9-Year Old Phenomenon Rapper Ly’asia to Release New Album Daughter of IGT Fame Hits the Scene Powerfully with“A Star In The Making”
New York, USA— “A Star In The Making,” the new album by rapper Ly’asia, whose music has been compared to the music of Lil Mama, Eve and MC Lyte is set to release in the spring of 2010. Ly’asia’s music has caught the eye of the media and captured fans from across the country. Her talent has been recognized within the Hip Hop community and critics have predicted that her music will make her one of Hip Hop’s most promising ingénues. Why is Ly’asia’s music so special, one may ask? Because for many who hear her music, it’s hard to believe Ly’asia is only 9 years old.
Growing up with her father Lagato Shine of IGT fame, Ly’asia has been exposed to many genres of music since the day she was born. Picking up on her father’s swagger and lyrical flow like a seasoned professional, it wasn’t long before the young Ly’asia was coming up with music all on her own and taking command of the stage like it was the only thing she was born to do.
The recent music video for her song “Dream” really captures what Ly’asia is all about, showing her spunk, catchy dance moves and inspirational messages that reach well beyond her age. As she continues to break down all barriers with dreams and aspirations not many other girls her age can even imagine, Ly’asia says she “hopes that [her] raps will influence young girls to grow up and believe they can be whatever they want to be."
Ly’asia’s strong voice has led her to perform at many musical venues. With her ability to take control of the stage with what some fans have called her “incredible presence,” many say she has the potential to be one of the greatest female rappers on today’s music scene. For Ly’asia, getting her message across and being on the stage is what it is all about. She says, “I love making music and performing... when the crowd screams for me it makes me want to never stop!"
Even though her musical career takes up much of her time, Ly’asia also makes time for her other interests, such as basketball and cheerleading while still maintaining an impressive straight-A report card. It is this down-to-earth character that makes Ly’asia stand out among other young musicians; her music is always relatable and accessible to audiences young and old. Ly’asia says she hopes her raps will reach other girls her age and in the end, just make people happy.
For additional information about Ly’asia or the release of “A Star In The Making,” please visit the artist’s web sites: www.lyasiaworld.com, www.myspace.com/lyasia9,
or www.overplay.com/lyasia (for her EPK) or contact Laurena Marrone at gritpr@gmail.com.
T.I. was born Clifford Joseph Harris Jr. 29 years ago in Atlanta, Georgia, and from the very start.... his life has been one wild ride! Raised by his grandparents, T.I. initially went by the name 'Tip' after his great-grandfather, and began rapping at age seven.
His next several years were spent in and out of juvinile hall for dealing drugs, where he got another name "Rubber Band Man" which referenced his habit of wearing rubber bands around his wrist to show off a wealth of drugs or money.
Not until his late teens did the scales finally "tip" for young Tip, when record executive Kawan Prather signed him to 'Arista's' subsidiary 'LaFace Records', after which Tip became 'T.I.' out of respect for his label- mate 'Q-Tip'.
In 2001 T.I. released his first album 'I'm Serious' which included guest spots from 'Pharrel Williams' of the Neptunes, 'Jazze Pha', 'Too Short', 'Bone Crusher', 'Pastor Troy' and 'The Youngbloodz'. However, the album peaked poorly at number-98, and sold only 163,000 copies in the United States.
The rapper they were calling the "Next 'J-Z' of the South" was soon dropped from Arista, and his critics claimed that T.I. failed to show and prove himself worthy of that comparison, although he did have potential. If his talent ever matched his confidence, they added, he just might become a star.
After being dropped by 'Arista Records', T.I. decided to form his own label called "Grand Hustle Entertainment", and in 2003 he released several mixtapes along with the hit single "Never Scared", which was written by and performed with rapper-pal 'Bone Crusher'.
With his return to the fast track, T.I. signed a joint venture deal with 'Atlanta Records' and released his second album 'Trap Muzik', which was well received. However, eight-months later T.I. was arrested for violating probation from a 1997 drug conviction, and sentenced to three years in prison.
While inside, he managed to somehow film a music video which earned him an early, work release program....and six months later T.I. put out his third album 'Urban Legend'. Its single "Bring Em Out" rang in 2005 with his first top ten hit, followed up by "U Don't Know Me" and "ASAP", which also made the U.S. "Hot-100" list.
In 2006 T.I. nabbed two Grammy Award nominations for "Soldier" performed with 'Destiny's Child' and 'Lil Wayne', and rap solo "U Know Me". He also won five 'Billboard Music Awards" including Best Rap Artist of the Year, Best Rap Album, Best Album Artist, Best Rap Song Artist and Best Rap Video of the Year....along with BET's Best Male Hip-Hop Award.
T.I. finished 2006 with his first screen acting roll in the film "ATL", where he played an orphaned highschool senior. Co-writtin and produced by 'Antwone Fisher' and 'Will Smith' among others.... ATL grossed 21.2 million dollars at the box office.
2007 saw two more hit albums 'King', who's single "What You Know" won the Grammy, and 'T.I. vs. T.I.P.' which featured singles "Big Things Poppin" and "You Know What It Is"....two of many songs featuring guest appearances from 'Justin Timberlake', 'Wyclef Jean', 'J-Z', 'Busta Rhymes', 'Eminem', 'Nelly', 'Mannie Fresh', 'Jeff Bass', 'Grand Hustle', 'The Runners', 'Just Blaze', 'Danja' and 'Alfamega'.
T.I. next appeared in 'Ridley Scott's' film "American Gangster" alongside 'Denzel Washington' and 'Russell Crowe', while also filming 'Chevrolet' commercials with 'Dale Earnhardt Jr.'
Then, in October, 2007, T.I. was arrested by federal agents and charged with two felonies for possessing un-registered machine guns and silencers. The bust happened in a 'Walgreens' parking lot just prior to the 'BET Hip-Hop Awards' in Atlanta, Georgia.
T.I. managed to put up the three million-dollar cash bond, and was confined to his home for five months before being sentenced to an undefined prison term, a year of house arrest, 1500 hours of community service and over a hundred thousand-dollars in fines.
Through all of this, T.I. somehow managed to release his sixth and most successful album 'Paper Trail', collaborate with artists 'Rihanna', 'Mariah Carey' and 'Mary J. Blige', win another Grammy Award, star in and produce the crime-thriller film 'Takers' alongside 'Matt Dillon' and 'Paul Walker', create an 'MTV' reality series, launch his own film company with actor 'Danny Glover', run a nightclub, work with troubled Atlanta youths and help with "Hurricane Katrina" relief efforts.
As if this wasn't enough, there were also three, high-profile fueds with 'Shaunty Lo', 'Lil'Flip' and 'Ludacris'....each involving entourage brawls, guns and the shooting death of his body guard, Surviving that, T.I.has somehow managed to uphold a family life also, fathering two sons with wife Tameka "Tiny Cottle, and three other children from two previous ralationships.
T.I.'s eventual freedom from legal issues and prison hinges on a recent plea bargain which blocked a possible 10-year sentence, and allowed T.I. to transfer this past December from Forrest City Prison in Arkansas to a halfway house in Atlanta, where he is scheduled to be released on March 26, 2010.
Following an intense financial audit, drug counciling, DNA testing and random searches, T.I. will no doubt be back on his wild ride to fame and fortune....going faster, farther and in more directions than anyone but HE... could possibly endure!
For a young man named "Lil Wayne" he's certainly led a big life!
Born Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. 27-years ago, this Grammy winning rapper, actor and CEO wrote his first song at age eight, recorded his first by age eleven, accidentally shot himself at 13, quit school at 14, joined a top Hip hop group at 15 and became a national recording star by age sixteen.
From his solo debut at 17 until now, Lil Wayne has become one of the top superstar rap artists of his time, while also managing to record and perform with dozens of fellow superstars, and...become the father of four children from three different women.
Lil Wayne's beginnings were also anything by typical. He grew up in the Hollygrove neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana and enrolled in the gifted program of his elementary school, where he played the part of the 'Tin Man' in the drama club's production of 'The Wiz'.
Shortly afterwards, Wayne met Bryan Williams, rapper and owner of 'Cash Money Records'. Williams would become his mentor, letting Wayne record freestyle raps on his phone answering machine....which he eventually included in Cash Money's distributed songs.
In 1997, Lil Wayne became the youngest member of the group 'Hot Boys' along with rappers 'Juvenile', 'Turk' and 'B.G.' That same year they released albums 'Get it How U Live' and 'Guerilla Warfare', which reached #1 on the Billboard Magazine charts. Their compilation album 'Let it Burn' reached #3 on the Top R&B/Hip-hop Albums chart.
In 1999 Lil Wayne's solo album 'Tha Block is Hot' went double-platinum and was followed by two more....'Lights Out' and '500 Degrees', however, in 2001 Wayne suffered a 2nd gunshot wound when "some groupies" fired at his chest through a bus window in Florida. "The bullet didn't go all the way in cause the window slowed it down," said Wayne.
In 2004, the album 'Tha Carter'(after his last name) released to what critics called an advancement in his rap-style and lyrical themes, along with a new, reggae hairstyle of dread locks...which he still wears.
After Tha Carter sold over 1-million copies in the U.S., Wayne was featured in 'Destiny's Child's' single "Soldier" with 'T.I'., which topped the U.S. Hot-100 and R&B charts. Wayne has also collaborated with the likes of 'J.Z', 'Chris Brown', 'Fat Joe', 'DJ Khaled', 'Rick Ross', 'Birdman', 'Little Brother', 'Kanye West', 'Ludacris' and 'Enrique Iglesias'...among others.
Following albums 'Tha Carter II'(2-million copies sold) and 'Tha Carter III', Wayne was named president of Cash Money Records and founded 'Young Money Entertainment'. Tha Carter III produced Wayne's most commercially successful song to date, "lollipop", featuring 'Static'.
While these past three years have seen wonderous ackomplishments, Wayne has also run into a few glitches with the law that he has yet to overcome. Still, to his credit, Wayne performed at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards with 'Kid Rock', and repeated at the BET Hip-hop Awards where he was nominated 12 times. He was also the first hip-hop act to ever perform at the CMA Awards, was MTV's first ever Man of the Year, and was also nominated for eight Grammy's....winning four of them.
However, through it all, Wayne admitted during an interview with CBS's Katie Couric that he enjoys using marijuana recreationally, and his tour bus has been raided twice.... landing him two arrests, along with a gun possession charge.
In January, 2008 Wayne's bus was stopped again in Arizona by border patrol agents who recovered large amounts of marijuana, cocaine, m.d.m.a. and $22,000 in cash. Lil Wayne is currently free on bond, and allowed to travel and perform....however, he's been convicted and sentenced to one-year in jail. His term begins on February 9th, 2010.
Despite this setback, one can't help but pull for this unusual rap artist, who is well on his way to an online psychology degree from The University of Houston, who grew up adoring the rock group 'Nirvana', who is a sports fanatic and appeared as a guest host on ESPN , and who has been favorably mentioned by President Obama during two separate speeches.
Look forward to Lil Wayne making a BIG comeback next year.
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