Joe Budden LIVE

From the heat of Spanish Harlem, to the spitfire of "Chill-town" known as Jersey City, New Jersey, at an early age hip-hop artist Joe Budden answered the call of his artistic destiny. This gifted wordsmith seemed to transition effortlessly from street ciphers, rap battles and local shows where he would rip the mic regularly, to the promising position of down to earth rap superstar. Using page and pen as his sounding boards, Joe used his gift of lyricism as therapy to push through the tough times. As a result of honing of his craft, he soon infiltrated the ears of many, and his ability started commanding the attention, recognition and studio time from various industry movers and shakers like DJ Cutmaster C, DJ Clue, DJ Kay Slay and super producer Dub-B (aka White Boy).

In 2003, Joe Budden released the first installment of what would become one of the premiere selling mix-tapes series of all time entitled, Mood Musik: Worst of Joe Budden. With massive street notoriety, Joe Budden signed to Def Jam Records in that same year and released major hits from his self-titled album, such as the timeless 2003 Grammy nominated hit "Pump It Up" in the category of Best Male Rap Solo Performance that catapulted him to international fame. A two time United Kingdom, MOBO (Music of Black Origin) Award nominee for the collaboration with Marques Houston on "Clubbin" and for Best Rap Performance, he has worked with such celebrated musical talent as hip-hop comrade Busta Rhymes, Kelly Rowland, Nelly, Jennifer Lopez, Ne-yo and Gnarls Barkley; positioning him as the go to artist for movie soundtrack inclusion for such blockbusters as 2 Fast 2 Furious, for which he is a 2004 Black Reel Award Nominee for Best Song from a Movie, Johnson Family Vacation, The Simpsons and Cradle to the Grave. In that same year, Joe secured a coveted spot as a morning show host on New York City's Hot 97.7 WQHT.

Winner of the 2003 Vibe Next Award, Joe went on to release consecutively the legendary and still unrivaled Mood Musik 2: Can It Get Any Worse? (2005), the critically acclaimed Mood Musik 3: For Better or For Worse (2007) and Mood Musik 3: The Album (2008). One of the most consistent artists to date, his matchless lyrical artistry continues to garner him worldwide respect and success in such places as Europe, Africa and Asia. Known as a purist, an intelligent artist, and a non-conformist, Joe Budden is a verbal straight shooter always keeping his musical storytelling honest and true to life; placing him in an elite league with other hip-hop artists such as Lupe Fiasco, Kanye West, Common and Jay-Z.

With the rebirth of Joe Budden into the main stream he is set to make his highly anticipated re-grand entrance into the world of hip-hop with his long awaited release Padded Room on Amalgam Digital in 2008. With a follow-up album release in the same calendar year and talks of television and movie deals in the works along with additional branding ideas.

Never one to forget where he came from, Joe Budden has two generations of musicality literally and lyrically coursing through his veins. This award winning writer, rapper and visionary, inherited his love of music from both his father and grandfather. Holding his love of family, friends and community close, Joe lends himself to causes that uplift, encourage and inspire youth, the incarcerated and the less fortunate by mentoring young people in detention centers and schools across the country.

For Joe Budden inspiration comes daily and from any source. This transcendent, lyrical craftsman weaves real life experiences with the best of beats that conveys to any listener "music is what feelings sound like."

Smoothvega is back with a vengeance this year with his latest album appropriately entitled, “Exclamation Point.” Vega has always been determined to be more than just a rapper, he wanted to be someone who left this earth with a legacy that stood for something, and if you’ve been following Vega throughout his career, you’d see that Vega is well on his way to accomplishing that. Don’t let the six year gap in music fool you, as Vega has been busy making an impact in his community in a different way, outside of the music.

In August 2007, Vega founded Total Pandemonium, an event that just started off as a local dance competition for kids of all ages, but soon lived up to its name. Many teenagers grabbed hold of this golden opportunity that Vega provided, and turned it in to such a success that it established both attendance and revenue breaking records. Much of the youth involved with this event have come from broken families, where their dreams were rarely considered, therefore left unexplored; Vega helped facilitate their dreams as well as his own. Initially, Vega set this event up to help in generating some buzz for himself and to perform his own music, and in helping himself, he was also able to launch the careers of others from recording artists to professional cheerleaders. As of late, Vega has continued his charitable acts by conducting an annual toy drive, and even enlisted the help of Major League Baseball Super Star, Nelson Cruz, formerly of the Texas Rangers. Vega has, and continues to use his lime-light for the greater good, recognizing the importance of giving back, just as his fans have done for him. “Smoothvega is a perfect example of an artist that does his thing on the indie grind, and he gives back to the community and the love is given right back. Musically, the proof is in the product,” says Illuminati2G.Com.

The latest product that Vega has blessed us with is the long-awaited, “Exclamation Point.” The title speaks for itself, in the fact that his career has been just that, an exclamation of him, his life, his goals, and the outcome of all of his work. The album is complete with appearances and backing from some of Texas’ finest, such as Paul Wall. His latest single featuring Paul Wall, “Hold It Down,” has received air play on 97.9 The Beat, with a guest interview feature from J. Kruz. Adding to his credentials, Vega’s single has also been named K104’s “Street Swag Champion” and has also been nominated as song of the year in the well-respected, Fort Worth Weekly. However, Vega is no stranger to these accolades, as he’s been recognized by Fort Worth Weekly as “Best Rap/R&B Artist,” twice, in addition to all of the publications he’s been featured in such as, worldstarhiphop.com, Murder Dog Magazine,hiphopdx.com, XPOZ magazine and countless others. His career in hip-hop has been confirmed, and it’s clear that people view Smoothvega as a talented artist, but let’s also recognize him for being a motivational person to all of those who may be in need.

We all know that there are several routes one can take in getting into this industry, but Vega has always been known to legitimately and legally get his hustle on. His music is about the beautiful struggle, and his experiences that reflect the normal life of a husband working nine to five, trying to provide for his family, and still living out his dreams. He’s as sincere as they come, which is why “Exclamation Point” took so long to create, as he felt the importance of being as real as possible and doing it all on his own dime. Vega’s hustle is recognized and respected by notables like Crooked I of Slaughterhouse (Shady Records), who willingly put Vega on a track free of charge because of his lyrical skills and the belief in what he’s doing. Let’s recognize Smoothvega as more than just an award winning rapper, but one who has paved the way to opening up this industry to our culture, and as an outstanding figure within the community; Smoothvega, award winning in life and in rhymes.

Born, Christopher James Brown, Da Deputy is a Solo, Independent, Entrepreneur trying to showcase his musical talent to the World. Dep is Managed & Signed to Branden Brown's (Uncle B) "Silent B Entertainment", while also pushing his Crew "Global Respect". Dep stands for 4 words"In Due Time Life". Believing that We all have dreams we're trying to obtain & In Due Time, God will bless us with what We desire. Using amazing wordplay, creative & witty metaphors over soulful samples with down south influenced snares & bass, Dep is honestly in a League of His own. From the success of His Critically-Acclaimed Mixtape "Johnny Dep" which was Hosted By: DJ Omega (from Wale's "More About Nothing" Mixtape). Dep, has opened up for Artists such as: 2 Chainz (on The B.O.A.T.S Tour), Chamillionaire, Scarface, Crooked I (of Slaughterhouse), Tone Trump, Slim Thug and more. With Dep focusing on the internet grind, He was featured in His Hometown Newspaper (The Star-Telegram), Hip Hop Weekly Magazine’s "Indie Grind Spotlight" Section, XPOZ Magazine (Issue #67 w/ The Game on The Cover), Mr. Dreamz Magazine (w/ NBA Star Will Bynum of The Detroit Pistons on The Cover), & selected by "Hot New Hip Hop" as 1 of The Top 4 HeatSeekers for their Edition 11 Series.
Dep has created a very strong following. His YouTube Channel is at 100,000+ views with over 70 Songs/Videos (such as "Famous, Private Resort, Carmelo At Syracuse, I'm On That, etc") uploaded. The Texas Native knows the meaning of hard work, & plans to continue doing just that, as He gears up for His Highly-Anticipated "In Due Time 3" Project.