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Bruce "BRICK Flaco" Jackson was born Aug. 14, 1984, in Hollis, Queens. The emergence of dangerous drug activity and violence caused his family to move to Laurelton; a suburb of Jamaica, Queens. There, Bruce spent his adolescent years hanging out on the streets of Merrick Boulevard and Jamaica Avenue.
Throughout his life in Queens, he experienced and observed angst in the community. Bruce turned to art and poetry as a way of escaping the negativity that claimed his environment.
Bruce's love for music started when he saw his first hip hop music video, "I'm Bad" by LL Cool J. From there he found the influence to enhance his poetry to the likeness of hip hop.
BRICK started writing rhymes on Christmas of 1993 when his parents bought him a boombox radio. With this radio, he would record himself rhyming lines from "I Shot Ya (Remix)" by LL Cool J. BRICK would copy verses from these songs and convert them to fit his style and story. However, his verbal skills elevated after meeting Edward EZ Zephyrin, his producer, in his junior year of high school.
In 2007, Ton O Bricks Entertainment was formed by the dynamic duo. In that same year BRICK met up with Super Producers Montel "Mac" Wilson and Ashton "Melo" Henderson of the infamous ENVERSE Entertainment while residing in Woodbridge.
Brick's major influences were Big L, Killa Cam, Mase, Bloodshed, and Herb McGruff (better known as Children of the Corn), Jay-Z, Notorious BIG, fellow Queens' rappers Nas, LL Cool J, Tribe called Quest, and Big Punisher.
Brick's debut album … The Revolution- 10 tracks of that old hip hop that we grew to love with a fresh new twist, was released under his independent label Ton O Bricks Entertainment Music Group on March 15th 2008.
BRICK and Super Producers Enverse Entertainment have recently completed a model shoot for New Era's "Fitted Campaign."
To hear more of Brick's story through his music, please visit myspace.com/brickflaco.
Dennis Winn Published: May 16, 2008
Dale City rapper stays positive
Dale City rapper Brick Flaco performs at the Smoken Word event at Cork’ed Wine & Cigars July 26.
Brick Flaco isn't your average rapper. He doesn't speak with profanity or any degrading words, to the extent that, even in speaking, he says "the b-word," literally.
Although raised in the church, he's not a Christian rapper either, just a rapper who wants to clean up hip-hop and present a more positive outlook.
Brick Flaco, 24, will be one of the handful of artists performing at "The Smoken Word," a hip hop-poetry-reggae-R&B talent showcase Saturday.
Potomac News and Manassas Journal Messenger hip-hop columnist Dennis Winn hosts the event at Cork'ed Wine & Cigars in Dumfries.
"I thought I would be perfect for this kind of setting because the beats in my rhymes are very mellow tones, very relaxed and very slow," Brick Flaco said.
Brick Flaco (Bruce Jackson Jr.) is originally from Jamaica, Queens, but now lives in Dale City. He works as a medical records technician at DeWitt Army Community Hospital in Fort Belvoir.
"It pretty much started Christmas of '93," Brick Flaco said.
His parents bought him a boom box and a couple tapes—LL Cool J's "Bigger and Deffer" and Dr. Dre's "The Chronic."
From there, he started rapping.
"I used to replace what they said so it fit my own style," Brick Flaco said.
He'd seen the way his mother reacted to some of the lyrics on the radio, so he would twist the lyrics around in a more positive light.
The name "Brick Flaco" comes from an amalgamation of childhood nicknames. People called him "Brick" as a kid because he had a short temper and, when he fought, "hit harder than a brick wall."
In high school some of his Latina classmates called him "Flaco" because he was skinny. Now, he said "Brick" stands for "Basic Reality Is Creating Khaos."
Being from Jamaica, Queens puts Brick Flaco in the company of hip-hop artists like 50 Cent and G-Unit. However, Brick Flaco owes more to other Queens rappers like A Tribe Called Quest and LL Cool J.
"A lot of the music that's out there has a lot of profanity and a lot of negative im-ages," Brick Flaco said. "The music I want to put out is the music that a mom is not afraid to buy her child when she goes to a record store… I'm bringing it back to that old school hip hop, that we all used to love."
In addition to A Tribe Called Quest and LL Cool J, Brick Flaco lists Common, Lauryn Hill and The Fugees and The Pharcyde as other influences.
In fact, Brick Flaco said he met LL Cool J when he was younger in the late '80s, but doesn't remember.
He came to the northern Virginia area about three years ago. His parents were here and he was serving in the Air Force.
Last March, Brick Flaco released his first EP, titled "The Revolution EP." He raps about why people perceive hip hop as negative, his feelings about issues such as plastic surgery and a lot of rapping about his flow, similar to the way artists like Kurtis Blow or Run DMC would describe their talent with metaphors without degrading anyone.
Next up for Brick Flaco?
He's trying to put together a showcase in Brooklyn with reggae artist Jah'Nette, who is also performing Saturday.
Staff writer Josh Eiserike can be reached at 703-878-8072.
By Josh Eiserike Published: July 24, 2008
NEW ERA MODEL SHOOT NYC
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