THE SENATE STORE

With the Taj Mahal being regarded as one of 8 great marvels of the world; it's no wonder that one begins to compare the complex elements and longevity of this architectural masterpiece to that of the lyrical wonder Taj Mahal.This Milwaukee born artist spent most of his years between Brooklyn, New York; as well as, upstate New York: Rochester and Syracuse. Taj began to rap at age 14; but a few years ago is when he actually began to take rhyming seriously. So he honed his skill and began to pursue music full-time. Real rap fans can recall when Taj spit raw talent on his first mix-tape appearance; DJ Green Lantern's mix-tape entitled New World Order."Based on the buzz I got from my first ever mix-tape feature with Green Lantern; I saw an opportunity to go hard with rap and get my messages out. I realized that I had something different from other artists to offer: content, ideas, creativity and knowledge."Taj then went on to begin The Senate Records which includes members: Thump Mandoza and Sammy G and then the mayhem began! First Taj hosted The Senate Volume 1; a mix-tape organized by Dj Big Hype. The mix-tape sold very well and so Taj put out The Senate Vol. 2, all original music and members from The Senate and Dutch Beats. This mix-tape was sold hand-to-hand with a total of 1500 being sold at $10.00 each. The follow-up was The Senate Volume 3, which was hosted by Un Kasa of The Diplomats/Purple City. Volume 3 sold 3, 400 units and also won upstate New York mix-tape of the year award. After Volume 3 of, naturally came The Senate Volume 4 which was hosted by Queens mix-tape legend King Smijj McBee, this mix-tape went on to sale 7, 000 copies. With the success of The Senate 1, 2, 3, and 4; Taj was ready to branch out from Upstate and head to New York City. So he called up a few buddies: Cam'Ron and Juelz Santana and created Triple Threat. The Triple Threat mix-tape consisted of The Senate, The Diplomats and The Taliban. This brilliant idea sold over 16, 000 units and had over extended Taj's original goal to create a buzz in New York City. Triple Threat was on every popular mix-tape circuit and site and had reached everywhere from NYC to Boston to overseas."I didn't think my music would reach as far as it did at that time. Somehow I guess good music travels like an airplane pilot! I just followed my natural instinct to hustle and it worked in my favor. I put out quality music because there's a lot of b.s. floating around. A lot of industry nonsense and hubba bubba flying around here. So I just make sure my music is right."It is his natural born hustle and polished flow which gives rise to tracks like "Hustle or Flow." This track depicts the real life dilemma in which many artists may face; whether to hustle in the streets or give up this lucrative art in order to commit to a career in music. With such influences as Kool G Rap, Eric B/Rakim and one of the greatest story tellers in the game, Nas it's not a surprise that Taj Mahal is a versatile and creative artist. Taj shows this as he is able to flip to his love story "My Everything" produced by Kanye West and then 45th and Broadway featuring Jim Jones and long-time friend Juelz Santana.Taj Mahal is a Triple Threat in every sense of the word: Artist, Marketing and management. He recently went on a 3month promotional tour in Houston to promote himself and create a buzz."I went to Houston on a 3month promotional tour and just beat up the streets. I don't expect a label to do that for me. I have to get my own music out there and im depending on a label to do it for me."Taj has a debut album scheduled to drop 2008 on Uprising Records. With the state of hip-hop and rap aren't we looking for a savior; Taj is sure to become one of the wonders of the rap world.