Melanin 9

M9 - Strange Fruit



MELANIN 9’S LESS DOUBTFUL JOURNEY INTO THE PATH OF HIP HOP STARTED FROM A YOUNG AGE OF 14, FROM WHICH STEMMED FROM A BIG INSPIRATION OF VARIOUS LEGENDARY EMCEES AND PRODUCERS SUCH AS MOBB DEEP, NAS, ONYX,RAS KASS, THE UMMAH,LORD FINESSE, PETE ROCK, AND WU-TANG TO SAY THE LEAST. HIS ARDENT AMBITION TO STUDY FURTHER INTO THE MECHINISMS OF EMCING WOULD LAND HIM INTO HIS FIRST APPERANCE ON THE MIC WITH A GROUP KNOWN AS “ANARCHY” AT THE AGE OF 15 FROM WHICH WAS FORMED FROM A CLOSE SCHOOL FRIEND KNOWN AS PROPAGANDA. THE TEAM CONSISTED OF SIX MEMBERS M9 BEING THE LAST MEMBER TO BE EMBRACED. “I WOULD CHECK TY (PROPAGANDA) AND WE WOULD FREESTYLE FOR HOURS FROM THE BEATS HE MADE ON HIS EJAY, I WAS BLOWN AWAY BY TALENT HE HAD, JUST TO HEAR A PERSON I KNEW MAKE BEATS ON THAT LEVEL WAS A BIG INSIPRATION FOR ME, WE WOULD THEN FIND THE RIGHT LYRICS AND WE WOULD START TO RECORD UNTIL A TRACK WAS MADE”. M9 WOULD RELIGIOUSLY ATTEND A LOCAL YOUTH CLUB, WHO WERE RELENTLESSLY FOCUSED ON GETTING TEENAGERS OF THE STREETS AND INTO MUSIC, THE LESSONS TAUGHT BY THE MUSIC ENGINEERS WOULD FAMILIARISE HIM WITH THE PRODUCTION SIDE OF HIP HOP AND HE WOULD GO ON TO PRODUCE HIS FIRST TRACK “MAINTAIN” WITH ANOTHER GROUP OF BOYS KNOWN AS “ILLITE 13”. FROM THIS TRACK BLOSSOMED A SPRITUAL BOND WITH THIS GROUP AND WAS SOON INITIATED AS PART OF THEM, THE MEMBERS BEING “MAYHEM AND OZEEKS”. “ I KNEW MAYHEM FROM SCHOOL HIS BROTHER WAS MY BROTHERS AGE GROUP, WE WOULD ALWAYS SHOW EACH OTHER LOVE, UNTIL ONE DAY I WENT TO CHECK HIM AND I WOULD FIND OUT WE SHARED THE SAME LOVE FOR THE RAP GAME, WE WOULD FREESTYLE FOR DAYS IN HIS BROTHERS YARD TO SOME ILL NEW YORK BEATS, HE SHOWED ME A LOT OF WHAT I KNOW TODAY ABOUT EMCING”. M9’S NAME WAS NOW BEGINNING TO HAVE A LOCAL BUZZ, BUT THE STRUGGLE TO DEAL WITH THE HARDSHIPS OF BEING A TEENAGER WAS EVER SO PROMINENT, FROM DROPPING IN AND OUT OF COLLEGE, TO OBSERVING HIS LOCAL SURROUNDINGS HAD HIM REFLECTING WHAT HE SAW ON HIS LYRIC PAD AND VICIOUSLY TRANSENDING HIS LYRICAL ABILITY. AT THE AGE OF 21 M9 FOUND HIMSELF ANXIOUS TO LET THE WORLD HEAR HIS MATERIAL BUT WITH NO AVENUES TO PUT IT OUT LEFT HIM FRUSTRATED, EVENTUALLY HE WOULD UNCANNILY STUMBLE UPON A VERY SKILLED RAPPER KNOWN AS SKRIBLAH DAN GOGH, FROM COINCIDENLTY LIVING NEXT DOOR TO EACH OTHER AT A FOYER. AT THAT POINT SKRIBLAH WAS WELL KNOWN FROM BEING A MEMBER OF A GROUP KNOWN AS “TERRA FIRMA”. SKRIBLAH WAS DETERMINED TO LET THE WORLD KNOW ABOUT M9 THROUGH ANY AVENUE HE THOUGHT WAS POSSIBLE, THEY THEN BEGAN TO REALTE TO EACH OTHERS STRUGGLE ON A TRACK KNOWN AS “COLD” WHICH WAS A BIG TURNING POINT FOR M9, FROM THIS POINT HE WOULD BECOME FRIENDS WITH ANOTHER WELL KNOWN PRODUCER CALLED CHEMO. HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH SKRIBLAH ALSO HAD HIM GRAVITATING TOWARDS TWO HACKNEY EMCEES KNOWN AT THE TIME AS “PHALANX HERESY”. “I REMEMBER BEING IN SKRIBLAH’S ROOM AND THESE TWO GUYS CAME TO CHECK HIM, WE STARTED TO POLITIK ON THE GAME AND HOW ITS CHANGED AND WHAT WE CAN INDIVIUALLY OFFER TO IT, WE BEGAN TO FORM A CYPHER. I REMEMBER BEING VERY IMPRESSED WITH THE DUO’S LYRICAL ABILTIES AND WANTING TO ENGAGE IN FUTURE COLLABORATIONS”. THE PLOT BEGAN TO THICKEN AS M9 FOUND HIMSELF RECORDING A TRACK WITH PHALANX HERESY CALLED “POLITIKIN” FROM THIS TRACK FORMED TWO OTHER TRACKS KNOWN AS “PYRAMID WARZ” AND “CHILDREN OF THE MATRIX”. AT THIS POINT A DECISION WAS MADE TO CONSOLIDATE TALENTS INTO ONE GROUP WHICH WILL STOP AT NOTHING TO DELIVER A MESSAGE OF THE MENTAL, PHYSICAL AND STRITUAL BARRIERS THEIR NATION FACES ON A DAILY BASIS, THE GROUPS NAME WOULD BE “TRIPLE DARKNESS”.
BY MARCH 2007 MELANIN 9’S FIRST OFFICIAL SOLO OFFERING “HI FIDELITY” WAS PRESENTED TO THE WORLD. HIS DREAM OF ALWAYS WANTING TO SELL A PRODUCT FROM HIMSELF IN MAJOR STORES BECAME A REALITY. EVEN THOUGH IT WAS SEEN AS AN ALBUM IT WAS ONLY A MIXTAPE, WHICH RECEIVED VERY POSITIVE FEEDBACK TO SAY THE LEAST, FROM MAJOR MAGAZINE ARTICLE WRITERS SUCH AS HIP HOP CONNECTION, BLUES & SOULS AND DJ MAG. HIS SINGLES “4 SOULS” AND “COLD” RECEIVED VERY HEAVY ROTATION ON RADIO STATIONS SUCH AS “BBC 1 XTRA”, BBC ASIAN, ITCH FM AND MANY MORE. HIS SOLO OFFERING HAD MAJOR PROMOTERS INTRIGED AND WAS GIVEN A CHANCE TO OPEN SHOWS FOR ARTISTS SUCH AS STYLES P, SAIGON, IMMORTAL TECHNIQUE, REDMAN AND METHODMAN. AS WE NOW EMBARK ON THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER M9 IS NOW READY TO RELEASE HIS NEW SINGLE ALONGSIDE A NEW PROJECT KNOWN AS “144,000” HE IS NOW READY TO ONCE AGAIN CARRY A MULTI LAYERED MESSAGE FOR HIS PEOPLE AND TO ALSO SHOW APPRECIATION AND RESPECT TO ALL THOSE WHO TRIED IN THE PAST.



Melanin 9- 4 Souls



Triple Darkness - Anathema