Hailing from the same Bed-Stuy blocks where The Notorious B.I.G. once roamed comes Spec Boogie, a master storyteller and one of the most versatile young talents in contemporary Hip-Hop. Equally adept at both razor-tongued braggadocio and introspective commentary, he is an artist that shadowboxes his way out of easy classification. Neither preachy nor sensationalist, Spec Boogie’s remarkable sincerity is the thread that weaves together his music — even the songs that deal with less-than-weighty subject matter inherit the trait of real honesty. Whether boasting about his sneaker collection or somberly recounting the tragic moments his young eyes have seen, you believe every word Spec Boogie says.
A former member of The Sandhogs, a group which included indie favorite Tes-1, Spec Boogie relocated to The City of Brotherly Love in his late teens and eventually connected with Philadelphia heroes ?uestlove and the Grammy Award-winning Roots crew. Polishing his live stage show under the tutelage of the masters, he performed in both Philly and New York during the wildly successful 2000 Okayplayer Tour.
But Brooklyn beckoned. Spec Boogie returned home and helped found Loosie Music, a fiercely independent record label and online magazine. The fledgling label hooked up with Lower East Side boutique Staple Design to release the “Grow” single, a track that earned Spec Boogie a deluge of critical acclaim and immediately put him on the radar of indie Hip-Hop aficionados as far away as France and Japan. The buzz proved justified, as his subsequent mixtapes, 2004’s Fresh Out the Box and 2006’s On My Grind were lauded as evidence of his emerging talent. An exceptional live entertainer, Spec Boogie has delivered memorable performances at venues such as Nokia Theater, Southpaw, The Knitting Factory, Hammerstein Music Hall and Wetlands alongside artists including The Roots, Mark Ronson, MF Doom, Big Daddy Kane, Little Brother and Platinum Pied Pipers. Spec Boogie’s debut album, Introspective is slated for release in early 2007 on Loosie Music.| |
