It all started at Haimez house on the Corner of Mockingbird and Gumtree. You might be sayin "that don't sound like the Hood!", you're right, its just a small middle class suburb. The home of teachers, nurses, and construction workers. Blue Collar America. We had an old Boss Drum Machine, a Yamaha Sampler, a Keyboard, a 4-Track Tape Recorder, and a hand held mic. We made a couple songs called "Chumps" and "Put Ur Weed Away" and caught that music bug. Soon after that we got a Cd full of "throw away" beats from Jay-E, a local DJ and producer that ended up making most of the beats for Nelly's "Country Grammar". We spent over a year making our first release "Treez 2000" and handed out copies to as many people as we could, getting good responses that encouraged us to grow to what we are today, over seven years later. The sound quality has improved quite a bit, but we still have that rawness and emotion of a song that was recorded in a closet. With catchy hooks that keep the crowd involved, the energy of a Treez show is more like going to a party. Everybody is drinkin, gettin loud, and actin dumb- Just the way we like it! We have been compared to a lot of different people, so its hard to really say who we sound like. Some say The Beastie Boys, some say Bone , some say The Alkaholiks. If you know your Hip-Hop, then you understand the dilemma, because those groups really don't sound like each other at all. But that is what we are really all about, we each bring our own different sound and style to the table. When you add to that a conscious effort to have a different subject and theme to each song, and a wide spectrum of production on our new CD, I know there will be some songs that strike a chord. Or hopefully, after listening to feedback from our fans, you can just put the "Top Notch" CD in and let it ride. We have really tried to focus on the things that we have done in our lives, not what we've just heard stories about, or what we wanna buy when we get some money. We drive economy cars with factory wheels, we hate our jobs, we try to pay bills, and we eat a lot of macaroni and cheese. Normal type of issues that everyone has to deal with and can easily relate to. Each member of The Treez followed a different path, but we all ended up in St. Charles, MO - a small casino and college town just across the Missouri River from St. Louis.
________________________________________________________________
Dustin aka Mustee Majastee was born in Southern Missouri in a town called Springfield and then moved to St. Charles in 92. He was a three-sport athlete in high school and moved to Virginia for school after graduation. After his own share of drama, he moved back to the Chuck the same year JusTime moved back from college, and The Treez roster was complete. Now we all got a lil game when it comes to the females, but I have to admit he is a ladies man. His stage presence, unique rhyme patterns, and quick delivery makes him a force to be reckoned with. Imagine T.I., Lil Wayne, and Krazie Bone rolled up into one.
Musical Influences: Tupac, Big Pun, E-40, and Talib Kweli
________________________________________________________________
Kevin aka Krush Nasty was born in Richmond, CA, in an area where you are pretty much in the minority if you are white. But being the quarterback for the high school football team and also an emcee in a local group, it wasn't hard to fit in. However in 96, after the violent death of several close friends, he felt it was time for a fresh start, so he left California for St. Charles to be closer to his Mother and Brother. His sense of humor, his honesty about his life, and complete lack-of-given-a-shit-what-you-think-about-him-ness either makes you love'em or hate'em, and it made him a perfect fit for The Treez. His style is like a mix of Del the Funky Homosapein, Eminem, and Ad Rock.
Musical Influences: NWA, Tupac, Eminem, and E-40 (since 91 when he was a Bay Area Local)
________________________________________________________________
Justin aka JusTime moved from St. Louis to St. Charles in 93, the year of the flood, just a couple of blocks from Haimez house, the headquarter of the Treez. Just a quiet kid who loved basketball and Hip-Hop, no one ever expected him to pick up a microphone. But he was inspired to start rapping after reading old songs written by his father who had recently passed away. Besides being an emcee, he produced 2 songs on Top Notch, and is also actively involved in the recording and mixing process. He has some elements of Redman, Common, and a little bit of Nas.
Musical Influences: Rakim, Nas, Common, and Outkast
________________________________________________________________
The Treez are not just us 3 emcees, we represent a neighborhood and a whole group of childhood friends, many of whom have played a big part in our music.
Jesse Kuhn - a talented artist and graphic designer-
Joey Meier -The man behind the camera and video production-
Bob Crossman - sound engineer and owner of Gamble Street Studios -
James "Hamiez" Williams - emcee/producer and founding member of The Treez
________________________________________________________________
Describing our music has been like trying to explain a color to someone with
their eyes covered. They can get a basic idea of what they're about to see,
but until you take the blinds off your eyes you won't get the full experience.
Ironically, for some you, you will need to put them back on too fully appreciate our Music.Yes we are all white. Always have been, and unless something really strange happens, always will be. Some people say this is an advantage, some a huge disadvantage. Personally. I say Fuck That!! Either you like the music or you don't, we can't control that. The old saying fully applies here, "if you try to make everybody happy, you're not gonna make anybody happy!". So we're just gonna do us and see what happens.
I created my own profile using Haimez Bitches!!!!!
