Born of Hispanic parentage, Primo has been a product of music since birth. With generations filled with music from his mother’s side, it’s not a surprise that Primo is carving himself a spot in the North-American hip hop scene for good. With relentless hustle, and determination to be different from all others, Primo is definitely showing the truth face to a starving artist doing whatever it takes to make it big. “I don’t even work a day job no more. This is my life, this is how I eat, this is how I survive, and I’m not here to live broken dreams!â€
Influenced by his father’s willpower and hard work to make something out of nothing, it’s no surprise the motivation and perseverance running through Primo’s head. At only the young age of 3, the unexpected death of his mother hit hard. With his father being new to Canada, and unfamiliar with the culture and language, he was faced with a HUGE decision. Feuds between both sides of the family rose to a max over the death and his father was left with a newborn child and too much work to cope with for an immigrant new to the country. But somehow, his father survived this disaster, working multiple jobs, 16 hour days, and still having time to return home to his son. As the years passed on, moving to different cities seemed to be nothing new for the family. They ended up moving from province to province and eventually down to Phoenix, AZ. While in Phoenix, Primo began to really understand the roots and struggle that came with his family but also for his people as well. “It was hard, living in a one-bedroom apartment with 6 people. Not to mention not knowing when we were going to eat. As a kid you aren’t supposed to worry about those things. You’re supposed to go to school and have fun, leave all that up to the grown-ups.†But the reality of being poor, and living in the slums came too early for this young star. “Being poor was like adding fuel to the fire. As soon as we were poor, it seemed to give everyone a reason to do what they shouldn’t.†Primo began watching the people he cared for fall into a world full of drugs, crime and violence.†It was all around me, I had that mentality.†But the days of happiness still lurked through the young mind of Primo, and his father also seeing how things were turning for the worst decided to pack his bags and move back to Canada.
Primo and his father (now re-married) began a new life settling in the Vancouver Metropolis area reaching out to the Vancouver Island as well. With the past behind him, Primo set out to live a life less emotionally demanding and put his focus on an education as well as basketball. “To be honest, I believed that basketball would make me who I am. In a lot of ways it did. I worked harder than anyone else I knew to be the best I could be at the game. It was a passion, it was something I could not be denied.†Throughout high school basketball became the main passion and direction in which Primo wanted to take his life. Until his senior year when injuries plagued his chances of anything more than a dream of college basketball. “It was a hard thing to accept, I had to stop playing competively. It was a hard frog to swallow.†But rather than dwell on these unfortunate incidents, Primo began to search for a new passion in life, and who knew it was right under his nose.“I met Sosea at the mall. He stopped me and asked me if I listened to hip hop. So I checked out his album, and I copped it. As simple as that was, I went home popped the CD in ma boombox and checked it out. Ever since that week, Sosea and I have worked together making music, promoting, performing shows, producing, and the list goes on. I owe everything I have to Sosea, he taught me everything.â€
That was merely 2 years ago. Now in the Spring of 2007, Primo is looking forward to the debut of his first album Trial & Error. With songs such as “What’s Ya Name†that reflect his “Latino Heat†or “Primoso†persona with the women, to songs such as “Desert Life†or “Eh Mami†that recognize his past, his childhood, and the scars of struggle that will never leave him. Primo is 1 of the 3 artists signed to Cartello Records which is based out of Seattle, WA & Vancouver, BC, Canada. This is an independent record company doing BIG THINGS, which is run by full-time CEO, manager, artist, promoter, producer & engineer; Wil Greer. To all hip hop fans out there be on the look-out. Cartello Records and its artists will be bound to make a HUGE impact in Canadian music as well as for the hip hop scene on the West Coast. There’s no need to ask if these guys have something in their water, it just goes to show that with hard work and determination to do your best, ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN..