Getting co-signed by a guy who was discovered by Dr. Dre and Eminem can’t be a bad thing. Just ask rapper Mysonne, one of the MCs in the newly minted, Bronx-bred rap quintet Bang Bang Boogie.
“Our first song as a group was a track called ‘High Blood Pressure,’ about the fact that other rappers from the Bronx aren’t coming back to the ‘hood, giving back to the ‘hood or helping put on other rappers from the ‘hood,” Mysonne says. “50 [Cent] liked what we were doing so much that he recorded an intro to the track and posted the video on [his social networking site] thisis50.com.”
Since then, Mysonne (formerly signed to Def Jam), Big Pun cohort Cuban Linx, Lord Tariq (of Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz fame) and up-and-coming rappers S-One and Hocus 45th have released the mixtape “Bang Bang Boogie Vol. 1: The Machine” and three more videos. “Bang Bang Boogie Anthem” is currently being played during DJ mixshows on hip-hop WQHT (Hot 97) New York.
Now, aside from being courted by a handful of labels including Steve Rifkind’s SRC, Bang Bang Boogie is prepping another mixtape, “X Files: No Mercy for the Week,” slated to drop next week, and is putting the finishing touches on its as-yet-untitled album, scheduled for 2009. Producers Fame, Vinny Idol, Prince & Machiavelli, Minnesota, Trakdealaz and Arsonist have contributed to the set.
In addition to getting 50 Cent’s stamp of approval, Bang Bang Boogie is working closely with Bronx Assemblyman Ruben Diaz Jr. to initiate a hip-hop-driven “stay in school” campaign in the fall. Group members are also in the process of becoming ambassadors for the United Nations’ End Poverty campaign, for which they will film a public service announcement in coming months.
“The main purpose of the group is to bring the Bronx back to the forefront, but we also want to go to schools and community-based programs and talk to the kids,” says Tone, CEO of independent label NISSS, which signed Bang Bang Boogie earlier this year. “We want to bring awareness to the neighborhoods and teach them they can do what they want to do if they focus.”
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news