Artist of the People: ImTheFatboy

He is the:

 Artist of the People 

Independent Hip-Hopper, from Greensboro, NC (North Side, Summit & Cone) known for his Black and white sketch Art, glasses enthusiast and proud dad: “ImTheFatboy.” He’s an Artist, a Creative at heart, and an introvert who spent a lot of time in the RDU area yet busted out of his shell early on all for the love of music!

Well Known Artists That Inspired "ImTheFatboy" 

• The Notorious B.I.G: "He was "black and ugly as ever and still had it all. He didn't have suave' like Heavy D or muscles like Treach. He was dark skin, fat, and cock-eyed yet gave a mountain of hope to a young heavyset kid in North Carolina."

• Eminem: "...he lived, breathed, and ate rap music! Despite things like a rough childhood, homelessness, and/or not always knowing how he was going to feed his child he still went all in for rap wherever he could." 

Weird Al: "...he taught me a lot about individuality in music. Doing your own thing, carving your own lane and being your own strange, quirky, genuine self despite what the critics may object to."

IF he could perform with any popular Artist in the industry today he would chose: 

• J. Cole, or Da Baby for the love of Carolina Culture. 
• Weird Al or Eminem so he can make an attempt to not geek by meeting one of his faves 
• Lastly he’d make some classic music in the process with Big K.R.I.T, Juvenile, Timbaland, and Future.  

Best Advice

A lot of the advice he received when he first started was simply "go hard" and it was always so vague. So to expand on that for his readers he adds: “put on the blinders, put your head down, and work. You are your own best friend and your own worst enemy. Don't worry about what the next Artist is doing, or what the DJs and radio may want. Focus on the people that enjoy your craft for what it is.

He continues with “Two genuine supporters is better than a thousand randoms who won't give you the time of day. Start small, use what you've got, and build. It takes time and effort, but it's totally doable. And this isn't just for music but for any venture that you may be interested in!”

(Doesn't Get Much More Honest Than That!)

He’s considers himself to a little bit of an MC and a Lyricist. The meaning of the title MC hits differently for some but for this Artist he describes it as: “MC still has that old school meaning of "Master of Ceremonies" or "Move the Crowd" and when he performs he likes to think he gets the crowd involved and keeps the atmosphere pumping! But then he reflects on what the meaning of being a Lyricist is to him: “As far as a lyricist goes that's all about pen, substance, subject matter, variety..." He can tell a story, or make people dance, or set a romantic tone and the vocabulary he chooses to place over a well-crafted beat plays a major role in how people receive his songs.

In 2010 he decided to start getting on stages, networking, and taking things more seriously as an Artist. Then between the years of 2010-2011 he performed at least a hundred times throughout NC. After that he lost count. But it's been a lot and now he’s putting his own concerts and showcases together.

He does “pen” all of his own music. He’s been writing for over 20 years and he’s been told he’s gotten pretty good at it. On his up and coming album "Falcon Heavy" he shares his experience working with: The V and  Juhara, two singers with incredible style and range.

One is VA singer The V (aka Von Sinatra) on his song "Taste" which is a more mellow, Golden Era Hip Hop kind of song about enjoying the finer things in life. The other singer he worked with is Juhara out of Ohio, who absolutely aced his song "I Love It" and really set the tone. It's a smooth track about how when people in a relationship are chasing goals they often may not have much free time to just enjoy the company of their partner. But also it shares how wonderful the experience a couple can have together once they do make the time for one another. 

His music changes lives daily but three of his songs that really stand out first are: "Pipe Dream", "Cry for Attention", or "Weight" because they were written during a tough time. He shares with deep reflection how he was homeless, struggling and how the notebook became his journal of expression, so those songs are powerful. 

Yet, his most well received song is titled: "Sumo" which helped him line up many of the  opportunities and connections he still utilizes currently. He’s received great feedback from the song, and had an awesome video attached that did around 1.5k views. Even more when he incorporated the song into his performance (complete with a fitting and surprising collapse at the end lol) it was an over the top track for him. The song "Sumo" received a lot of love the summer of 2012 and 2013!

His most memorable stage performance to this day is still the night he performed at the Bull City Music Awards at the prestigious and well known Carolina Theatre in Downtown Durham. There was a packed house full of people more than ready to cheer on their favorite Indies, opportunity to network with some heavy hitters in NC (a couple 102 Jamz/K97.5 hosts and DJs were there, and even the local news pulled up to cover the awards show.

Debra Morgan from WRAL News attended the event, pulled him to the side to tell him how much she enjoyed his performance and she took a picture with him! He opened for Chubb Rock and received the first reward of the night! All in all it was the most incredible night he’s had musically!

He is in constant creative mode so, his upcoming current album "Falcon Heavy" is his current passion project! It was inspired by Elon Musk and Space X's launch of the "Falcon Heavy 9" rocket which was heralded as the first space launch by an independent company. In his opinion it signified creating “your own lane and going against the grain.” He's also hoping to inspire newer artists to do their own thing rather than what they think others may or may not like.

The Journey For Success Continues...

He is currently learning marketing, networking, fan building, content creation, and event planning/promotion. As a creative he gets stuck in the cycle of creation. He makes something crafty and artful then puts it out. But in the music industry there's a lot more to it than that so he's learning more about his demographic from a human perspective, expanding on his connections, and of course putting together his own showcases and concerts. He has aspirations of possibly taking a more behind the scenes role (artist development or something similar) rather than trying to stay in the spotlight. But right now he's enjoying the ride!

He's very focused right now on several projects as he's polishing his upcoming 6 track EP "Falcon Heavy" and pushing his single "The Biggest Loser." He's working on his first concert "Live 95" (4/19/19 321 Fonville St. Burlington. Tickets on Eventbrite) as well as another in Durham which is be added later. He's also putting together a merchandise line as well as his website and preparing for a couple performances in South Florida at the end of March.

Contact Him and Find His Work Online @

-Instagram:@ImTheFatboy

-Twitter: @ImTheFatboy

-Facebook: @ImTheFatboy

-Reverb, SoundCloud, audiomack etc: @ImTheFatboy

-ImTheFatboy.com coming soon!

Dj King Klash: Next Level Mixes

DJ King Klash is from Ruff Raleigh, North Carolina! He owns his own mobile studio and also records dope videos as a videographer!

Great advice a friend gave him was to: “stop thinking so small minded by trying to put the city on and focus more on putting his state on.”

Background

His uncle is DJ Kraze. His uncle and father were born and raised in Bronx, New York during the birth of Hip Hop. His father used to tell him stories of how he and his brother Kraze used to DJ block parties with all the early Hip Hop stars.

As he (Dj Klash) was growing up watching BET and MTV he saw those stories were REALLY true. Also, his mom had a huge collection of tapes from multiple different genres of music, so he was pretty familiar with different genres of music at an early age.

She had everything from Dr. Dre’s The Chronic, to Tupac to, the Isley Brothers, the Ojay’s, Elton John, Madonna and plenty of R&B and oldies. But, Cash Money and No Limit is when he really started identifying with Hip Hop being from the south. That’s when he started writing his own rhymes at 13 years old.

DJ Career

He has always been influenced by music but he spent a lot of time nurturing other artists’ careers before he began Djing and producing himself in 2014.
He’s been Djing house parties for years but his first real performance came from being a tour DJ for a Hip Hop artist named Madison Jay from North Carolina. What he most remembers about it is that it was a great feeling and an honor because he (Madision) had a nice buzz and he didn’t really have to pull him in as a DJ because no one really knew him at the time.

He’s been produced by several local artists. He's DJed for Madison Jay, Zipz Street a.k.a. Perp Dakota, Marley Jesus, Tour Bus, TIME the Artist, Billz, P Mania, and BrassiousMonk.

But, his biggest supporters so far have been local artists especially Madison Jay, his Uncle DJ Kraze, the late great producer Hiram Glyphxxx and of course his girl friend. 

Reflections and New Heights

His most challenging moment has been finding other people that take the music industry as serious as he does. Also meeting others that are willing to make the sacrifices that he made.

One thing he would change in his life? He wouldn’t have gone to prison for 8 years. But he’s not really the type to regret because he believes that everything happens for a reason and that at a certain point in his life everything will add up. He’s been putting out good energy for a very long time and he has faith that good energy will come back.

His goals for the future are that he wants to be rich. He wants to be financially stable. He wants to own his own studio, label etc in the next few years and with his determination and tenacity he can bring his vision to life!

Social Media:

Instagram as: DJ_King Klash

For photography or music videos contact him on IG: 

@ Deux Kings Media or

Facebook @ DJ King Klash.

Music Inspirations For The Youth

His name is Ryan J.Dexter. 

He's from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

He was 17 when he wrote his first song. The first person he let hear his written work was his younger cousin Antonio. He attended North Western Middle and Zachary High where he learned to read and write music.

With Big Dreams Model: Jasnia Alston

From Henderson N.C. We Give You: 

Jasnia Alston.

She was always into fashion and has been interested in modeling for awhile. She shares that her biggest idol is Tyra Banks. She hasn't done many shows, but back in 2009 she participated in one with a wonderful designer by the name of: Elegant Evenings. She enjoyed herself and felt very beautiful in those garments. She hasn't actually made it to the place in life she is dreaming of but with FAITH and PRAYER, she believes all her dreams will come true.

The Advice she would give to upcoming models would be, to just be yourself. She had many ups and downs as far as weight and her ideal image is concerned. But she had to learn that everyone is made in the image that God created us to be. So, she may not have all the features that others have but that is what makes her unique and beautiful. So in the end: just be yourself.

The one thing that she would change in the modeling industry would be the image of models having to be super skinny. She doesn't like that many starve themselves or are self conscious about the fact they have to weigh 100 pounds. Its not good she says. She wishes that more agencies and more companies would honor the weight factor. She reflects on her modeling strengths and weaknesses and one thing she believes she could improve on would be to branch out more, take on more projects, and basically just step out on FAITH.

She would love to do a photo shoot with a very well known model from the show AMERICAS' NEXT TOP MODEL: Eugena Washington. She loves how embraces her beauty and her humility. In her reflections she talks with us about designers that she would like to work with one day. One of those designers being Michael Kors. She loves his designs and everything about him! 

Her future in the fashion and modeling world is extremely bright and full of endless possibilities. She continues to grow as a model and has something in mind that she would like to try out this fall. She is currently brainstorming with hopes that the shoot she wants to do will come to pass.

You can contact her and see her upcoming work at the following: 

Facebook: JaszyMechelle

Instagram: JazzyMechelle

Henry Finch- From Rock to Pop

His name is Henry Finch and he is from Los Angeles, CA. He has been singing for about 6 years but has been performing for about twelve years off and on. He used to mainly be a guitarist. He performed that way as a teenager, until he evolved...

Multi-talented Creez & IAM HERO TOUR

They call him HERO. He is a man of many hats. An Entrepreneur, Entertainer, and soon to be Humanitarian from the big city of Long Beach, CA. He considers himself as both an Artist and Lyricist. As an Artist some days he might want to make a lyrical song, then other days he might make a song that is about his flow or his way with words. 

The Kryptonite Ep is the name of his current project soon to be released. The concept of the project is about all the things in his life that could be a Kryptonite to him like Love, Family, Friends, the neighborhood he grew up in. The process of creating this project was fun. He has features like Reality Jones, Taio Cruz, Ryan Anthony, Kevin Writer and Producers like Rick Roc, Drumma Boy, King Dave, and Reo who helped with the EP process.

The Best Advice He has received came from Quincy Jones, in a meeting. He was told: "To Have a Detailed Vision, Don't Just Tell GOD 'I just want to be happy, you got to know what happiness is to you!" Those words as well as growing up in Long Beach inspired him to make his current music. 

During his childhood he remembers seeing Nate Dogg as a kid in his Auntie Kims' living room with the bandanna on just like the in videos. So, people like Snoop Dogg and Warren G are like family to him. He was the little kid right there watching them shoot videos!

He shares that out of all the songs he wrote, he says his favorite is the song he did with Kehlani called: Flight 420. Its crazy and it just feels like he's on a plane ride! Since he started music he would say he has done over 200 shows, maybe more! The most epic time he ever had on stage was when he was on the Independent Grind Tour with his band and Tech N9ne came out on their set with a pitcher of his signature drink KC TEA and everybody went crazy!!

If he could do a song with anybody, he would choose Kendrick Lamar because he likes to touch on the type of topics he likes to rap about and he is also a very conscience person. He relates that what makes him different as an Artist is the thrill of everything that a new rapper wants to do like get a chain or buy his momma a car. He was able to do that at a early age. So his integrity and movement are different. 

The future is extremely bright for this talented Artist, He his currently working on a new music project and a new clothing brand soon to launch on www.IamHeroTour.com. Along with creating more music he is looking to lock in more sponsors for his IAM HERO TOUR company. He also wants to add some more skateboard competitions in Long Beach, Compton, Venice, Hollywood (ect) for the summer of 2017.

He Can Be Found At  

INSTAGRAM: @IAMCREEZ @IAMHEROTOUR 

TWITTER: @HERO_LBC 

FACEBOOK.COM/KINGCREEZ 

SOUNDCLOUD.COM/HEROCREEZ 

WWW.IAMHEROTOUR.COM

Artist & Producer (Tunde #BrownSoul)

His name is Babatunde but they call him Tunde or #TUNDE. He was born in San Bernardino, CA and raised in Long Beach, CA but he presently resides in Columbia, SC. 

He describes his association with #BrownSOUL as a feeling. It’s Love. It’s going to church with your grandmother with dress shoes when you were a whipper snapper. It’s the smell of fried chicken and collard greens on the stove on Sunday after church. It’s a thumbnail cut brown blunt waiting to be filled. BrownSOUL is funk, blues, gospel, and rock music with a tambourine on the Afrobeat.

Saturday: (September 12, 2015): Plus Size, Swimsuit, Lingerie and Fashion Show

Ladies and Gentlemen I am proud to announce that I will be apart of this amazing opportunity to showcase some of the best fashion by the most exclusive local designers in the Raleigh Area. 

Please come out and support the beautiful women and handsome men who have dedicated their time to adding a little "spice" to the NC fashion scene for your viewing pleasure. There will also be quality performances by the best of the best in the music scene!

I look forward to seeing many of your lovely faces out in the crowd. It will be fun and it will be a success!