Never Yet Contested

Originally hailing from Brooklyn New York, Never Yet Contested (aka N.Y.C.) attended Penn State University where he honed his craft as an artist, deciding to set out on his own to attain his goals and dreams. No stranger to adversity, N.Y.C. Was raised by his mother, grandmother, and aunt requiring him to pave his own way without the direction most others gain from having a father. Music and writing first began to transform N.Y.C. at Penn State when he saw it as a form of expression and an escape from the typical fast paced party lifestyle so many become apart of in college. Pouring his experiences, thoughts, and emotion into a creative outlet such as music allows for a genuine experience for many listeners.

Desire and drive have fueled this Hip Hop artist, and have ultimately led to performances on stage of Nokia Theatre, being featured on Pandora’s Internet Radio, and much more. He captivated an audience at the very beginning stages of his career, with a performance at the Legendary, B.B. Kings Blues Club & Grill, leaving to a standing ovation. The performance was of such magnitude, N.Y.C. was granted an appearance on MTV’s Direct Effect as a featured artist, which he used as a launch pad for his debut album, “...In Retrospect”. With the help of up and coming super-producer, J.J. Brown (Gym Class Heroes, Mr. Cheeks, Ludacris), it was inevitable that Allhiphop.com, Wired.com, and Get Signed Magazine would be lining up to profile this young talent.

With his most recent release The Melting Pot, Brooklyn born emcee Never Yet Contested (aka N.Y.C.) rewrites the formula for how to drop an album in this hectic and ever changing world of music. The album was produced to create a cohesive blend of all musical genres that utilize elements of hip hop, such as dance music, mainstream, underground and alternative. Instead of merely showcasing his talents in one area of hip hop, N.Y.C. wanted to produce a body of work that could please the ears of music fans stemming from all backgrounds and musical tastes. He wanted to create an album where one could expect the unexpected and where he could present a diverse approach to hip hop and producing music in general.

To further expand upon his unique approach with The Melting Pot, N.Y.C. plans to release the album different from most. As oppose to simply providing a full LP for listeners to purchase, N.Y.C. is enabling listeners to purchase the album either as a whole or as four smaller, genre specific EP’s. By doing so he is creating a brand new element for the music fan; the element of choice. With dozens of featured artists, four different genres of music and sub-genres of hip hop, N.Y.C. is changing the landscape of music yet again as he presents to the world... The Melting Pot.

What will soon be expected from all musicians and artist is the ability to stand strong in all realms of music. One cannot grow content or complacent with where one stands in terms of creativity. The Melting Pot allows Never Yet Contested to showcase his clear versatility as an artist. With a music industry changing by the hour, Never Yet Contested has demonstrated his ability to adapt and
appeal to the masses, all while staying true to his Brooklyn roots. This album gives the genuine music lover a chance to see how N.Y.C. can be a creative force in musical genres other than Hip Hop. Never Yet Contested is an innovator and chooses not to follow trends, but instead set them. It takes a true musician to expand and explore multiple genres and a true artist to do so successfully. - Tru Statement Entertainment

Flying Lotus & Never Yet Contested "Retro" Remix - @ http://www.TruStatement.com

Download Never Yet Contested's "Retro EP" with bonus material for free @ http://www.trustatement.com

- TruStatement Entertainment

In celebration of the much publicized 25th anniversary of Super Mario Bros. and in anticipation of his forthcoming Retro EP (scheduled to drop this year on Black Friday), Brooklyn-based hip-hopper Never Yet Contested has just released a brand new video single with a distinctly old school twist. His track “Retro” celebrates not only classic systems like the NES, but the whole evolution of the home videogame console. Check it out below, and I challenge you not to sing along with the chorus.

Z. is a core contributor at the GeekDad blog, a Parsec award-winning podcaster and a lover of nerd music and culture.
Follow @hipsterplease and @WiredGeekDad on Twitter. - Wired.com - Z.

In conjunction with the 25th Anniversary of the Super Mario Brothers video game, emcee Never Yet Contested and Tru Statement Entertainment present the "Retro" online video experience. Hailing from Brooklyn, New York, Never Yet Contested is a self admitted "video game freak" and to celebrate the world's introduction to the two most beloved plumbers in the business, he has put together a song and video paying tribute to classic video games that started it all. Never scared of tackling concepts or expressing his passions, Never Yet Contested takes three minutes plus calling up the video games that changed his childhood and the levels and missions that caused him to lose sleep. The video references countless games at rapid speeds proving to the diehard gamers just how honest Never Yet contested is about his obsession for the classics. The music is brilliantly produced by J.J. Brown of 5G productions. Sit back, reminisce and take a journey through the video game history of the mid 80's and 90's.

Never Yet Contested's "Retro EP" available everywhere on Black Friday, November 26th!

Download the lead single & video "Retro" playing everywhere November 9th! - Tru Statement Entertainment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For More Information, Contact:
Jeff Garibaldi
trustatement.com@gmail.com
(908) 337-3475

2-MONTH OLD WEB COMPANY LAUNCHES 3RD RELEASE, THIS TIME TAKES AIM AT VALENTINE'S DAY

While many use Valentine's Day to advertise their gentle side, TruStatement.com, a nearly 2-month old internet based music promotions company chose to use the holiday to release F?@k Love. A compilation album featuring Universal recording artist the1shanti and his brand new pop duo Bonita Applebum, along with UnderGroundHipHop.com collaborative producer ElekTro4, Yonkers legend Loer Velocity and nearly the entire TruStatement.com roster of artists. Love is the subject, and sappiness is most certainly not the game with F?@k Love, as the album is laced with conscious and honest opinions on sex, relationships and breakups.

You can call it a hip hop record, but not without noting it's many dips and slides into jazz, techno, pop and dance with songs like "Bolivia", "Spacelove" and the incredible closing track "Lovesick" by New York City's own Mariella Gonzalez. Other songs serve as lyrical lashings at lost loves and easy girls such as "Listen To Me", "One To One" and "College Girl Lost". The album is packaged with a hilarious promo video documenting many of the artists featured on the album candidly talking about Valentine's Day and what the holiday means to them. Much of the audio from that same video also serves as the introduction to the album itself.

F?@k Love serves as TruStatement.com's third release since it's launch on New Years Day 2010. The site's first release was the debut album from the New Jersey based production group PAR3 entitled The Planet, featuring such well known independent emcees as Pyinfamous (E.B.B. & F.L.O.W.), iLLspoKinN (Spokinn Movement), Verbal (Verbal Sideshow) and more.The second release was the digi-12 single "Jersey Shore", written by TruStatement.com emcee Baldi and produced by the1shanti. That single was released in response to MTV's Jersey Shore reality show and was cleverly packaged with a laugh aloud video collage to match.

As a website, TruStatement.com's content is 100% written and provided by the TruStatement artists themselves as they each share the load in providing daily CD reviews, song recommendations and playlists for viewers to browse. The idea is to provide viewers with an array of new music daily that they can stream and investigate, while also learning a little bit more about the TruStatement artist that recommended or wrote about it. With three releases down, the website promises at least three more by the time summer comes around, and with a production pace on this level and talent to match, it will become increasingly difficult to ignore this up and coming music site.

F?@K LOVE LINKS:
PROMO VIDEO: F?@k Love - (VD)ay Video
SINGLE - "Lovesick feat. Loer Velocity" Mariella Gonzalez
DOWNLOAD ALBUM: F?@k Love

www.TruStatement.com
- Tru Statement Entertainment

This past Friday night at Sullivan Hall in the West Village, here in New York City, four hip hop emcees took to the stage for a performance unlike any other.

Folklore, Baldi, NYC (aka Never Yet Contested) and Rick Vindaloo, with the support of technological ringmaster Paul Notzold, comprise hip hop act MC TXT. By encouraging the audience to send text messages to a large screen on stage, these mobile-minded emcees floss their freestyle skills by weaving the messages into their rhymes. The result is a uniquely interactive, jaw-droppingly seamless set that signals a new approach to live hip hop.

Our own Ed Felix was able to catch up with the MC TXT crew after the show on Friday and find out more about the project.

Ed Felix: How did the idea for MC TXT come about?


Paul Notzold: MC TXT is a spawn of TXTual Healing (www.txtualhealing.com). The TH project began as an interactive performance piece, where an audience was asked to tell the story via the comfort of their mobile phones. The project quickly moved to the streets, where speech bubbles were projected onto buildings to encourage the public to text message in the content of the speech bubbles. The project took root in the streets, an environment that is slowly being turned over to corporate interest and government controls. MC TXT brought the projectto the stage. Emcees Baldi, NYC (Never Yet Contested), Folklore, Jah-c, and DJ Kunal were invited to breathe life into the performance. We did a lot of playing in the studio with formats and styles to make sure this wasn’t just a gimmick or a one trick pony, but to really show some respect to the powerful possibilities of allowing an audience to join in on the song creation.

EF: What role does everyone play in the project?

PN: The current line-up involves DJ Kunal laying down the beats, while Baldi, NYC (Never Yet Contested), Theone Shanti, and Folklore swap up turns rhyming the text messages that I serve up sent in from the crowd.

EF: How is the audience interaction or response different with the integration of SMS (text messaging), as opposed to rocking a regular show?

NYC (Never Yet Contested): The relationship with the crowd becomes completely interactive based on the method of performing with text messaging. It becomes a response and feedback element that incorporates all the emcees involved and everyone at the venue. For the most part, during a normal hip hop event, the crowd rarely gets a chance to contribute to the experience based on the artists having to maintain the livelihood of the show. With MC TXT, the crowd not only controls what the emcees are saying but they in a sense control the content or song matter being displayed to the audience.

Baldi: As an emcee, it makes you realize that you’re never going to be able to grab people’s attention rocking a regular show again like you can when you allow the audience to interact with the emcee through text messages. I mean people eat it up! People are calling out their friends for going home with ugly girls or throwing up in their roommate’s room, shouting out their girlfriends, ex-girlfriends, enemies… it’s beautiful.

EF: How does SMS integration bring a sense of freshness to your show?

PN: The show has the potential to be different every time, since the audience really sends us into the direction they want us to go in. Our last show saw a bunch of financial, bailout themes, prior to that, we saw a lot of Obama themes due to the freshness of the inauguration.

EF: What is the vision for the future of this project?

PN: Conquer the world; make this project and the people involved household names.
- by NGT

SHH: Where are you from?
I was born in Flatbush, Brooklyn, more specifically Kings County hospital. I ended up living in Crown Heights, Brooklyn till I was about 4 or 5 then my family moved to Flatbush, Brooklyn.
SHH: How was it growing up in Brooklyn, New York?
I grew up in Flatbush, Brooklyn on East 28th street with a block full of boys running wild. Man I tell you we had some crazy times back then. Everything that happened and could have happened definitely did happen back then. I wouldn’t change anything that did happen though because it’s very significant to me.

SHH: Who are your parents?

I never knew my father… only by his name, Kenneth Sumners, and that I look exactly like he did… My mother, Olive Jordan, did her best to raise me along with my aunt and grandmother. I guess in a sense you can say I have 3 mothers and no dad. All 3 were a big influence to me growing up and I am glad that they all were/are a part of it.

SHH: What's their nationality? Your heritage?

My family is from the West Indies, more specifically Grenada and Carriacou. I know that my family are direct descendants of the Ibo tribe of Nigeria, and that my grandmother’s grandmother was from Nigeria. I take a lot of pride knowing some of my family history. It definitely defines me and the person that I am. Being Caribbean is a great thing. Not only do I appreciate the culture and what comes along with it but it gives me a sense of individualism that I feel most people don’t embrace as much as they probably should.

SHH: How would you describe yourself as a kid?

I was very independent of myself, bold, and always spoke up for what I believed to be true. I had a lot of confidence for someone who grew up in an unfair fashion with others. I guess what made me so confident was how smart I happened to be compared to others. I always felt that I could do anything I wanted to because I made sure to take care of the basics that people wouldn’t expect me to be/do. For example, I had no kids, wasn’t really into drugs while I was young, focused on sports, school, and music, and most importantly my circle of friends outside of my block were very diverse. These things gave me more leeway when it came to doing whatever it was that I wanted to do. I think responsibility goes a really long way in the eyes of adults.

SHH: Who played an important role in your youth? (Family member/friend)

I believe that the person who played the most important role in the person that I am today would have to be my aunt. I am very similar to her in many fashions. If she was my mother people would say, “Yeah I totally can see that!” It wasn’t what she was willing to do for me but more so what she was willing to enlighten me about life. In a subtle way she was able to mold me to be as independent as I could be, focus on what I can experience and not limit myself to what I can see with my own eye. I have always strived to do as much as I possibly can with what has been available to me and because of her I hope that I can continue to pursue and experience all that I can.


SHH: Where were you in your life, when you decided to be an emcee (age / location / as a person)?

Well this is an interesting question… I basically became an emcee after going through a relationship that I had in college. I wanted a more constructive way of venting besides what I used to do, (have lots of sex) so I went to the notebook. Instead of writing a journal I decided to write poetically. Slowly but surely people told me that it sounded cool and that I should put it to music so that’s what I did. I didn’t take it seriously until about a year and a half ago. I guess I didn’t realize my potential until I came into my own. Once I did though, I ran with it and started to be as conceptual with my writing and music as I possibly could.

SHH: What would you say was one of the most important reasons that you decided to become an emcee?

I love the ability to completely express myself through music. It’s the only form of expression where you ridiculed and praised for being yourself to others. You can’t really beat that man.

SHH: Who in your life would you say helped push you to be an emcee the most?

I know this might sound vain but I would have to say myself. At this point of my life and with the current state of music I would love the opportunity to at least spread to the people who would appreciate music what I have to offer.
SHH: What’s the hip hop scene like in your area?
The hip hop scene right now in New York City as a whole is still there. It has honestly never “died”. I have been to places around the city, Nuyorican Poets Café (www.nuyorican.org) for example, and seen some pretty focused and sick emcees do their thing up there, live band and all. I feel that hip hop in general is going through a cycle. Everything is being reflected upon and with that brings change in the music and the people who listen to it.
SHH: What are you working on right now?
Being that I have just finished up my debut album, “… In Retrospect” (www.neveryetcontested.com), I have taken on new projects that have to do with Graphic Novels/Comics. While in Tokyo, Japan, I was able to make some very good connections with some people out there and it is highly possible that you might see me next to your friendly neighborhood Spider-man! Also, I have been working other future projects with new artists and producers so stay tuned!
SHH: Which producers did you work with?
Being able to work with JJ Brown of 5G Productions, and Baldi and Suburban Graffiti (Live Band) has been really wonderful. Both producer and live band have a knack for being as original and authentic with their way of expressing music as possible. They are both also themselves when it comes to creating new sounds and innovative ways of portraying that. JJ Brown is currently working on his own solo album and is also working with Gym Class Heroes and Hall & Oates on a mash up album (www.5Gproductions.com) I also have been working with up and coming producers such as Furry Planet Productions (www.myspace.com/furryplanet), Redface Records (www.myspace.com/redfacerecords) Clique Musique, and Nerobeats (www.nerobeats.com) Of course, I would and will always welcome working with both for anything.

SHH: Tell me what people can expect from your newest album ...In Retrospect?

Anyone who listens to this album is going to get what people have been missing in hip-hop for quite sometime now, which is being conceptual. That is truly missed nowadays when it comes to hip-hop music. Everyone either sounds the same or isn’t challenging themselves when it comes to their creativity. I felt that I don’t just owe it to myself to do this but to everyone that knows me for the person that I am. This album isn’t a reflection of myself, it is a reflection of my life and everyone who has been apart of it. Hopefully it will be transparently viewed by the minds and ears of people who listen.
SHH: How would you describe your style/sound to the people?
I don’t really define myself with anyone to be honest. I like for people to do that for me. I always get I sound like this person, or that I flow like that person. This is all good, positive feedback to me, but I am more concerned with constructive criticism that can be offered by fans of my music. The more critical someone can be in regards to me, the more it pushes me to make better music.
SHH: What do you feel separates you from the next artist trying to make it in rap?
With music I have always felt the need to be as vivid and raw with anything I might do. To me it’s what separates the good from the truly great artists. You can’t be afraid to expose yourself within your music. I have no apprehensions of doing this and I believe anyone listening to my music will think that either.
SHH: What artists influence your music if any?
It began when I got my first PC. My aunt bought us all a Packard Bell home PC and my uncle used to work for 98.7 Kiss FM. He brought home CD’s all the time. One day while going through all of them I saw this single by Mic Geronimo called “The Natural” and I played it all day, repeat one. It was one of those tracks that I have always been able to harmonize in my head. Even to this day the track is in my head. It’s the reason why I appreciate hip hop music today. I have been heavily influenced by an array of artists from Common, Mos Def, The Roots, Talib Kweli, to Busta Rhymes, A Tribe Called Quest, and Miles Davis, to name a few. The list can go on but I have also been influences by Calypso, Soca, Reggae, 80’s music, which also happen to be heavy influences in my music personally. Growing up on all of that allowed me to understand things like hooks, measures, beats, etc. It set the foundation of what I have applied within my music.

SHH: Who would you like to work with in the future mainstream or underground?
I would love to work with the Roots! If ever given the opportunity I would completely take advantage of working with some of the hardest working and multi talented group in the music industry. I wouldn’t mind getting the chance to also work with some of the very people who I have appreciated in hip hop. Doing a track with the likes of Common, Talib Kweli, etc would be a pleasure and an honor.
SHH: What's your outlook for 2008 (What are your goals for the year)?
Some of my goals for the year are to leave a lasting impression on this culture known as hip hop. At the end of year, being recognized for all the hard work and effort put into the music everyone around me has helped create would be gratifying enough.
SHH: If not music what would you be doing?
If I wasn’t doing music, I believe I would have found myself involved in something that would cause me to be creative. I have always been one that needs to be constructively active and definitely could see myself involved in something else in the entertainment field, writing TV series, or music directing to name a few.


SHH: If you could choose how you were to die, what would your ideal death be? (I read that question asked to 15 or so famous people in entertainment, and I loved it so I had to. you can have fun with it, doesn't have to be 100% serious)

I think going out while performing life in front of a sellout crowd in one of the famous arenas in the world would be a very nice way to go! Think about it, they might even rename that place for you depending on how big of an artist you might be!
SHH: Where can people check out some of your music?
You can now buy and download “… In Retrospect” on iTunes, www.amazon.com; www.cdbaby.com; www.5Gproductions.com; It’s just about everywhere you can get music online so definitely check it out!
SHH: Shout outs and thanks
Everyone who is involved on this album is important in some way, shape or form. JJ Brown (5G productions), Furry Planet Productions, Godfrey Lewis (Redface Records), Clique Musique, Marcus Nero (Nero Music) who all worked on the production of the album. The talented guests featured, Baldi and Suburban Graffiti, Prince Jamir, Ad Lib of the Flight Brothers, Tiffany Porterfield, Cardi The Cellist, and Mr. V (Vonzell Willams) The art work by Gordon Convery, Robert Blackman (Thanks cuz!) and everyone that has helped me through the years to complete this. Thank you.
- Reginald Henderson (Staff Writer)

NYC is the birthplace of hip hop music and arguably the most dynamic city in the world. Full of life and culture, NYC represents everything that is fashion, music and in. NYC represents the coming together of all things great to create something so magnificent; no amount of words can do it justice. So when an artist named N.Y.C. (Never Yet Contested) stepped into the booth to create his debut album, “…In Retrospect”, he did so knowing he had the entire 5 boroughs on his back and that is no light load.

Brooklyn born and raised, NYC is a product of 90’s era of hip hop music which he describes as the greatest time. A time in hip hop when individuality was celebrated. Artists like Dr Dre, Snoop, 2pac Scarface, Notorious BIG, Jay Z and Nas, to name a few, all had an impact on hip hop music without trying to emulate anyone else. NYC clearly thinks this is problem under the current administration of hip hop. On “I Can’t Take It”, the lead track from his debut album, NYC cleverly discusses this point. It is an understatement to say he is not feeling what can be heard on the radio right now. However, unlike many of his counterparts, he has no Superman complex. He doesn’t think he is here to save rap, just simply enhance his craft which he takes seriously and practices often. NYC considers himself above all to be an artist, which explains why he conceptualizes each track on the album in order to give a product that is of substance, rather than fluff. The effort pays off on the album as a whole which plays host to consistent production flowing from one song to the next. With an eclectic combination of mixing and scratching, the production maintains a nostalgic feel, another homage NYC clearly makes to the greater times.

On this album, NYC takes the relationship with the listener seriously as he seeks to build an intimate and committed bond with his fans. As described in the love letter track, “Just Me and You”, his heart is taken by someone special. All else will be a mistress to his one true love, music. When asked about his goal with his listeners, NYC describes the desire to capture a core base of fans who stick by him and his product. On the track, “Transparent”, NYC slowly lifts the veil off his personality and gives the listener a glimpse into the man in the booth. Through many of the follow up tracks like, “Wake Up”, “Probable Cause” and “21”, NYC takes the listener through his view of the world, seeing through the eyes of a man who is clearly intellectual and socially aware. And after you get your dose of the ways of the world 101, NYC lightens things up with fun tracks like “Boob Tube” and “Participate” that display his ability to move the crowd, showing that he doesn’t take himself so serious that he can not have fun!

Attempting to put NYC in a box would be like trying to describe the most fascinating part of the city for which he shares the namesake, it is virtually impossible. There is the grit and grim of the city that is left on all who grow up in it, along with the glamour and flashing lights that give NYC its unique edge. To top it off there is the cultural diversity and sometimes lack of it that makes NYC the center of social consciousness. The icing on the cake is that NYC is often misunderstood, especially when taken at face value. So for the artist and the city, you have to get involved, get your hands dirty and get deep into it. Listen to the words, inhale the beats, respect the flow, because all those elements are what make “…In Retrospect” a special piece of Hip Hop literature. “…In Retrospect” is a transparent look on hip hop past and present which give more insight on the path to understanding the complexity of NYC.

- By Maliek Branch
- Maliek Branch for Impressive Thoughts

Go to
http://www.cegmusic.com/tse/press.htm for more info - The Aquarian

In hip hop, you can always take it back to the essence. All you need is a thick beat laced with some potent lyrics, and the sound is bound to resonate with true fans. No matter what you've heard, those fans are still out there, and this Brooklyn-bred MC knows it. Wisely skipping the oft-obligatory intro, he jumps knee-deep into the rhyme pool on "Who I Be," an 808-driven track that thumps, rings some bells, and allows ample room for the man to let us know what he's about, and what he came to do. Don't worry, he's not here to sermonize ("I'm not a preacher, but a brother who knows...," he says on "Probable Cause"), but if you want to listen, he's got some ideas. "Wake Up" gets deeper into the conscious aspects of his style, urging folks to take a hard look around. The rest of the disc is the follow-through of these opening statements, getting specific on the downside of television ("Boob Tube"), the blurring effects of drinking ("Intoxication"), and the harsh realities of the streets ("21"). It's serious business, but he balances things out with "Clap for Me," a golden-era style party anthem that keeps it partially old school, but completely relevant. It makes for a great balance, a great track, and one more reason why this is such a great album. - CD Baby

On Tuesday, March 30th Ayindé released his debut project No Slices in collaboration with TruStatement.com and LikeMindsEntertainment.

Ayindé serves as emcee, songwriter and producer, and to better prove his skill in each he allows his mixtape No Slices to dabble in rap, hip hop and R&B to display all of his musical qualities. “They say I’m kinda like J. Cole with a little Drake and maybe Kanyeez/ Sprinkle a little Phonte and then maybe you got me./ That's pretty dope in my opinion and I'm highly obliged to keep the standard up to rhythm.” Ayindé accurately uses this line to describe himself in the album's third song, "Gone", and throughout the remainder of the album he proves why you wont be able to specify exactly which one he sounds like more, as he changes flows, lyrical concepts and word play with each track. Containing the sure to be summer anthem "Do It", as well as the previously mention club/mainstream oriented hit "Gone", No Slices puts Ayindé's wide range of talents and styles on display and provides listeners with something for every taste.

Featuring some brilliant up and coming producers and emcees such and Indigo and Express The Motif of M.A.E., Never Yet Contested, Kemizt, Tonye Kay, Johnny Juliano and E. Louis, No Slices also serves as a hip hop index of names to keep an ear out for in the coming years. - Tru Statement Entertainment

Here is an example of what can come from “too much” fun in the recording studio... The talented duo of Indigo & Express The Motif are back at it again with the "More EP" and their unofficial single that bans itself by title alone is M.A.E.’s “Fuck Dancing” and is receiving quite the internet response. The hypocritically danceable, hip hop and electronic fused crowd favorite “Fuck Dancing” is the single that will have you reminiscing of the days when people would actually DANCE! Backed by a video of hilarious YouTube generated content featuring the well known, unknown, old, young, talented and untalented who collectively put their moves on display for better or worse, “Fuck Dancing” is primed for the viral world. - Tru Statement Entertainment

Free Trade's "Plus 30" was released June 15th on TruStatement.com. As a producer/emcee Free Trade's blend of motown, hip-hop, & soul has virgin listeners shocked, jazz heads baffled, and hip-hop purists nodding their heads. A warm mix of sampled vinyl and live instrumentation (guitars, horns, rhodes, turntables, upright bass, etc) is what separates Plus 30 from other hip-hop records. The level of lyricism delivered by Free Trade is a true breath of fresh air; delivering a cadence that follows the footsteps of Pete Rock & CL Smooth , a youthful college sound resembling G Love & Special Sauce, and a vocal tone similar to Mike Posner.

The project was created in a bedroom in Orlando, FL, but included 30 contributors (musicians, designers, engineers) from all over the United States, hence the title of the album Free Trade - Plus 30.

"I contacted as many college students from around the U.S who still believe in honest and soulful music via email, text message, and facebook, and created an entire album from my bedroom" says Free Trade. Working within the parameters of new age media, Free Trade was able to have bass lines laid down in St. Louis, jazz samples flipped in the UK, horns tracked in Manhattan, keyboards recorded in Boston, and the list goes on. Most of the musicians involved in Plus 30 had no prior knowledge of one another, nor did they get to hear the final product until the project was finished, creating an unspoken faith between all 30 contributors.

- Tru Statement Entertainment