Sadat X

Few artists in hip-hop have afforded the longevity that Sadat X has. Unmoved by an inevitable changing of the guard in Rap, the X-Man remains a beacon of true, un-facsimiled artistry. In so many words, he sits atop the lists of your favorite rappers favorite rapper. Its like his time as a child confined to the other side of the street or his uncles car, watching Cold Crush or Kool Herc park jams, molded Sadat into the respected person & and wholly unique emcee he is today.

Where so many of his peers have faded into obscurity, Sadat somehow continues to write innovative songs, deliver relevant contemporary commentary, and effortlessly staying tuned to trends of the day. Having enjoyed an outstanding career in hip-hop, spanning nearly 3 decades as one of the genres most distinctive voices, his undeniable twang has commanded songs not just as 1/3rd of the fabled Brand Nubian (5 group albums), but alongside our genres greatest from Jay Z, Notorious B.I.G., Nas, & Common (to name a few). He’s even been tapped by the likes of popular singer/songwriter Jack Johnson, legendary House-producer Miguel Migs and old-schooler MC Lyte all in recent months for collaborations on their respected albums. And not just vocalists fiend for a good X verse; extraordinary producers from The Neptunes to Primo to Madlib to Prince Paul have all called in lyrics from the self-proclaimed Dot Father to accentuate their sound scapes.

Having enjoyed an outstanding career in hip-hop, spanning nearly 3 decades as one of the genres most distinctive voices, his undeniable twang has commanded songs not just as 1/3rd of the fabled Brand Nubian (5 group albums), but alongside our genres greatest from Jay Z, Notorious B.I.G., Nas, & Common (to name a few). He’s even been tapped by the likes of popular singer/songwriter Jack Johnson, legendary House-producer Miguel Migs and old-schooler MC Lyte all in recent months for collaborations on their respected albums.

And not just vocalists fiend for a good X verse; extraordinary producers from The Neptunes to Primo to Madlib to Prince Paul have all called in lyrics from the self-proclaimed Dot Father to accentuate their sound scapes.

Sadat X is available for:

Show Bookings, Voice Overs, Song Writing, Features & Hooks, Show DJ Commercials, Radio/TV Host, Acting and Commercials, and Public Speaking

Myspace:
www.myspace.com/sadatx

Contact:
brandnu7@gmail.com

Andre the Giant (A.G.)

When you hear the name Andre the Giant, your initial thought is a great, larger than life, ground- breaking, strength defying man. That name is synonymous with Legacy. A.G. (Andre Barnes) was born in hip-hop’s originating borough - The Bronx. The year was 1988 and a young and eager Andre began his rise to acclaim the day Lord Finesse showed up at his school to challenge any lyricist that dare to battle. A.G. stepped up to the challenge using his gift of rhyme to fend for the reputation of his school and successfully made an impression.....

Soon thereafter, AG was next asked to contribute to Lord Finesse’s LP, titled The Funky Technician. On that fateful session, A.G. met Showbiz. Bringing back some much-needed swagger and soul, the forming of Showbiz and A.G. is what some might call the rebirth of the Bronx. Show and A.G. became a collaborative intricate part of the superb Diggin’ in the Crates Crew; an elite team of MCs and producers who can claim much influence on genuine East Coast Hip-Hop (DITC members included Showbiz & A.G., Diamond D, Lord Finesse, Fat Joe, O.C., Buckwild and the late Big L) The character and quality of rap’s forefathers can be felt in the gritty influence of the crew’s pioneering sound. In 1992, A.G. and his counterpart Showbiz, released their debut single “Soul Clap”; a self-titled EP. Their debut album, Runaway Slave, followed and is seen to date as a hip-hop essential. In 1999, A.G. released his much antici- pated first solo debut, The Dirty Version, which featured guest production from Show, Lord Finesse, Buckwild, Diamond D and DJ Premier. Guest MC’s included a slew of lyrical geniuses such as Fat Joe, Diamond D, O.C., Guru, KRS One and Big Pun. A.G.’s second solo album, Get Dirty Radio, was released in 2006.

Flash-forward to 2009 and almost two decades after A.G. not only made an impact but a dent in hip-hop; he has overcome the tragic loss of Big L, Party Arty and Roc Raida. A.G.’s prolific contributions to the culture have assembled a cast of devoted, hungry and aggressive artists that parallel his own talents. Including his protegee’s - a dynamic duo by the name of 950 Plus, that brings you back to the grit, honesty and drive that also fueled an early Showbiz and A.G. Now preparing for two huge record releases, A.G. has gained momentum, rather than settled for being a rapper that once was. Joining forces with O.C., they will be releasing the album titled Oasis, late November 2009. A.G. is also an intricate part of the group Trinity - comprised of himself, Sadat X (Brand Nubian) and DJ Jab (Fat Beats), gearing up to bring back the old school in 2010 with their dedication to hip-hop purity.

A.G. is without a doubt one of hip-hop’s disturbingly underrated artists. Still modest, passionate and talented beyond years, a Giant in his art form, to say A.G. carried a legacy is an understatement. He created one. While many come and go, to have true staying power is key. When you think of A.G., you think of Rap Royalty and only the strong survive.

Myspace:
www.myspace.com/aggetdirty
www.facebook.com/agditc
www.twitter.com/ag_ditc

Contact:
Joanne Coleman
agditc@gmail.com

Pugs Atomz
Pugs Atomz awoke in this world a Leo in Pittsburgh PA., son of an ex Panther turned Radio host and a Painter. His love of Hip Hop developed when his family moved to Chicago; during grade school he would see the graffiti on the trains and in his neighborhood of Englewood. These trains also would have rap groups performing and singers doing their thing for spare change. The first rap he wrote was in 5th grade, so the next day when he recited his, everybody said, ”you’re rapping, he's a rapper". From that point it started to make more sense to him.

As teenager his parents would have people like Oscar Brown Jr. in his living room performing ”Signifying Monkey" and various other poets/ visual artist schooling him to give me a sense of culture. He would attend Chi Rock meetings (Think Chicago version of Zulu nation) and watching the moves being made by Twista, Common, Dem Dare and Upski. An avid listener of Jp Chill and Pink House’s Rap shows on WHPK and WKKC. In high school there weren’t too many folks at that time that could really help him with his [HIP HOP] goals, so he became a leader and started a crew called the Nacrobat’s. This got him into throwing parties and performances with his and other crews. From that revenue he started to put out Nacrobat tapes and CDRs in the mid to late 90's. Nacrobat’s was a crew that was influential to so many kids coming up at that time, with 100 plus membership, and rep for freestyle battling any and every ware. This was the starting point for Chicago now artists like Qwel, Psalm one, Prime, Vyle, pianist Kenny Keys, producer Prolific, Million Dollar Mano, visual artist Rahmaan Statik and so many others.

2000 was his first solo record titled “Thanks for not Rhyming”, on Galapagos4 records. It featured his crew and production from the Molemen (Mf Doom, Rhyme Fest, Atmosphere, Saigon) and received a warm response from the underground and started him doing shows across the USA. His second album titled “24 Years later “ on his own Birthwrite Records faired even better, getting him shows overseas and on a few tours to get his music to the people. The time he spent in Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, Germany, and London seeing all the graffiti pushed him to go deeper with his music. So when Pugs arrived back in the states he started writing for the album “Playing With Matches “on Audio 8 recordings. This album was dedicated to discussing the real life of a Graffiti writer from an autobiography perspective. Pugslee the Vandal, to Sterling the young adult getting paid a thousand dollars a week to paint movie murals (“Light it up” 20th century Fox) and finally the corporate graffiti writer for Ecko, IBM, Nike etc…While all this was going on, he started doing CTA radio with
Thaione Davis and Kevin Maxi, a radio show dedicated to Hip Hop with interviews and freestyles, pushing Chicago Artist on the legendary WHPK 88.5fm. Hosting a TV show, “Barbershop Hip Hop”; interviewing everyone from American Gym Class heroes to Kurtis Blow, Pugs and partner Slim the barber would even shoot videos for the locals to have more Chicago content.

2006 he released a compilation with Raptivism Records titled “Pugs Atomz presents CTA Radio - Chi City Hip Hop” . This CD was basically an excerpt of the CTA Radio show; he has been a part of every Wednesday night from 9-12am for the last eight years. This was a definite must to anybody digging the Chicago sound, ft. new songs from Common, Lupe Fiasco, Rhyme fest etc.. Also, this was the year he started designing clothing and hats for Original Afro wear and American Needle. At the same time he was finishing up his fourth album “Conversations with a Chamelion” featuring production From DJ Hi-Tek and Colin Response, guest vocals from Capital D (All natural), Dave Ghetto, Deuce Eclipse etc… This is his most moving work to date on Gravel records. It even got him on a 32-city tour of the U.S. and Canada with DJ Vadim and Abstract rude. With four music videos to boot with this release, and MTV2 featuring his “Tear N Your eye” video. Besides music, Atomz is also a designer for Afro Wear and American Needle.

He is well on his way to move people with his music. Okay Player describes him as “a rare renaissance figure in hip hop with a background in all the elements. Pugs drops a fun and thoughtful albums that take a few listens for you to realize how rare that combination is nowadays. It’s clear he takes rapping seriously without being so himself, always exuding laid back confidence”.

Tours/shared shows 2000-2008

Large Professor · DJ Vadim · Abstract Rude · De La Soul · Dead Prez · Nas · Cypress Hill
Atmosphere · Rakim · DJ Quick · RZA · Devin the Dude · Kanye West · Talib Kweli · Chingy
Mr Liff · El P · MF Doom · Peanut Butter Wolf · Rhyme Fest · Souls of Mischief · Living Legends
Z Trip · Blackalicious · Acey Alone · Nore · Jean Grae · Immortal Technique · ICP and many more…

Myspace:
www.myspace.com/pugsleeatomz
www.youtube.com/pugsatomz
www.myspace.com/originalafrowear

Contact:
Joanne Coleman
jc@coalminemusic.com

Kenny Bogus
Kenny Bogus hails from the south side of Chicago 's infamous Wild Hundreds and has been on the underground scene for many years. He tested the waters in 1996 with the Chi-Town anthem, Windy City Blues. The song aired on the legendary Pink House Show on 106 Jam rap battle and won for three consecutive weeks. He then recorded an underground gem named In the Door featuring Latocha Scott of Escape later that year, and made his presence felt when they performed the song at an over packed Clique night club for Latochas birthday bash. Kenny Bogus brought the house down when he performed Windy City . The crowd gave the performance an ovation rarely received at the Clique.

Bogus resurfaced again on a song, Style War which also featured Path, and the free style king Juice on the 1999 release of Rubber Rooms album, Architechnology. He also appeared on The Opus album First Contact, on the song Veterans Day, and Dawreck of Triple Darkness album Dark City on the song Lifestyles. He also released his own full length first solo album, The Game in The Raw Uncut in 2003 (a certified ghetto banger ).

Now in 2008 Bogus is working with KRS ONE and The Stop The Violence Movement (featured on Self Destruction 2. Kenny Bogus spits a refreshing blend of old and new school flows. Its soul music camouflaged in hip hop. Kenny Bogus has worked with Kanye West, KRS ONE (And The Stop The Violence Movement), Andy C ( producer of the Infamous Syndacate / DTP Shawwna ), Qualo, Turtle Banxx, Jay Boogie, Echo ( W.D.T.S. ), Boogie Nights ( producer of the upcoming Metamo album ), and Grant Parks ( T. Coleman ) producer of much of the heat on The Game in The Raw Uncut, Street Credibility and the upcoming Classic: Corner Hustle album. -

Myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/kennybogus

Contact:
Joanne Coleman:
jc@coalminemusic.com