About Me
Canada has a new rap superstar. Meet Vancouver, British Columbia’s Rene Elliot Bedward – A.K.A. PRESTIGE BROWN. The 28-year-old MC was born in Toronto, Canada, growing up in one of the city’s most notorious ghettos, Jamestown, never dreaming that he’d make a career out of being a rapper. Even though he grew up in a Christian home and went to church every Sunday, there wasn’t anywhere for Prestige to seek refuge for the remainder of the week, except the streets. He became a victim of his environment: guns, selling drugs, and dealing with every scam underneath the sun. Watching most of his friends perish to a world of ignorance and violence, Prestige woke up one morning to realize that if he did not leave Jamestown, he would eventually one day kill or be killed.Prestige spent four years in New York City as an aspiring actor, homeless and penniless most of the time, then briefly returned to Toronto before moving west to Vancouver, with only three hundred dollars in his pocket. Living in Vancouver proved to be a challenge as well. He started a clothing line, Karma Jeans, and although he was able to sell some of his clothes, he still struggled. He found that you have to spend money to make money. By this point, he had a child and another on the way. He knew he had to pursue a new avenue.As an extra on the TV series Kingdom Hospital, Prestige met a producer and MC, and in their conversation, realised that maybe rapping was something to try. He researched the different artists in the game, and knew if it was something they could do, he could it, too, and do it better. He started writing, and at last, he found his calling, which brings us to the present day. Prestige Brown will be releasing his first single, “Get Lifted†from the upcoming debut album, Me Dey Yah, set to be released in March 2007. Prestige plans to shop this album to Canadian and US urban radio, and tour across North America in support of it.When asked what will set him apart from other artists, Prestige confidently responds, “Everything. In the next couple of years, I see myself sitting beside Snoop Dogg at the Grammy Awards. He’ll be my runner up when they call my name as winner. I’m already practising my acceptance speech!†What’s in store for Prestige Brown and his fans? Only time will tell. One thing is certain – as we sing these songs, and continue to spin these records, it will be HIS voice that makes us feel alive, the voice we feel connected to.
