Music has become an intangible part of everyone’s life. More than ever iPods and cell phones are determining Gold and Platinum sales digitally. With the culture changing across the board, the opportunity for new voices to shine through is apparent and for P.Casso [Alex Ampadu], his love of hip hop hopes to redefine an ever-evolving way of life for many.
The Buffalo-to-Brooklyn transplant used to mimic the melodies sang by his mother as an infant. These melodies combined with the teachings of his Ghanian father. The music was in his veins and continued as time went on. Always the consummate perfectionist, P.Casso has been producing his own music since 2000 and has been rapping professionally since 2003. “I feel like hip hop is more about creativity nowadays because record sales are down,” says Ampadu. And with hip hop as P.Casso’s easel, the former spoken word poet who opened for Russell Simmons’ Def Poetry Jam has went from coffee house regular to studio lab rat. Pumping out the yet-to-be released Rebel Soul, a mixtape – The Future is Now, mixed by DJ Ease and prepping his upcoming debut, For Your Consideration, A Hip Hop Album By P.Casso has been a taxing journey for the man known around New York City as the “Earth Tone King.”
With an eclectic taste in music, Ampadu’s music has allowed him to see crowds all over, from the U.S. to Germany to Switzerland, where he has opened for the likes of Kurtis Blow and has performed with underground staples such as Skyzoo, Nola Darling, Tanya Morgan and Fresh Daily. As P.Casso became more frustrated with the stagnant state of the industry, him and partner-in-rhyme, Fresh Daily, linked up with other like-minded individuals to form the All-Out Kollective; otherwise known as A-OK.
Forever displaying a hunger and passion on stage, P.Casso has the ear of the people, the minds of the forward-thinking and with eyes set on the future; he hopes to continue down the path laid down by New York legends of yore. “When I moved to New York, I realized how important visual marketing was to my career and it is the way of the future for the industry.” Pictures painted with words have turned many a mortal man into a legend and P.Casso brings a fresh breath of air to a game stuck in stalemate.| |
