Roderick Leander Holmes (Rod Leander) was born in Louisville, MS on January 14,1982.
At a very young age, Rod could be seen and heard singing in the church, as many of the artist of our day. At a young age, he started to perform at talent shows throughout the state of Mississippi, and in the neighboring states of Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas, and Louisiana. At the age of 16, he began writing his own blues songs and performing them by sneaking into blues clubs, and then getting kicked out shortly after. His determination gathered attention from blues greats and sought after musicians.
Rod excelled in academics in all areas throughout High School. At age 17, he enlisted in the United States Air Force, where he finished his degree in Military Leadership and Science. He trained in Special Operations specializing in Special Tactics and Weapons. He was assigned to a Security Forces Detachment for 8 years. He has been to countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Italy, Ireland, England, Qatar, and Kuwait in support of many missions to include Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Southern Watch, and Operation Iraqi Freedom. His worldy travels, military experience, singing, and songwriting ability makes this young man one of the most diverse, energy driven, and respectively motivated artist in the industry.
His style of hard hitting R&B with a mixture of street soul makes him one of the most sought after performers in the south. Sometimes confused as a rapper because of his swagger and his crafty quick line penmanship, he is referred to by many of his peers as the "Nate Dogg of the Underground World". His vocal style and cut-throat messages makes him THE go-to man for R&B hooks for any Hip Hop artist. Ladies love him, Thugs respect him, and Older peers admire him saying that, "Roderick is a young man with an old soul, and it shows in his heartfelt lyrics. He's the kind of innovative writer that never holds any thought or expression back from paper or the mic; instead of HEARING it, you will LISTEN; whether you want to or not. Rod sings REAL TALK from REAL EMOTIONS and FEELINGS, while others remain commercial.'' Industry insiders refer to him as "The Man all the Women want to be with, and the Man all the Men want to be like.''
He is currently working on his debut album, not yet to be titled, featuring on mixtapes with other industry names as well as working on his own, writing for different artist, and perfecting his craft. He's recently done shows at various clubs throughout Mississippi, and other major cities to include Miami, Pensacola, Houston, Atlanta, New Orleans, and Baltimore. He has opened for a variety of artist such as: Juvenile, Pastor Troy, XVII, UGK, Choppa, Mystikal, Partners-N-Crime, Weebie, Lil Wayne, Baby Boy, Mr. Magic, Fiend, Iceburg, Dolla Dae, Lenny Williams, Pretty Ricky, Project Pat, Chyna Whyte, Foxx, Lil Boosie, Bohagon, and many others. With his work ethics, positive drive,obvious talent, and his strong faith in God, this young man will definitely be the future of Street R&B.
