NOW AVAILABLE!
COMING SOON...
View the complete Gangsta Brikz tour schedule
ATTENTION :
Buy / Download / Check out brand new music, ringtones & merchandise now available online from GANGSTA BRIKZ! Hear songs off his debut album 'MURDA HE WROTE' & the upcoming '$TREET VALUE Movie Soundtrack' before it drops THIS SUMMER! See pics, videos & read the weekly blog for current updates. Vote for your favorite song(s) in the SURVEY / POLLS & leave a voice message for a chance to be heard on the next KONYAK Mixtape coming soon! Tune into Tha LIVE KONYAK Radio Show every weekend @ 4:20 p.m. (AZ TIME) for the latest HomeGrown Ent. News, EXCLUSIVE interviews & much more with the whole "KONGREGATION" brought to you by NowLive.com. Also, make sure not to miss episodes of the new reality series, 'Tha KONYAK Chronicles', coming soon on YouTube.com / KONYAKtv. Plus you can get all the fresh KONYAK Apparel and accessories to show your support @ Zazzle.com / gangstabrikz. Last but not least, sign up to receive monthly newsletters, text messages or email alerts for special events & new album releases when you subscribe to Gangsta's mailing list today!
(Don't forget to hit up the GUESTBOOK too. 100!)
SPECIAL NOTICE :
Get all the info on future SHOWS / TOUR DATES & KONTESTS to go see Gangsta Brikz perform LIVE in KONCERT or how to win ca$h / prizes from HomeGrown Ent. Grp. when you join the Official 'YAK IT UP' Street Team!
FOR ALL BUSINESS INQUIRIES CONTACT:
[email protected]
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[email protected] A Donation To Our 'From Tha Ground Up Fund'.
GANGSTA BRIKZ BIO :
Gangsta Brikz was born Andre Marlbrough on February 21, 1983 in the city of Compton, California. As an only child to his mother Janalyn Burton, soon to be Janalyn Hopkins, Andre's childhood was not your typical everyday up-bringing. With a step-father who was a former street hustler that ran with the infamous Piru Gang, he was introduced to the gangster lifestyle at the early age of 8. While he showed interest & much promise as a football player he was also just as involved in his church's choir growing up which helped to balance everything going on around him that was negative. But by the time he was 9 years old he was already corrupted by street knowledge and the violence that Compton had become notorious for. At age 11, his family moved from Compton to Moreno Valley, California in order to escape that violence & start over fresh. However, as they would soon discover, trouble would only follow them to their new home & the peace wouldn't last long.
"It's not even half as bad as Compton but there's definitely some of the same s___ going on! We call it "Tha Murda" just cuz of how wild it gets. As I got older, it started gettin' real crazy though. N___z was out here gang bangin' now. There were cliques poppin' up all over the place and most of these people were from L.A. too! So it was just like a change of scenery for me." As time went on, Andre continued to play football throughout school but he also began to dabble in rap earning himself the nickname "Gangsta". Listening to other rappers at the time like Ice Cube, Too $hort & 2Pac only inspired him to pursue it even further. By the age of 15, he was already in a rap group with 5 other friends from his neighborhood calling themselves “Tha KONYAK†(Krazy Outlaw N****z, Young A__ Killaz). A name they adopted because of their likeness for Cognac Liquor and also from a street not far from where they all grew up at. "Rapping over instrumentals & making mix tapes was what we did on a regular basis. We'd all meet up at the big homie's house, smoke a few blunts, sip on some yak and just come up with songs all day long." Performing at local talent shows, house parties & freestyle battles at school helped improve his skills as well as prepare him for when he was offered a recording contract in 1998 with a small production company which he & the group later decided to pass on because of creative differences.
Fast-forward to 2000. After graduating high school, Gangsta moved to Phoenix, Arizona in order to pursue his college degree. While he still maintained close ties to all his friends back home as well as staying on top of his studies, he was also working very hard to establish himself as an up and coming solo artist in the Phoenix underground rap scene. Using the mic to his advantage, he began networking with various sources that would soon contribute to an idea of starting his own record label. Collaborating with other artists / producers like Shomi from Grey Productions and $tak Dolla from $tay Stack Ent. all made Gangsta more versatile with his flow. Developing a certain reputation for himself in the booth and on the streets resulted in him adding on the word "Brikz" to his pre-existing name now calling himself "Gangsta Brikz" in order to show his growth as an artist. Plus it would match well with the theme of his street-life inspired lyrics. His raps were now noticeably more creative and his vocal delivery became very unique with a Killa Cali-swagger unlike anyone else.
"Gettin' money is what I do & my name is self-explanatory. I hustle for a reason, ya' dig? I've tried to soak up as much game from both sides of the gate so I always stay one step ahead of everyone else. Being around my pops and the O.G.'s in my family made me understand that philosophy to a tee. Going through what I've experienced in my life makes you realize too. Always stay ready for whatever cuz you never know... That's why my music comes across the way it does. I'mma yakitup regardless cuz tomorrow's not promised. My music represents me as far as my struggle, my pain & my ability to stand tall through it all like a boss!" But even he didn't expect trouble on the horizon when the young entrepreneur finally completed school receiving his associates degree in graphic design and just a few short days later was arrested for suspicion of armed robbery in the city of Tempe, Arizona. These charges were subsequently dropped and ultimately he was accused & found guilty of drug possession with intent to distribute from what the police had recovered when they searched his property. Other non-related charges hanging over his head stemming from a previous incident filed against him that occurred back in late 2002 led to the court's decision when he was then sentenced to 6 months in Durango County Jail on January 20, 2003. "Set backs are just something you gotta deal with. It's all apart of the game and like they always say; what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger." This particular moment was the pivotal point in his life when he would choose to devote himself entirely to making music and money his number one top priority.
Due to good behavior and time served, Gangsta Brikz was released from jail 2 weeks later and given 3 year probation instead. With new inspiration & support from his crew, in 2005 he decided to start his own record label, HomeGrown Ent. Grp., with longtime friend and business partner Don P. Santino. Juggling the responsibilities of a business owner, rap artist & father to his newborn son wasn't going to be an easy task. Trying to make ends meet only made him hustle harder the best way he new how which led to even more legal issues for the young MC eventually sending him back to jail in late September of 2007 this time having to serve a 3 month sentence for his violation. Regardless of the situation, Gangsta continues to record music and promote his company relentlessly. With his debut album coming out in 2009 titled "Murda He Wrote", a possible joint venture deal with FamBam Productions and a film project currently in the works, plans to takeover don't seem too far off for this Business-Man. "I'm straight out the west coast reppin' KON to the fullest and all I wanna do is show y'all how we yak-it-up! I'mma keep doing what I do cuz it's just my nature. I got my whole fam wit me anyway so I'm good!"
Lookout For Gangsta Brikz & Tha KONYAK Coming Soon To A Hood Near You.
