CALMELO

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Calmelo grew up all over the streets of Brooklyn, though he now calls Crown Heights his home. Like many young men, he played ball to keep out of trouble. A talented basketball player, he dropped out of school to hustle to keep himself fed and clothed. Life was still rough for Calmelo, and he saw more downs than ups. He began rhyming three years ago in 2003. He always felt he had the talent but “2003 was when I really put pen to paper and made sense of how I was feeling. Rhyming was a way to vent.” His music addresses many issues that people can relate to, from growing up poor to raising his 2-year-old daughter. “ There’s lots of fake shit out there. I try to stand out from the crowd with my realness, no gimmicks. You can always re-invent yourself as long as you’re real. I’m not a character. You can’t try to be someone else if you weren’t that person in the first place. Like you can paint your car another color, but you can’t change what kind of car it is. “ Calmelo counts Jay-Z, Nas, Big Daddy Kane and Ludicris among his influences. He looks up to anyone that is successful and people who better themselves. Calmelo met up with his Empire St8te partners Geno, Finez and while still in high school in 1998. he grew up with his cusion face, While he was not rapping then,or just puting rap to the back, the four of them were and still are close friends. “I wouldn’t trust them to get me where I’m going if I didn’t know them for so long.” In his own words, “When I would look for work no one would hire me. So I hired myself, the choice a lot of people where I come from made. Some don't live to tell their story and GOD forbid before my story ends I'm gonna write a few books (albums). From eviction on my first day of junior high school, to brushes with the law, I still stand tall within wars and struggles you can see the ghetto through my eyes.”Download Mixtape | Provided by DatPiff.com