Artist Bio for Allen Poe

professional bio for recording artist allen poe -words by KC Orcutt

As published here, reposted below: 

With a diverse artistic output spanning two decades, Allen Poe has molded his career around his multi-faceted creative interests within music. With roots as an emcee, the Frankfort, Kentucky-born recording artist has expanded his talents to include shooting & editing music videos, launching a videography business and writing about his local scene and music at large for several publications.

Being driven by a small town with little hip-hop culture, Allen Poe was inspired by the sounds he heard growing up, citing Jay Z, MF Doom and the Wu-Tang clan as early influences. By placing a conscious focus on incorporating his own experiences into the framework of the genre to mirror his genuine perspective, he was successfully able to create a sound akin to his own distinctive style and background.

Cultivating themes such as magnifying the mundane elements of ordinary life to build a relatable common ground and exploring universal emotions and attitudes lyrically, the music he creates is reflective of much more than his tactful songwriting, perfected over time and practice. For Allen Poe, both as a listener and as a rapper, hip-hop represents a cultural education that hits deepest when it holds substance and is clothed in artistic expression. Taking a responsibility to contribute in a direction Allen Poe feels is crucial in an oversaturated industry where entertainment and shock value often holds presidency over honest art, the rapper often builds his songs from poetry first, working to bend his words into rhymes that fit his selectively curated beats.

Both a veteran of the rap game and of our country, Allen Poe has built up an impressive resume with milestones including creating a plethora of projects under his belt, sharing stages with Lupe Fiasco, Rick Ross and Juvenile and collaborating with a growing list of artists including, J57, honorary Cunninlyguist member Sheisty Khrist, DeeJay Element, Hannibal King, PJ Katz, Denmark Vessey, IV The Polymath, The Other Guys and more. 

Balancing his music with his family life and being the best husband and father he can be has also been a crucial component to his work as a well-rounded emcee. 

From coaching his daughters softball team to mentoring other artists, Allen Poe is enthusiastic to pass on what he’s learned first hand, aiming to provide a soundtrack that celebrates growth, regardless of whether its an inch or a foot is irrelevant to this emcee. Allen Poe is celebrating how far he’s come, not how far he’s yet to go and overall this approach is yielding his best music to date. 

#Repost - New Music Friday - August 12, 2016

Words by KC Orcutt for Spotify x Billboard.com

Every week, Spotify updates their "New Music Friday" playlist, featuring 50 of the freshest new tracks hitting the service that week.

On the heels of Billboard’s partnership with the streaming giant, we’ll be tapping Spotify’s editors to sift through the soon-to-be-hits and highlight the best of the bunch.

Check out the picks and listen to the entire “New Music Friday” playlist below

Green Day - “Bang Bang”

Green Day, reputed for their politically charged pop-punk anthems, returns with their new single, “Bang Bang,” which doubles as the first promotional track in advance of their forthcoming twelfth studio album, Revolution Radio, due out on October 7. Of the track, frontman Billie Joe Armstrong explains that the song examines “the culture of mass shooting that happens in America mixed with narcissistic social media.” The veteran trio is no stranger to addressing difficult topics and unapologetically presenting them with their celebrated, signature brand of punk, and “Bang Bang” makes for a timely conversation about what Armstrong describes is “this sort of rage [that’s] happening.” Factoring in that this ‘rage’ is also now being filmed as we’re constantly under surveillance admittedly freaked the singer out, revealing that once he wrote this single, the rest of the album unfolded organically. Especially given the current unrest our nation is experiencing — and with the next presidential election drawing near — the group has endless material right in their wheelhouse to work with, and we’re more than welcoming of another strong middle-fingers-up collection of songs from the legendary punk trio.

PARTYNEXTDOOR - “Don't Know How”

OVO Sound’s elusive crooner, PARTYNEXTDOOR, has today released his next installment in his self-titled series, P3. The highly anticipated project comes after rolling out several singles, including the 16-track album’s lone feature from label boss Drake on “Come And See Me.” The singer-songwriter has long been a staple of the OVO roster, with his unique take on fusing traditional R&B with electronic soundscapes leading a movement many genre-bending artists are being inspired by. His beautifully raunchy track “Don’t Know How” makes for a great introduction to PND’s sophomore full-length album, as he serenades the ladies with an intriguing mixture of his smooth confidence and subtle vulnerabilities. In a letter addressing his fans, the singer-songwriter promises to be better at interacting with his fans, as part of his intrigue has come from his behind-the-scenes moves, writing humbly that “it’s still hard to believe that you want to hear the kid from Mississauga sing his stories.” We’re ready to get to know PARTYNEXTDOOR in a new, real way and on P3, he gives us ample opportunity to do so through his music.

Tritonal/Jenaux/Adam Lambert - “Broken”

Adam Lambert shows his versatility as a vocalist as he weaves his way into the soft EDM-foundation built by production duo Tritonal. Their collaborative single, “Broken,” is off of the group’s debut studio album, Painting With Dreams, out next month on September 9. Of the single, Tritonal explains, “Some records just seem to fall from the skies, and ‘Broken’ was just this. Written in a few hours and produced in three days, ‘Broken’ showcases why Adam Lambert has one of the biggest voices on the planet." The musicians crossed paths for the first time when Tritonal remixed one of Lambert’s songs and from there, it only made sense for all parties involved to team up once more, as well as recruit Jenaux into the mix. “I loved the remix that Tritonal did on my single 'Ghost Town' and that's when I discovered their music and became a fan,” Lambert says. “So when they approached me to do a feature it was a no brainer!” While the title may suggest differently, the artists come together on the track in a healing way, with the chorus backing up the organic nonchalance their combined talent holds, as they collectively sing, “when we met, you made me forget / that my heart was ever broken.”

OneRepublic - “Kids”

OneRepublic returns with the second single off of their upcoming fourth album, due out early this fall. As frontman Ryan Tedder shared with Billboard, the project is the longest amount of time the Colorado natives have spent recording one collection of music. “We did a lot of living in the past four years,” he says. “There was a lot to write about.” As the group proves that the best art takes time to put together, they are keeping busy preparing for their upcoming performance of their punchy, synth-driven new single “Kids” at the NFL Kickoff on September 8, where an estimated 25 million Americans will be tuning in. The song, inspired by M83, is what Tedder describes as a “conscious departure,” showing that despite almost a decade of making music together, the group is consistently still evolving with each single and with every power move. It’s looking like this fall season might just belong to OneRepublic.

Lil Uzi Vert - “Seven Million” featuring Future

Philadelphia’s Lil Uzi Vert is back with his new mixtape, The Perfect Luv Tape, which he set free to celebrate his 22nd birthday. The rapper has seen a tremendous amount of growth since the release of his first self-released EP back in 2014, now racking up an impressive average of over 1 million streams on Spotify daily. “Seven Million” was reserved for the last slot on his new project, with Future blessing the song with an especially clean hook, as the two rock over an addictive atmospheric beat meticulously crafted by Nard & B, XL and Don Cannon. The track features both rappers flexing but not in an overtly obnoxious or competitive way, and the result of their collaboration makes for what can only be considered a summer anthem, perfect for rolling up to the club and soaking in the infinite possibilities that a breezy night in mid-August holds.

#Repost: Take The ‘Stairs’ To Dubai With Brooklyn’s G4SHi

Originally posted on TheSource.com:

In a cultural landscape desperately seeking authenticity, talent and genuine passion, Brooklyn’s G4SHi is leading a revolution entirely his own, with both middle fingers up and his signature gold-adorned grin gleaming.

Unapologetically himself, the young musician has fought battles and overcome challenges that permanently separate him from the pack, drawing from his experiences to help season his ever-evolving sound, such as growing up as an African-born Albanian refugee and navigating through life as a first-generation American.

As a natural tastemaker, he is fully involved in the creative process behind his artistry; building an ardent argument he’s not only the full package but that he’s up next. From the compelling visuals often accompanying his music to the detail-oriented compositions found in each song, everything with his name on it, he’s touched and helped turn to gold. His latest offering, a seven-track EP entitled Stairs, is further proof he’s only just getting started.

While successfully balancing a mysterious allure with a lyrically blunt honesty, G4SHi’s strengths on Stairs lie in his ability to curate the direction he envisions his art moving and in turn, crafts what can be best categorized as mood music. As an artist, he thinks bigger picture, allowing himself to make a believer out of the most cynical listener with ease, winning over new ears each passing day through his on-point production choices and stylistically forward-thinking vocal delivery.

There is a devious element behind each song on Stairs that is as charming as it is menacing. This can only be achieved through authoritative decision-making and risk-taking, two things the charismatic G4SHi has seldom struggled with throughout his budding career.

While Stairs differs momentously from his 2014 full length debut 4Play, his decision to move away from the sounds found in contemporary underground Hip Hop and come into his own consciously was the best move for him to make and in doing so organically, he’s operating on a new level. Fans that consider G4SHi solely a rapper do him a great disservice, and while less open-minded rap purists may be resistant to his new innovative sound, there’s a ceaseless confidence rooted in his music trusting that those who leave him will be back. He’s evolved, and Stairs is a true, remorseless testament to that.

From the project’s first track, “Avni,” all the way through to its closer, “Dubai” G4SHi familiarizes listeners to several different layers of his complex individuality without diving too deep, exposing a vulnerability that can only be commended while furthermore leaving room for his opus to manifest as he matures as a recording artist.

While each song paints a vivid picture greatly contrasting from the story depicted in the song playing before it, all are interlaced together by multidimensional, tactful production and G4SHi’s cunning rhyme-singing. The project’s intriguing depth promises listeners will get openly lost in the soundscapes he creates, such as in the sensual world of “Soho House,” the on-repeat anthem celebrating the real homies “Day Ones” and the undeniably cool, icy vibe of “Jean Claude Van Damme.” “Switch Up” offers something for those nostalgic for his Hip Hop roots while “Personal” touches on new territory with its powerful, downtempo moments.

If Stairs were a collection designed and fit for a runway show, it would encompass the luxury of Oscar De La Renta, the experimental, dark side of Givenchy and the timelessness of Chanel, all while harnessing the curious appeal that the now-essential Kanye West Yeezy line holds.

When G4SHi attests, “Everything you need to know about me, you can learn from my music,” he truly means it. The autobiographical lyrics that make up Stairs are never sugarcoated and as a result, it’s difficult to not to be captivated by his songwriting and his distinctively strong personality as it’s carefully woven into his music.

As each track casts a spell over those wandering in late to the function while further solidifying the support of his already heart-eyed and growing fan base, G4SHi is putting himself on the board in a permanent way with Stairs. This project is acting both as a sophisticated reintroduction to G4SHi as the extraordinary artist he is becoming and a much-needed reminder that against all odds, the best music speaks for itself.