About Me
Since stepping into the game several years ago as Sun R.A., Sun Rise Above has never lost his artistic vision.
Even as Hip Hop has become more heavily commercialized and songs about disrespecting women and bragging about excessive riches have become more prominent, veteran musician Sun Rise Above has stood fast to his original artistic vision, pioneering his own genre of revolutionary music called "Hiphopraganda."
After dropping a slew of underground albums, Rise Above broke onto the scene officially in 2003 with his debut album Global Warning. The soulful, and at times dark album made Sun's critical views of capitalist society available to a large audience for the first time. The album was accepted by fans and critics alike. Album promotion efforts included live performances throughout the United States as well as appearances on several radio stations -- many accompanied by his close friend and collaborator 7Wounds.
Always political, critical, and thought provoking, the Sun doesn't only shine light on the problems, he also presents solutions. On his 2005 release This Means War!, Rise Above found himself taking an even more outspoken stance than before, while obviously evolving musically. Songs like "Upside Down", "In America", and the title track "This Means War!" make this clear.
In 2007, Sun released a mixtape of collaborations, greatest hits, and near misses, entitled "Blood In The Streets," which was boldly labeled "Hiphopraganda."
When asked about this label, Rise Above replied, "It's a new genre, and the only thing that can describe what I'm doing."
"When I first started doing this, Hip Hop was what mattered, and I was just mixing in some politics," he continued. "But as I progressed, politically, Hip Hop took a back seat, and I viewed my music as just another realm of political work; of building for revolution."
"So, whereas I was making political music before, I am now making musical politics."
Over the years, Rise Above's musical mission has been assisted by a fresh crop of producers from all around the world: 7wounds (Maryland), Rendesten (Denmark) -- who Sun R.A. describes as "A straight up prodigy", Crippled Chemist (California), KP (Finland), and others. And of course, the "One Man Army" is still known to take over the boards occasionally.
Lyrically, few can express their views like Sun Rise Above. On the innovative concept song "Dollar Bill" from his "Prisoners Of War" album, Sun rhymes from the perspective of money as people do what they can to get their hands on it, "I move from man to man, hand to hand, land to land, I'm filthy / used to melt me in the old form of gold, I moved on / to paper currency, now I'm the only paper that you care about / numbers tattooed on my back track my whereabouts". On the eerie "Dednim Lanimirc" (Criminal Minded spelled backwards), from his Global Warning album, Rise Above speaks from the perspective of perpetrators committing horrifically violent Crimes. "Stars and Bars" from the same album perfectly exemplifies Sun's metaphorical skill as he describes the 13 stripes in the American flag as Bars "that imprison the mind." Displaying his versatility, Global Warning's Down 4 Revolution" finds R.A. spitting over a soulful track that guarantees to have even the stiffest cat in the place nodding their head, while on "Customs" from "This Means War!", he flips the "Ima Hustler" beat and rhymes from the perspectives of the often-forgotten drug user and smuggler.
With a collection of banging beats and thought provoking lyrics, Sun Rise Above is in the best musical shape of his life, and is determined to make his music known worldwide. "I just want to be heard. I have something important to say, and it deserve's your attention. Once you hear it, I hope it inspires you to take action." As he said in the song "On The Block" from the United Front album with 7Wounds and Lazarus, "The revolution is coming as soon as we open our eyes up!"
