Author: Crew Chief

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 ownContinue reading Former actor from Bangladesh uses genetic gifts for music-making to create unique new hip-hop sound →

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 usesContinue reading Reese Bangem takes struggles from streets of Philly and uses them to inspire others →

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.Continue reading Karoli Naa uses influence of Ghana to bring fresh sound to Canadian hip-hop scene →

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 pickedContinue reading $mitty Debuts Mixtape “The Hunger”; A “War Cry” From Rock Bottom →

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 worldContinue reading ’16 Bars’ introduces new artist to the world with book of poems →

DMV-based Viral Hip-Hop Star, Layla Khepri releases her new video “Pokerface” from her Lottery Pick mixtape. Layla hosted a People’s Choice campaign to pick her new video and after thousands of votes and interactions the winning video was chosen. Learn more at www.laylakhepri.com and follow @LaylaKhepri on social media.