Emcee Criterion was born and raised in Phoenix, AZ, and has resided in the state his entire life. His Hip-hop/Soul/Rhythm and Blues inspired music, has been influenced from all genres of music from hip hop and heavy metal, all the way to country, classical, and 70s easy listening. At 14 years old he was turned onto the world of vocal percussion/turntablism more commonly known as beatboxing. Rahzel and Scratch of The Roots crew baffled his imagination with their awe-inspiring sounds. His music originated by digging deep into himself and exposing hardships that he felt most people, at one point, had dealt with. His problematic derived songs offer lighter-sided solutions for the sake of unity, peace, harmony, and love, for everyone listening to share.
At 15 years old, Emcee Criterion had lost his mother due to complications of internal bleeding, which sent him into a drug induced depressed state. He engulfed himself in the local rave scene which introduced him to the art of breakdancing and freestyling to jungle/drum and bass music. The art of expressing one’s self lyrically and rhythmically captivated his mind state and motivated him to sober up. He then moved to flagstaff to attend Northern Arizona University.
While at NAU Emcee Criterion crossed paths with Sam Wiley (The Wiley One), and partied it up in his garage, which was actually a bar, and a local hotspot. They immediately hit it off, discussing music and their dreams. This was also the same bar in which he met the brothers of Identity Crisis, and had a ridiculous cipher (he would later record his first song with the group).
In the winter of 2008, Emcee Criterion was asked by The Wiley One and Sundawg Records to accompany them to Winter X Games 12. The Wiley One and Emcee Criterion “Killed it With Love,†on the final day, with an amazing acoustic/beatbox set (they were invited back to rock the 2008 Summer X Games). The inspiration of the trip supercharged the hip-hop artist’s ambition to complete a work started within the prior year (Streetcorner Serenade).
Streetcorner Serenade reflects on my trials and tribulations of personal relationships, creativity, and hip hop. I was tired of hearing the repetitive world of mainstream hip hop, to the point that I was getting nauseous whenever I turned on the radio. Streetcorner Serenade is a true multi-genre masterpiece that will embrace a global demographic. I wanted to make music that moved the masses, made sense, was fun to play and perform, and was mentally stimulating. In my opinion it does it all. It’s the type of album you can put in on a road trip, and listen to, front to back. The future has many bright doors waiting to be opened. A collaboration with BayBay and LadieBug from Property 6 is currently in the works. I've also started a live hip hop band to make its debut in the summer of 2010, and it will be the first of its kind in the hip hop community! Streetcorner Serenade is available on itunes, so support underground hip hop!
real editor best profile tools real editor best profile tools
How I made my profile:
I used Dave & Jay's amazing myspace editor .
