Ima real dude, no bullshit or frontin on the side. Just 110% real life shit right here. Im from the 412-724 PGH, Steel City, Pistolvania!!! I grew up in Rolling Woods/CTG area until I was about 6, then lived wit my family in my grandma's crib (now known to the world as Ground Zero) till I was about 12. From then on I moved from place to place gettin kicked out the cribs I lived at for bein a cut up and wilin the fuck out all the time. Alot of family, legal, and financial issues have always been a huge part of my life. My life never seems too far outside the realm of conflict. But that shits builds stamina and strength, so best believe Im not askin for your sympathy. However, when I was about 15, I came to the simple realization that if I didnt make some changes, break away from certain people, and actually work towards sumthin, I'd never be shit. So wit dat I started to do better in school, I got myself on a record label which I helped to co-found, and I got myself into college with all my loans and grants in my name, so no one could say THEY did it for me .
I started my music career a long time ago, when I used to play piano, cello, trumpet, sang in the church choir, and did a few local talent shows. As I got bored with conventional music teacher's I decided to go out on my own and teach myself. I havent picked up a cello or trumpet in a long time, but I still play keyboards from time to time and I use a triton pro to make my beats. I dont formally read music either, but I gets by wit swagger and natural talent. In addition to music, I've always been very verbally creative, either with poetry, short stories, or other writing outlets. I love being challenged musically and lyrically, which I strive to hone to perfection. I love writting songs, mixtapes tracks, doing skits, collabs, hooks, and just getting more and more experience. My family is also a huge part of my musical background. By the time was like 2, I knew how to use the stereo, cassette player, and record player, always surrounded by some kind of music. My father has always been a huge source of my musical inspiration and influence by exposing me to his huge repertoire of music-- he also was a sound guy/ back up singer/ for a local PGH band called Ryjel. My mother was always into singing and ever since I could remember she always sang at church, at home, and wold go out for karaoke. I grew up in a placed where hip hop and R&B was the main type of music being pumped and I remember kids on the school bus singin "That Girl is Poison", "Momma Said Knock You Out" and "Humpty Dance" even though no one was ever big from Pittsburgh except the Godfather ("One Love One Life" was my shit yo)!I stopped listening to alot of hip hop when I went thru my punk era, then I listened to heavy metal, then classical, then this, and that, now I listen to everything, crazy shit right!! When I was about 16 and fresh outta rehab for some bullshit, I hooked up wit Christopher "Catalyst" Ramos and started a label called Hierarchy Records (The HR), but we didnt really hit full swing until a few months of working together. We now have a full roster of artists, all managed by myself, Eric "EZ-E" Barnhart, and Catalyst. See the motto of Hierarchy Records, is to be an all-encompassing enitity within yourself. We strive on letting artist steer their own careers, drive their own projects, have creative freedom, and let them take control of their own future at our label. We also strive to create the best quality music with the highest level of intellectual content as possible. We have two CD's released to date one demo (The Beginning, 2004) and one full length compilation album (Visions of an Empire 2005). For copies get at me or see me at a show in the 412. DONT FORGET TO PICK UP YOUR COPY OF O-MIZZ'S DEBUT ALBUM FROM HIERARCHY RECORDS, "FIRST IMPRESSIONS" only $10.00 RIGHT NOW U CAN FIND IT.... Time Bomb Spot(S. Highland in E. Liberty), CD Outlet (N. Versailles), CD Warehouse (Monroeville by the Cricket Store), and more stores to come so look for it at your favorite hip hop spot!!!. Also, found online at: http://www.digstation.com/Omizz & www.cdbaby.com .... Dat shit is FIRE, so dont miss this hip hop history!!!!
Also, comin soon from Hierarchy Records, The Hierarchy Click's 2nd full length album and Ivory's debut full length solo album, "Street Siloette".
In the past, I have also done numerous mixtapes and side projects including four solo mixtapes (Ivory Presents...Bring Dat Heat Vol. 1, F.I.R.E (Fuckin Ill Rhyme Everytime), Keepin It Real: Tha Mixtape, & Big Targets 2005). I have also helped record and mix for Cricket's mixtape ventures (Cricket on the Come Thru & Cricket on the Come Back) Ive done three college mixtapes at RIT-- which for some I only did vocals and verse, and for other I did some production(CO's Burnt to the Brim Vol 1, RIT Mixtape Vol 2: Tha Fall Classic, and RIT Mixtape Vol 2.5). I also did a few misc. mixtape tracks wit my boy E-Minah Tha Villen. But, that was the past...
THIS IS THE FUTURE
The next mixtape venture that's on the way is of course-- "The Human Hustle Mixtape" set to drop May 5th, 2008 (Cinco De Mayo). This joint is gonna be one of the hottest mixtapes in the Burgh guaranteed!!! With some of the main production sounds coming from outside Pittsburgh, it took my swagger on the mic to make that general East Coast sound feel like dat 412 Steel City homefront, nawmean. This right here was mostly produced by E-Minah the Villen, with production also done by Creep, Catalyst, DJ Chevy, Skoog Beats, and myself. Executive production, mixing, and EQ done by E-Minah The Villen, DJ Chevy and myself. Blends and scratches by DJ Chevy. COP ONE NOW AT ANY OF YOUR LOCAL RECORD STORES IN THE BURGH!!!I edited my profile with Thomas' Myspace Editor V4.4
