Bekay
Bekay, the Brooklyn native, hence the moniker, has been spitting rhymes since he was 10 and now at 26, he’s ready to get it poppin’. It’s not hard to listen to one verse and realize that Bekay has skills. Bekay personifies the changing definition of hip-hop, as someone very passionate about this culture and eager to let the world in on his story. Bekay's writing talent, punch-lines and unique perception have not only enabled him to become a cult personality, but have also brought credibility and power to the issues found in his music.
In the midst of Bekay’s short-lived relationship to a previous label, Bekay was introduced to the late Old Dirty Bastard. Instantly, a friendship started which eventually led to a collaboration of the anthemic “Where Brooklyn At?”, which was one of the last songs that ODB ever recorded. The song was well received, but neither a video nor any type of radio promotion ever came to fruition. Even after several requests for a video from Bekay’s previous label, Bekay continued to say no. “I wasn’t about to profit from his death, so I left the label.”
Bekay wasn’t on his own for long. Through the buzz he created in the underground, Bekay was offered a deal through the burgeoning New York City based indie label, Coalmine Records. Under his new deal, Bekay has added more hits to his list including collaborations with Saigon and Inspectah Deck on the underground smash 12” titled “The Raw”. The buzz of this record reinforced the growing strength of Bekay’s name in the indie radio community. Feedback from DJs worldwide were excited by Bekay’s vinyl debut and are starting to realize his future potential. “I’m happy to have something from Bekay on wax now, cuz I’ve played a lot of his joints on CD a while back.” (DJ Ethx – Seattle, WA - University of Washington). “Bekay is an exclamation point, rather than three periods, it’s Bekay!, not Bekay...feel me? (CJUM- Brandon – Winnipeg, MB, University of Manitoba).
To start ’06 with a bang, Bekay teamed up with mix-tape legend DJ Kayslay on a 22 track mix CD that includes new original recording, remixes, freestyles and earlier works. “I just wanted to make sure I keep it real hip-hop and kill’em with lyrics. In my opinion real hip-hop music is dying out and as part of the new breed of MCs, I feel its my responsibility to keep it healthy. I love this culture, and it’s all I got. It was great to be able to work with Slay and all the other features, and there’s only more heat to come.” Coalmine hit the streets with this mix-tape and was successful in reaching out to new audiences that have since embraced Bekay’s talents.
After realizing that a radio push for the previously released “Where Brooklyn At?” was necessary, Coalmine was able to ink a licensing agreement allowing for its release on vinyl. Launching a radio campaign for this acclaimed single helped to put the just deserved spotlight on Bekay and also gave ODB’s fans worldwide a reminder as to why his music continues to make people smile. The B side, “Young”, which is an album cut taken from Bekay’s upcoming full length LP Hunger Pains, introduces the wonderful marriage of Bekay’s lyrics over the ingenious production skills of German super producer Shuko; something we’ll see more of on Hunger Pains. “Young” was a very well received B side that helped contribute to a dynamic 12”, successful both on the radio and club scene. “I don’t know why this cat is continually compared to Eminem, he has his own style of flow that I find far more listenable than any recent Shady project. On these tracks, Bekay rides the divide between dope punch lines and leftfield introspective flows, Drop in the late Dirt McGirt and this joint is smoking.” (WPRK – Keith Jackson – Orlando, FL -Rollins College). After another successful radio campaign, Bekay climbed the college charts to a number two position on a record that had strong supporters from the very beginning.
Be on the lookout for Hunger Pains- although an official release date is not in place, the project is complete and should be released in either the third or fourth quarter of ‘07. Coalmine has recruited some of the hottest producers in the game to craft beats for Bekay’s unveiling. Producers tapped include The Alchemist, Jonathan Rotem [J.R.], Illmind, Marco Polo, DJ Babu, Shuko, Street Orchestra, BeanOne and more. Furthermore, Coalmine has enlisted the skills of some of Hip-Hop’s most talented MCs: Sean Price, Masta Ace, Wordsworth, R.A. The Rugged Man, Saigon and Inspectah Deck. Hunger Pains is set to bring that classic New York sound back to the forefront of the rap game.
Fans can expect to hear a lot more from Bekay as part of his recent inauguration into the Rawkus 50. The Rawkus 50 is an artist driven revolution comprised of the 50 next important hip hop artists. As a member of the top 50, Bekay will be delivering a digital album to Rawkus Records titled The Horror Flick LP, stay tuned!! Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.
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