February 26th, 2008It's a rap: Hip-hip artist Boaz will debut first CD this spring
Local hip-hop artist Boaz could be the next star to rise out of Pittsburgh and into the mainstream.
He released his third mixtape CD this week at Time Bomb Spot in East Liberty, a long-time promoter of local hip-hop, and will debut his first album in May.
“I’ve been working so hard this last year, and that’s why I really wanted to name this ‘Monumental Music,’ just to put the stamp on what we’re doing,” said Boaz, 22, of Larimer, whose full name is Boaz Bey.
If his debut album takes off, Boaz could lend more credence to a local hip-hop scene that’s already gaining national attention thanks to Wiz Khalifa.
“(Boaz) always rose to the top when I was checking out the local scene,” said Artie Pitt, spokesman for East End-based Point Blank Productions, which produced the album. “His future is limitless.”
Boaz has been rapping for years, but he gained citywide attention at 19, when one of his songs — “It’s Alright” — won 106.7-FM WAMO’s Battle of the Beats contest for eight consecutive weeks.
“He’s not a basement rapper or some garbage hip-hop,” said Ashley Woodson, CEO of Brotha Ash Productions, a company that promotes events for the black community in Pittsburgh. “Boaz is the next thing to rise up out of Pittsburgh.”
Boaz grew up in a single-parent household — his father died when he was a child — and he is the second-youngest of five children.
He sometimes strayed while attending Westinghouse High School, becoming involved in some “negative things,” he said without elaborating. But he graduated, he said, insisting never to let living in the inner city be an excuse.
He continues to carry that attitude and hopes to pass it on to his 1-year-old son, Boaz said.
“It’s about how you’ve been groomed and whether you had a positive influence,” he said.
Time Bomb owner Brian Brick said Boaz is a hit with music fans. Brick said he’s been selling local hip-hop “since cassettes” and is a fan of Boaz’s original lyrics.
“None of my music is premeditated,” Boaz said. “I go into the studio and it comes together, as I get to thinking about things I’ve seen and different things I’ve done throughout the day.”
Last month, the rhymes that come so easily won him lyricist of the year at the Pittsburgh Hip-Hop Awards.
“He’s very versatile with his lyrics,” said Dwayne Muhammad, the event’s CEO. “To win that award, they have to be thought-provoking. Other artists’ lyrics are one-dimensional.”
Brick said he believes it’s just the beginning.
“There’s not a hip-hop group out there,” he said, “that doesn’t respect or know who Boaz is.”
