Gotta Be Karim

Those memorable phrases, burning ambition and sonic cohesion…it’s Gotta Be Karim. Born Karim Hameed in St. Louis on October 26, 1984, Gotta Be Karim owns the beats that get the party started and lyrical content more powerful than a loaded gun. From his days with the St. Louis hip-hop artists’ collective Soul Tyde, to his exciting, new solo work, Karim aims for and hits the target of a perfect musical balance. The Gotta Be Karim blueprint is a mix between the New York style of rhyming with content and choruses that really capture the St. Louis swagger. The influences are broad. There’s the old school records of Taj Mahal, Curtis Mayfield, The Beatles, The Coasters and Marvin Gaye – which a young Karim’s mother and father played, while getting the kids ready for school. And there are nods to Biggie Small’s swag and sound, the attitude and image of Tupac and an appreciation for Common, Ghostface, Redman, Jay Z, Eminem and Pharoah Munch. Yet, when you throw it in the blender, Gotta Be Karim comes out with a style that’s all his own. It’s no surprise that his forthcoming debut solo album, “Bullets and Books,” is a very personal effort that reflects the philosophy and experiences of its artist. “The greatest weapon we have in the struggle is our mind,” says Karim. “My weapon is my music.” A former member of the acclaimed St. Louis hip-hop artists collaborative Soul Tyde, Karim gets his “Swagger Back” in the first single to his new CD. The single is sure to get the crowds jumpin’ with its bouncy beat and homegrown feel distinctive to “The Lou.” Writing must have been in Gotta Be Karim’s blood, as his mother, Nailah Hameed, was a journalism major in college, and father, Walee Hameed, is a published poet. At age of 15, Karim was the youngest poet from Missouri selected to participate in the 2001 National Poetry Slam in Rhode Island. He won a number of poetry slams and soon crafted his art into flows with a University City High School group known as Silent Assassins. Around this time, Karim met the artist and producer Black Spade at Vintage Vinyl in the Delmar Loop and the rest was history. Karim joined Soul Tyde, for whom he made contributions to more than eight songs on the 2003 double CD “Soul Tyde: Hip Hop & Soulful…ish.” The moniker, Gotta Be Karim, was derived from a Karim-penned track, “Element” on this album. Along with B Hollywood and Samson, Karim also comprised one-third of Metaphor. With the group and as a solo artist, Karim has rocked audiences at The Pageant, Hard Rock Café, Cicero’s, Blueberry Hill and Washington University in St. Louis and DePaul University in Chicago. He’ll take to the stage at College Music Journal (CMJ) Music Festival in New York in the fall 2007. His exploits were highlighted in publications, such as the St. Louis American, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Flipside and the Riverfront Times, in which he received a nomination for Best Hip-Hop Group as a member of Soul Tyde. Karim’s sights are set on establishing an independent label, Cobblestone Rock Music, in conjunction with the producer/rapper Black Spade. His further goal is to gain a major-label deal to promote his music on a more national scale. Karim also is focused on growing Cobblestone Concepts, the promotions and music marketing company he founded. Encouraging the study of African-American history and heritage among children is one of his personal passions. With so many hustles and so much ambition, it’s Gotta Be Karim. Biography © 2007 William E. Fronczak, Fronczak Group