Saturday, February 26, 2011

Amped Wednesdays

Wednesday March 2nd Future Promotions brings you some of the hottest up and coming artist in Virginia. Come out and see El Angel, Jay2da, BDukes and Over 21 take the stage starting at 10:30pm. Tickets are only $5 at the door

If you saw Jay2da and Over 21 perform before Wale at Icons you know what to expect. They will both be performing some unreleased material. This is Angels and BDukes first appearance at ICONS, if you haven't heard of them you need to come check them out!
DJ Lion L will be the guest DJ for the night. After the concert party with Future Promotions and all the artist VIP style

ICONS specials for the night available all night: MUST BE 21+$8 Pitchers
$5 Jose Silver Shots (for all the tequila lovers)
$3 Shooters

@RyanFeltman
@iFuture703
@FuturePromoVA
@RollitUpJay
@officialO21

Support your local artists!

Icons

10418 Main St.

Fairfax, VA

Get to know Elim

Future Promotions recently sat down with Mike and Mark Longhelt of the group Elim to see what they had to say.

FuturePromotions: You have a very unique sound, where did the concept for this band come from?

Mark: We wanted to write music not only that we liked, but what people enjoy and connect with and also unique to our talents. Kinda put our own stamp on it. Our spin on pop/hip hop! We both come from a background of being front men for separate rock bands. Mine was The Common Threat which was similar to Rage Against The Machine and Mike's was Dreaming of Eden which was a lot like Saosin (emo/screamo rock). While we were busy with both of those projects we began doing some hip hop stuff on the side just for fun more than anything. We named it 703 Boys and just kinda got around to making music when we had the time. We never really had any ambition of making it our full-time project. But over time Mike got a lot better at writing beats and the production side of things so it became something we were doing with much more regularity. And we found ourselves falling into our niche of pop/hip hop/electronica. Eventually both of our bands took a back seat to what we believe is the genre and project that we are supposed to involved in.

Mike: So we decided to change the name to ELIM, shoot a video, release an EP, and the rest is history!

Who came up with the name Elim and does it have a certain meaning?

Mike: It was pretty much a mutual thing. We had been searching for a name change from 703 Boys for quite some time. To be honest it seemed we were never gonna settle on something. But one day Mark said "Why don't we just name it ELIM?" and we both just kinda knew that was it!

Mark: The name has a couple different meanings actually. First of all, it has Biblical meaning. When the Hebrews were freed from slavery in Egypt and they crossed the Red Sea the first place they came to was a resting place or oasis that they named Elim. Which is actually still there to this day.Secondly, it has family meaning. Back in 1972 our grandparents bought a piece of property with the dream of having it be a place where they could spread love to people that were in desperate need of it. Over the years they had all sorts of people live there; runaways, broken families, homeless, and even our family. Eventually the county came to them and said that they had to change the name of the street, and after deliberation they decided on Elim based on the idea that the property was an oasis for the hurting and a haven for love and generosity.That is kinda how we feel about our music. We want our music and our lives to exude love to a hurting and broken world. That is our mission. So that's why it just seemed right when that name was mentioned.

Which song is your personal favorites?

Mark: My personal favorite is "On Top Of The World".
It's kinda my story from a life of hustlin and strugglin to restoration, freedom, and accomplishment. It means a lot to me cuz it is me.
Mike: I find it hard to choose a favorite but would probably have to say Can’t Stop Us because the premise is that no matter what any individual says, they can’t stop us from reaching our destiny.

What is the best part about performing?

Wow! What ISN'T great about performing? We both love it so much! From the hard work behind the scenes to the bright lights and sense of freedom from expressing yourself through something you love to do!
But if we had to pick a particular aspects that we enjoy the most I'd have to say it's the sheer joy we get from simply being on a stage. We love it. It's a high like no other. The feeling of connecting with people through music that you have written is something that cannot be substituted. Now you got me wanting to go play a show!!!!

So far what has been your best expierience?

Mark: Just all the love and support we've gotten from our friends and family! It really has been overwhelming to realize that so many amazing people have our back and truly believe in who we are and what we are doing. I don't know if we'll ever be able to really convey just how much they all mean to us, but I know we hope that we do the most with every opportunity we get to show them.

Who inspires your songs?

Mike: It's more of a "what" than a "who" I think. It really can be the most random thing, and more often than not it is. We kinda live in the mindset of constantly writing. Whether it be the music, a hook, or lyrics. Our brains are so incredibly immersed in music that we're just constantly coming up with new stuff, and we're really blessed in that sense to be almost obsessed with something that you honestly love to create and to perform.

When can we expect some new music?

Mike: Very soon! We're currently working on 3 new tracks, and we're hoping to release them as soon as possible. Our goal is to put out, or at least finish, a minimum of 1 new song per month. And since we do EVERYTHING ourselves it makes it a lot easier because we don't have to work around anyone else's schedule.

Any last shoutouts?

Elim: We just wanna express again how eternally grateful we are to everyone that has helped us along the way, and have been pillars of love and support throughout our journey! We look forward to amazing things in our future, and hope to be able to share it with every single person we come in contact with. From dear old friends to the new ones we meet everyday.
We love you all and know for certain we could never do this without you!!

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

"Ready to Roll" - Henny

Check out the first leak from Henny Ged's Get

Em Drunk Vol.1 dropping 3.1.11.

"Ready to Roll"

produced by DJ Black Diamond.

Friday, February 18, 2011

Get to know El Angel.

FuturePromotions: Where did you grow up?
El Angel: I was born in West Palm Beach Florida, which a lot of people don't know. I wasn't there for too long though before I went up to New York. I grew up in the Bronx, Grand Concourse and Marcy Pl. So I guess you could say I definitely really knew hood life. Bronx is still one of the few borroughs not being made all nice and pretty haha.

FuturePromotions: What do you do before writing new music?
El Angel: You know this is a question I actually get asked a lot. Really there's not much I do in preparation. I know that's probably not an entertaining answer haha, but honestly all my songs come from feeling and I think that's what makes me produce some of the quality music I have. Everything I do is based on emotion. Even the club tracks I have, I was in that mood. I really think any artist that has some big thing that he or she does before they do music is just craving attention. Music was created on feeling, not on rituals.

FuturePromotions: Describe your pre show routine.
El Angel: Now here I get routine haha. Really my basic thing is not talking much, I have to make sure my voice is saved. I have a bad habit of getting EXTREMELY hyped up during a show so I got to keep my voice intact. Usually I do something that I don't do on an everyday basis and maybe grab a couple cups of warm tea with honey, but my main element that is NECESSARY is the 30 minutes before show time, I find a secluded spot and just listen to my show tracks before I go on. I really have to get in the right attitude and mind set before the show so I know there's no mistakes that are possible. If I don't get this, chances are I won't be in the right state of mind I need to be in to give my audience what they deserve, and that's 200% of me.

FuturePromotions: What inspires you to write your music?
El Angel: To be honest, everything. I'm not like most artists, I listen to EVERY genre of music. Everything from country to gospel to house to hip-hop. I'm even starting to listen to dub-step now and want to do something with it. Like I said before, when I get in that mode, I write, so I could hear a country song and it put me in the mood for writing and I go from there. I also get inspiration from things I see, conversations I have. I pride myself on the creativity I posses and I think that's what causes me to write such a wide variety of things. I've wrote tracks that tell a story of me getting killed, and then right behind it write a hot club track. Whatever happens in the brief period of time before I write is where I draw my inspiration from.

FuturePromotions: How did you get your stage name?
El Angel: This is kind of a funny story...at least to me haha. I actually didn't get the name Angel until I was 16 so around 2004. I've been doing music the last 12 years, so I've gone through a few, from T-MAC, J-Money, J-Dollar, but most recently it was T-MAC, El Angel De La Muerte, El Angel, and Angel for short...so it was a long road to get here haha. I got the name El Angel De La Muerte (The Angel of Death) from my engineer Kay'O, one of the people that really taught me how to do hip-hop (check out his music athttp://www.youtube.com/Kbizzyaldy). I was actually in the middle of a beef with a group in Lynchburg, VA which is the second place I guess you can say I grew up haha. During this beef things got really personal, and the things I was saying in the track Kay'O was like "damn you're really murdering these kids careers" so I said I guess I'm like the angel of death in the rap game, and he just gave me that look and that's when I knew that was me. So it just sort of stuck since then.

FuturePromotions: When can we expect some new music?
El Angel: I'm actually working on a couple new things right now, so honestly I'm hoping tomorrow haha. I've been slacking a lot lately with the night life job I have...GO TEAM SiNERGY (with MUCH love and respect to Future Promotions)!!! But I'm going to ge tback into the swing of something new every week.

FuturePromotions: Where do you want to be in 5 years?
El Angel: I have a phrase I live by "I'd rather die never known than you every forget my name." So honestly, I just want to know that people have heard, were affected by, and enjoy my music. That's really where I wanna be. Fame and fortune is nice, but honestly, I just want my music to be received the way it was intended in the beginning.

FuturePromotions: Any last shoutouts?
El Angel: Of course my girl Suni that I love and care about. My mom (this is sounding like the grammys haha) but honestly, even though she hates some of my music cause she's kind of old school she still supports me, my little girl Ana Carina who is my inspiration to keep striving to be the best, Future Promotions, my boy Nelson Pratts Jr. AKA Infamus Da Emcee who is CEO of our label Round Table Geniuses for always pushing me to be that much better, all of the Round Table Geniuses Family, my boys at SiNERGY Kia, Jad, Nayef, Josh, Jeff, Omid, Jordyn, Chris, Kyle, Sam, and everyone I'm missing, MUCH LOVE!!! My boy Tre back in the Burg, Mycole AKA DJ Wiz, all of my locs back in Rivermont in Lynchburg one of us is gonna make it haha, and anyone else that I might be missing in this I love you all and I appreciate everything that we've all done and accomplished together.

Get to know SMV.

FuturePromotions: How did you get your stage name?
SMV: Well I've always been into sneakers, and i just kept buying and selling, trading. I forget who but someone called me SneakaMan. That stuck, the people can never get my name right, its Vahn, but theyd always call me Vann, so i just put both of them together. SneakaMan Vann or SMV.

FuturePromotions:What motivates you to write a new song?

SMV: My motivation comes primarily from the beat. To me the beat is than just a melody, it almost speak to you ya kno. So with the right beat, it almost tells you what to spit over it.

FuturePromotions: How long have you been making music?

SMV: I been making music for like 2 years, but ive been rhyming since i was 12 or 13

FuturePromotions:What is your ultimate goal in this industry?
SMV: My ultimate goal is simple, im not in it for money, cars, or w/e, I've always rhymed just to so people can hear what I have to say. I feel like im doing something special here and people just need to hear it. So the ultimate goal is to have a national or international fan base.

FuturePromotions: What is the most essintial element of your warddrobe?
SMV: KICKS, and maybe the shades, but sneakers for sure. I remember times where i was pressed for real, like everything fresh except my shoes, i just dont feel as confident as i do when i got heat on. >

FuturePromotions: Does being a rapper help you get girls?
SMV: Ha!...Me and Levi was just talkin' about this but yea I do see a lil more attention from the ladies now that I'm spitn bars. We aint talkin big numbers, but I do well lol.

FuturePromotions: Any last shoutouts?
SMV: Big ups to Creative Avalanche, Emmett, Ricky and Levi for the feature, Future Promotions, JeyRedd-big thanks for the production, Timbo, Dj Kenni Ken, and to all that listen and understand what im tryna do !!

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Get to know Choppa434

FuturePromotions:

FuturePromotions: What do you do before writing new music?

Choppa434: Before I start writing I listen to the beat a few times then I find a topic or however I'm feeling and I write about it.

FuturePromotions: Describe your pre show routine.

Choppa434: My pre show routine is usually listen to my music just to go over lines, and just chill with my people and get right.

FuturePromotions: What inspires you to write your music?
Choppa434: When my grandmother died i started writin just to vent.

FuturePromotions: How did you get the stage name Choppa434?
Choppa434: I got it from a couple of my people I do music with just from ripping tracks so I just ran with it. 434 is charlottesville area code

FuturePromotions: When can we expect some new music?
Choppa434: Well I just dropped a mix-tape "St.Valentines Day Massacre" on valentines day.There is plenty more to come y'all can expect some around the late spring.

Download St. Valentines Day Massacre here.

FuturePromotions: Where do you want to be in 5 years?
Choppa434: I wanna be known in my state and world wide I wanna be recognized with some of the best.

FuturePromotions: Any last shoutouts?
Choppa434: I wanna shoutout my moms little brother sis,my homie B-Dub, Getta, Future Promotion , Over 21, B.Palma, and everybody that support me and good music.

Get to know Jay2da

I recently had a chance to sit down with new Future Promotions team member Jay2da days after his show opening for Wale at Icons. Here is the interview that took place.

FuturePromotions: How did you get your stage name?
Jay2da: It was one of those things that just came to me, i had gone by other names before like Jayce Evans, Lou, just random shit, but Jay2da just came out the blue and it stuck.

FuturePromotions: Who are your musical influences?
Jay2da: I love classic shit like A Tribe Called Quest, old Nas, old Jay-Z, Outkast, Digable Planets, like the stuff that started everything that we lsiten to today. I love new stuff like Lupe Fiasco, The Cool Kids, N.E.R.D,Pac Div, Cudi, Wiz, J.Cole, Curren$y and a bunch of other underground cats. I also love out of hip hop stuff like Jimi Hendrix, Aerosmith, The Mars Volta, etc. To me good music is good music and you can learn a little bit from everyone

FuturePromotions: Describe your pre show routine.
Jay2da: It starts at my house when I get ready...its starts with the shoe selection then I build what im wearing from there. After thats all straight, I usually get to the venue way before the show and scope out the stage so I know what Im working with as far as space goes and the view. And from that point I'm continuously running lyrics in my head and drinking until its time to perform.

FuturePromotions: What inspires you to write your music?
Jay2da: My inspiration comes from experiences, whether it be my past, like high school, or something that I saw on the way to work. I try to only talk about stuff that I've been through or want to get to and everything in between.

FuturePromotions: You just opened up for Wale and Over 21, whats next?
Jay2da: My mixtape and a Frat house tour bitchesss!

FuturePromotions: When can we expect some new music?
Jay2da: Within the next couple weeks actually, we've been in the studio cooking up new shit, we are just waiting to decide what we want to push and what we wanna throw out. We've been experimenting with different styles, different producers and different overall sounds. We want to slap the world in the face with something that will wake them up to Jay2da and The Locals.

FuturePromotions: Where do you want to be in 5 years?
Jay2da: In 5 years I want to be wherever the music takes me. We have a game plan, a solid team and dope music so the sky is the limit. Im just a regular dude with dreams of a penthouse suite with a '78 Trans Am in the parking garage ya know? haha. I want my music to be bigger than just around the DMV and I want to make a brand in the music industry that hasn't been seen before.

FuturePromotions: Any last shoutouts?
Jay2da: Yeah I wanna shout out my girl who's been supporting my music, my parents, Future Promotions, Over21, and HMG and all my Locals that bang with the movement. Check me out on Twitter @RollitUpJay and search "Jay2da" on Facebook to hear the music and to stay updated on future shows and releases.
...And I shouldnt have to say it, but this for The Locals ONLY.

Find Jay2da on facebook --> http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Jay2da/360621401623

Find Future Promotions on facebook --> http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/group.php?gid=112947152099332

TWITTER
@RollitupJay
@FutureVAPromo
@RyanFeltman
@iFuture703

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

HERE WE GO - SMV feat. Levi & Ricky Tan

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Yung Choppa: St.Valentines Day Massacre

Go download the newest mix tape from Future Promotions very own Choppa434. St. Valentines day Massacre is guaranteed to be one of the hottest mix tapes coming out of Virginia this year. Helping this project come together was B. Palma and B-dub. Charlottesville, VA has found its Hip-Hop King. Stay tuned for more from Choppa and the Future Promotions Team.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD "St. Valentines Day Massacre"

http://twitter.com/Choppa434

http://twitter.com/RyanFeltman

http://twitter.com/iFuture703
http://twitter.com/FuturePromoVA

Sunday, February 6, 2011

New Dirtyhearts shirt.

Bryan Williams tells Dallas radio that he's got a "mill ticket" riding on Lil Wayne's preferred contender in tonight's Super Bowl XLV.

Birdman Hints He's Betting $1 Million On The Green Bay Packers In Super Bowl

Last week, Cash Money Records' superstar Lil Wayne released Green Bay Packers fight song"Green & Yellow"

, a remixed version to Pittsburgh Steelers anthem "Black & Yellow"

, made by the city's own Wiz Khalifa. In a new video interview, it appears that Cash Money's co-founder Bryan "Birdman" Williams (f/k/a Baby) agrees with his artist. Last week, Birdman appeared at Dallas, Texas' K104 FM station with DJ Khaled, and hinted that he's got a million dollars riding on tonight's Super Bowl XLV contest.

"If you listen to us, you'll feel us," said the former Big Tymers rapper. Continuously repeating the term "mill ticket," the executive-turned-rapper boasted that he and his associates live a life of grandeur. "A mill ticket, man, figure it out."

The official line on tonight's game has been reported to be 2 1/2 points, riding in Green Bay's favor.

RICK ROSS OFFICIALLY SIGNS NEW MAYBACH MUSIC ARTIST, "THE INK IS FINALLY DRY"

After weeks of speculation and rumor, Rick Ross has officially inked Roc Nation's Wale to his own Maybach Music artist roster.

Issuing a tweet to RapRadar.com owner Elliott Wilson reading "the ink dry. lets go," Wale's placement on Maybach Music has now been confirmed.

Around mid-December, Ross revealed his intent to sign Wale and Philadelphia-bred emcee Meek Millz to his label.

"Wale is a hustler," Ross added. "I feel he's one record away from being the next n*gga. He's just a naturally fly n*gga. Slick talking n*gga. That's right up my alley. I just think that comradery, riding with Rozay, it'll mean that much more. I feel he's one record away. As well as Meek Millz." (The Source)