PRESSURE is the song you play when you need to feel heard by your music. The Authentic’s inspiring lyrics punch you in the gut and leave you with a feeling of motivation and determination. The lyrics grab your attention from the beginning and refuse to let you go for the duration of the song. “I see today standing in my way. Trouble’s always present so I get down on my knees and pray.” The song is a candid admission of the stress we feel just trying to get through life. The Authentic raps about how he knows life won’t be easy, but he will do everything he can to provide for his family and take care of himself. PRESSURE tackles the emotions that come with feeling adversity and difficulty perfectly. It’s open about how hard it can be to feel depended on, but also makes it clear that nothing will stand in The Authentic’s way. Its music video is equally as inspiring, showing ordinary people go through life struggling but determined to make it. Check out PRESSURE, along with the rest of the songs off of The Authentic’s 2020 project, Politics, War & Religion - Mixtape Series Volume One.
The Authentic Bio
In a day and time when music is strictly about glamour and entertainment, The Authentic stands as one of the last true MC’s focused on reality lyrics, a crazy flow, a one of a kind style and the real essence of Hip Hop. With so many replicas in the industry, The Authentic’s pure passion for the music allows him to stand in a league of his own and truly fits the definition of his title. With a flow that places him in a league of his own and a sincere love for his craft, The Authentic doesn’t hold back; addressing social issues and taking direct aim at whack rappers. Through his career, The Authentic has fully utilized his diverse experiences in life to develop a strong versatile catalog; with motivational tracks that depict the streets reality like hit single “Shining Star”, up-tempo Hip Hop anthems like “Turn It Up”, and party bangers like “Oh My God”. With over 10 solid years ripping through the underground, hundreds of performances under his belt, radio appearances and five solid mixtapes with thousands of units moved; The Authentic has firmly secured his slot in the game. Working hard to build his reputation and master the craft of being an MC (Master of Ceremony), he has performed all over the country, from New York City (Nuyorican Poets Café, Revolution Bookstore), Philadelphia (The Trocadero, Love Park, and Wells Fargo Center), North Carolina (NC State University, Dorton Arena), Las Vegas (Planet Hollywood and The Bunkhouse) and many more. His diligence, determination and natural raw talent has earned him respect from some of the most reputable figures in the game, including: DJ Rashaun, DJ Scratch of The Roots Crew, DJ Touchtone, DJ NoPhrillz and has landed him on stages with superstars such as, KRS ONE, Big Daddy Kane, Naughty By Nature, Jadakiss, Styles P, Musiq Soulchild and more. With his sound, his resume and pure passion for the culture, The Authentic truly represents a lost voice in Hip Hop.
In addition to being in a league of his own when it comes to lyrical content and experience; The Authentic separates himself from the pack by being more than just another artist. Over the years, he has dedicated a majority of his time off the stage to building his community and standing as a voice on various social issues. In 2011, The Authentic created an annual event called “The Authentic Minds College Fair Tour”, which hosted over 50 colleges, guest speakers and live performances held at the Martin Luther King Recreation Center located in North Philadelphia. This College Fair alone generated a wave of media buzz and lead to the interest of multiple sponsors. By establishing himself on the corporate side, The Authentic has created multiple opportunities to perform and organize entertainment events for companies and organizations. The Authentic has also served as a Community Relations Director and spokesman for various Non Profits and local movements. To him, Hip Hop is a way of life and a culture and he feels that the mic should be utilized to depict real life and to open people’s minds to a reality that most people do not understand.
The Authentic’s love for Hip Hop started in the 80’s at a very early age, listening to legends such as RUN DMC, KRS ONE, LL Cool J, and witnessing local break dancing competitions and DJ battles. He became fascinated with the expressions of the culture in every aspect and embodied being a key figure to continue the movement. While growing up in South Jersey, he witnessed his mother struggle to pay the bills and embraced all of the usual elements of the hood; violence, drugs and poverty. As he adapted to his environment, he gravitated to the mic to speak on exactly what he experienced first hand and continues to do so. The Authentic hit the scene hard in the late 90’s, touring the Northeast with Wyclef Jean’s award winning group City High. Shortly after the tour, The Authentic’s group, at the time, signed a joint venture deal with a local independent label and No Limit records, which eventually fell through. Following the fallout of the deal, he quickly bounced back rocking stages with Lil’ Kim, Tracey Lee, Jackal the Bear, and landed a slot on the radio with Legendary DJ Jay Ski; all before graduating high school. By the grace of GOD, The Authentic headed to Raleigh, NC after high school to attend college and to pursue new music opportunities. With so many colleges in the area and a solid underground scene in NC, The Authentic’s career excelled all while trying to balance school work, hustling to pay tuition and his passion for Hip Hop. The Authentic hit the ground running by tearing down college talent shows and was eventually booked to open for DJ Clue, Jadakiss, Petey Pablo, Styles P and D.C., go-go music legends Backyard Band. In early 2000 The Authentic was selected to headline the CIAA Championship Game at Dorton Arena, as well as the CIAA Hip Hop Hoops Tour, which hit colleges through MD, VA and NC, including NC Central, VA State and Winston-Salem State College. This tour led to him landing a deal with an affiliate label of the NBC television network. The Authentic teamed up with Raleigh’s illest underground MC “Bubsy” to form a group called “Lock n Load”, which dropped two hit singles on the “One Hot Minute Compilation”, a collaborative effort by NC’s top artists from around the state. Both singles released received hundreds of spins from Richmond, VA to Raleigh, NC to Florence, SC. Following graduation from St. Augustine’s College with a Public Relations degree, The Authentic released his first underground project “Vision of Hope” which sold over 500 units all while teaching elementary school and creating youth outlet programs in the poverty stricken city of Henderson, NC.
After putting in work in NC, The Authentic headed back home to Jersey embracing his degree, but sucked back into the traps of the hood. He continued making mixtape appearances and rocking shows all through the tri-state. Living in Trenton during one of the worst stretches of gang violence in the state’s history prompted the release of “The Line of Fire Mixtape”. It became the theme music, depicting the reality and moved over 1,500 copies on the street and in local stores. While “The Authentic’s” reputation was growing in the area, he suffered the lost of his cousin, best friend and roommate, Tone; who was shot in the back twice a few hundred yards from their home, while The Authentic was rocking his first show in NYC. After the lost of his cousin, he felt strongly about turning further away from the streets and using his voice more as a tool for awareness of the realities that the inner city youth face. From that point, he embraced his cousin’s last conversation with him, in which he reminded The Authentic that his role is to be “The Public Relations of the hood”.
Following The Authentic’s explosion on the scene in Jersey, he relocated to Philadelphia to build his brand in the nation’s 5th largest city. In no time he began smashing open mics and local shows in every section of the city earning him spins and respect amongst the areas top DJ’s, such as DJ NoPhrillz, DJ Touchtone, DJ Jay Ski and DJ GregNitty. The Authentic blazed through the city with his mixtape release “Reality of it All”, followed by “Real Recognize Real” with hit single “Turn It Up”, which gained him national attention getting radio spins on FM stations from New York City, Las Vegas, Atlanta, and Philly’s 100.3 The Beat. The national buzz set the tone for The Authentic’s next mixtape “Righteous Kill Mixtape Vol. 1”, packed with versatile hits and moved 5,000 units in the street with no budget. With things in motion, he continued to make appearances all through the city from Unity Day with Chaka Khan, Philly Fest with Mos Def and Musiq, The Old Skool Jam with KRS ONE and Roxanne Shante, The Rotunda, The Trocadero, and XO Lounge with Philly Swain and Reed Dollars. He headlined Philadelphia Schools Stop the Violence Tour, West Philly Day, Nicetown Day, South Philly Day and Mantua Day with Naughty by Nature. The Authentic also showed up heavy on the radar with a feature on well known Gunz n’ Butter productions DJ J-Scrilla compilation “Culture of Honor” featuring Cassidy, DipSet, Tek and Reef The Lost Cauze.
Check out his music through the links above and stay connected with The Authentic through his socials to make sure you never miss new music. Remember to follow Hip Hop Scriptures to stay updated on the latest Fresh Artist Friday.
STAY CONNECTED WITH THE AUTHENTIC ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
Facebook - Instagram - Twitter - YouTube - www.theauthentic.bandcamp.com
