|
Billy Drease Williams (born Edreys Wajed) is an American hip hop emcee, singer and producer from Buffalo, New York; known for his uptempo production, clean lyrics, and motivational messages. Billy Drease Williams started as part of a short lived hip hop group called The Elements (formed with Soulive members Alan Evans and Neal Evans) and later was one half of a duo known as Raw Intel (with producer Trevor "TrevThorne" Drayton). Acclaimed Music critic Jeff Miers has described him as “the most promising, adventurous, nigh-on-visionary hip hop artist Buffalo has yet produced.”〔(Buffalo Game Changers: Edreys Wajed – Buffalo Spree – December 2012 – Buffalo, NY ). Buffalo Spree. Retrieved on 2014-02-19.〕 Raw Intel found success early, placing five songs on the ESPN NFL 2K5 Video Game,〔(ESPN NFL 2K5 (XBOX) Milestones/Crib Unlockables FAQ by JPaterson ). GameFAQs. Retrieved on 2014-02-19.〕 and producing a little-known but highly acclaimed self-titled album in 2002/2003. Billy Drease also collaborated with Soulive again for their Turn It Out Remixed Album and released a project on Velour Records with drummer Alan Evans, entitled M.E.K.A. 54.〔(MEKA 54: Music ). Amazon.com. Retrieved on 2014-02-19.〕 After the Raw Intel album failed to provide Billy with a viable major label deal, he focused his efforts on production and visual art: placing several tracks on films and television, including Lionsgate Films' "The Farce of the Penguins" and Lifetime Television's "Officer Down"; as well as opening an independent art gallery in Buffalo called Gallery 51.〔(Gallery 51 ). Buffalo Place. Retrieved on 2014-02-19.〕 Additionally, he produced several tracks for Atlanta-based rapper, Stat Quo.〔(Stat Quo – Checks & Balances (Mixtape) ). 2DOPEBOYZ (2009-02-05). Retrieved on 2014-02-19.〕〔(Stat Quo – QuoCity // Free Mixtape @ ). Datpiff.com. Retrieved on 2014-02-19.〕 Soon thereafter, Billy Drease decided to embrace the industry's movement from mainstream to indie 〔(NegativWorldWideWebLand ). Negativland.com. Retrieved on 2014-02-19.〕 and signed a deal with Buffalo-based independent label Deep Thinka Records, which then proceeded to re-brand themselves as DTR45. Creatively invigorated by the deal, Billy's first single "I Like It" – a raw chopped up rendition of a Betty Wright tune – secured features in Billboard Magazine〔(Edreys ). Billboard. Retrieved on 2014-02-19.〕 and on Myspace; and the accompanying music video was featured by YouTube and BET.〔Swinnich, Anthony (2008-04-02) (Edreys: An Up-And-Coming WNY Rapper ). buffalorising.com.〕 Originally performing as solo artist under his birth name, Edreys decided to take on the moniker Billy Drease Williams right around the same time I Like It dropped. This change in stage name was both in homage to the actor Billy Dee Williams and as a way for his the pronunciation of birth name to still be present within his stage name.〔(RapReview Feature for June 15, 2010 – Billy Drease Williams Interview ). Rapreviews.com (2010-06-15). Retrieved on 2014-02-19.〕 Billy Drease Williams has released three albums with Deep Thinka Records / DTR45, including Good Morning Amy – an inspirational hip hop album which garnered Grammy buzz〔(Billy Drease Williams: Good Morning Amy CD release party ). Buffalo Rising. Retrieved on 2014-02-19.〕 – and made several high profile features and appearances, including Warped Tour, NXNE,〔(NXNE 2009 Hip-Hop Extravaganza ). dopealot.com (2009-06-17)〕 and CMJ Music Marathon 〔() 〕 performances. His hit single, Just Doin' It has proven to be his biggest commercial success to date, and the groundbreaking music video has received over half a million views to date.〔(Billy Drease Williams – Just Doin' It ). YouTube (2010-07-19). Retrieved on 2014-02-19.〕 ==The Art of Hip-Hop== Billy Drease is the Executive Director of The Art of Hip Hop, a not for profit organization dedicated to "Educating the Future and Celebrating a Culture", achieved through the following guidelines: *To educate the public on the importance of the preservation, appreciation and positive influences of the culture of Hip-Hop and all forms of music. *To produce programming designed to improve scholastic abilities in math, reading and the sciences through after school tutoring, mentor-ship and educational excursions to help fight juvenile delinquency. *To utilize the business behind the music industry to teach youth about entrepreneurship and business functions. *To utilize the visual arts in helping youth express emotion and life issues, and help eliminate prejudice, discrimination and violence. The Art of Hip Hop has been celebrated as an event/festival in Buffalo the past years, and is currently on its fifth installment.〔(Art of Hip Hop: Community Event at the AKAG Lives On! ). Buffalo Rising. Retrieved on 2014-02-19.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Billy Drease Williams」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|