About Me
Born in Winston Salem, NC, Arthur "Hot" Wright has survived the many struggles of life to become a great story teller of modern age hip hop and the people it represents.
"God will give you the desire in your heart and if you listen and trust it you can achieve your dreams" This statement appears to personify Hot and his struggle through life and the business of music. From his days of hustling on the streets of Winston Salem, years spent in prison and endless hours in the recording studio, Hot has never given up on his dream of becoming the world's next superstar.
Arthur Wright was first dubbed the title "Hot" as a young teen on the streets of Winston. "Back then I was hustling real hard. I had got up enough cash to buy a money green jag. The day I got the jag I pulled right up to the block where we hustled at, you know where we would hang out and the cops would just circle around, you know how they circle around in black neighborhoods not like they do in the Hamptons. So I pull up in this bright money green jag and my man B says your Hot! It stuck with me and I have been riding with it ever since." But life on the street was not always about cash, cars and the glory of street stardom for Hot, there were still many lessons to be learned.
"I dropped out of high school in the 11th grade, I would have done it sooner if my grandma didn't make me go. I had a hard time getting up early, if school would have been held at night I would have finished. So when I wanted to quit I moved out." Removed from the safer confines of his grandmothers home, Hot lived with his crew. "We weren't a gang or anything like that, in Winston it was more like different projects going at it. We did everything together, we would all sleep in the same room and do the same things." The streets of Winston were full of hustlers and daily shoot outs, guns and violence were just part of an average day. "Every day someone in Winston got shot. I lost one of my best friends T Money in a drive by. If I had not been under house arrest I would have been right there with him and who knows what might have happened."
A musical talent waiting to be exposed. "I had always been around music. That was my grandma's thing, no matter what the occasion, when we were all together the family would sing and my dad would play the piano. When I was in the streets rap was a way for me to tell my stories and express myself." Are street stories and the ability to freestyle a way off the streets and into the limelight? Hot first met famed producer David "Ski" Willis in 2000. Ski saw an untapped talent in Hot. "His voice was so different from anything I had ever heard before and he had a story to tell, I just had to get him away from freestyles and into writing. I said if you want to make money in the music business you need to learn how to write songs" commented Ski. It didn't take long for Hot began to realize his dream of getting out of the street hustle and into the music hustle. Right out of the gate Hot and Ski recorded "Wright Now" which instantly became a North Carolina classic. With radio exposure and major label interest, Hot was on the verge of greatness, but the need to survive until a record deal meant continuing to hustle in the streets.
"Did I blow my one chance?" thought Hot as he sat in his cell as a member of the North Carolina State Correctional System. "I was in prison and the guys around me were like, what are you doing here, you have a record on the radio, you need to get out there and rep for us and North Carolina." Prison life no matter how long is not easy time and can humble even the hardest individual. "When you are sent to the hole with nothing but a t-shirt and boxers you have a lot of time to think and reflect. I didn't want to give up, but I couldn't help to think I just blew my one shot." Hot had two hard years to figure out a way to straighten his life.
"If there is one thing or one lesson I learned throughout my life is to believe in God and pray. Every time I started slipping with the streets and just doing bad things, God would save me." Hot's father played the piano for the church and Hot has always respected the role the church and faith have played in his life. "When I got this deal, the first thing I did was hit God off with his 10%." With a new start on life and God in his heart, Hot was determined to work even harder to get off the streets and do something good with his life. Working at Ilco making locks during the day and McDonalds at night, Hot was driven harder to write songs and get the recording deal he had always dreamed of having.
"I love all kinds of music, anything old school, I have an old soul," says Hot of his musical influence. After being exposed to everything from gospel to funk, Hot continued to tell the story of his life through music. After more than 10 years in the making, Hot finally got his big shot signing with Atlantic Records. "I got signed by the big dog Lyor himself" commented Hot on his first record deal. "I was finally able to breathe a take a little of that stress of my back. I wasn't worried about having to hustle to pay bills or where I would get money to feed my family. I actually had a minute to enjoy life." Having completed the recording of his debut album "Hot 2 Def", Hot still has big dreams, "I want a piece of it all, from clothes to movies, you name it. I also want to take this opportunity I have been given and give back to my community. Its not always about giving people checks, its about giving people an opportunity. I have been blessed by getting many chances in life and I want to give back to those who deserve a first or even second chance like I did." "The one thing I want to say to everyone out there, never give up, just pray and believe and you can accomplish any goal you set in life."
