weed again and I had moved to Dallas at that point so I wanted release a personal EP about what I had been through to still be making music. Dearly Departed EP was an anthem to the old way of life, as in I will no longer settle for local success, and no longer allow anything to stop me from reaching my full potential. So they are all separate expressions, it’s not like the same type of music only newer, but rather a new project with a whole new style of music almost. So I have watched myself try different things since high school, One Day Away EP is letting you all know that I'm as close as being One Day Away from my dreams, because I have already decided never to quit. But I have gotten better lyrically, and production wise thanks to Yums Shoes in Dallas who took me in and taught me how to make studio music, in my house. Shout out Young Yoda. So the music got better solely because i acquired the knowledge to clean up the sounds, filter things, etc. 

Emerging Hip-Hop: Like I mentioned before your next album G.L.O.R.E is due to be released next year, what is the concept behind this project and what message are you trying to portray to the listeners? 

Wade: God Living Omnipotent and Redeems Endless. The album at this point is still in production stage. I had actually completed the album, but it all got deleted permanently in a freak accident, which is where One Day Away EP came from, the left over surviving tracks after the purge. So I am going back to the drawing board and reproducing it. It is a tale of victory! It’s the climax of the movement. I have been working with new artists, and I plan to start signing specific artists by the end of 2012 to my label One True Music, and perhaps make GLORE a slight compilation album, written and produced by me, slated for iTunes release late Jan. 2013. 

Emerging Hip-Hop: I know every artist wants to have and develop his or her own personal sound. But if any, what MC or MC’s do believe had the most influence on you while you were developing your sound/style? 

Wade: 9th Wonder's baselines', Just Blaze's drums and loops. Kanye's creativity and free spirited concepts. Tribe Called Quest dedication to make hip-hop music only with a message. Nas is my father figure. Jay-Z and his business mind. Then I look at Outkast a lot as role models I had a chance to speak with Big Boi in 2010 just general about music and how to go about the industry. Andre 3000 is like the idea of don’t worry about what others think and do you. So all those guys are what I look at every single time I make a beat or song. I think about those influences the most daily. 

Emerging Hip-Hop: Who are some of the artists in today’s hip-hop industry that you believe are a positive entity to bringing real “feel good” music back into the genre? 

Wade: I like Ab-Soul a lot. I like Curren$y he's so nostalgic he is everything we miss about 90's rap. Wiz is good super innovative. I am a HUGE K.R.I.T. fan. I would like to sit down with him one day. Big Sean always entertains me, I like his lines and delivery is dope. I want to see more "I Get Up" from J. Cole.  

Emerging Hip-Hop: You exit stage left, and it will be the last time you touch a microphone and produce a beat. At that time, what kind of legacy do you want to leave behind? What do you want to be known for? 

Wade: After its all said and done, I want people to know that we all have the power to acquire whatever it is we desire in this life, and no one can stop you but yourself. I want people to know that love and life is what it is all about and not hoes and cars and cloths. I want people to always look at me as the model for how to go from single parent home, no father, not much support in life, and make it through your battles. I may not change hip-hop or the industry, but I will influence many minds to live better lives. One True Music.