Wax | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Michael Jones |
| Born | April 5, 1979 Dunkirk, Maryland |
| Origin | Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Genres | Hip Hop / Alternative Hip Hop |
| Occupation | Emcee/Singer |
| Years active | 2007 - Present |
| Labels | Def Jam Recordings |
Michael Jones (born April 5, 1979), better known by his stage name Wax, is an American musician, rapper, singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. [1] The actual substance of wax is where he derives his stage name because of it's versatility in everyday use. Wax can be molded, solidified, or liquidated as skateboarders use it to make things slide, while surfers use it to make things stick. [2] Wax also develops in ears. This metaphorically serves Wax's persona as a musician.
Early Life
editWax hails from Calvert County, Maryland and grew up watching music videos and live performances on MTV. His biggest influences from his early childhood were Guns N' Roses and DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. [3] Soon after in sixth grade he picked up a guitar and started singing and rapping [3] Then in middle school he started listening to artists such as - Eazy-E, N.W.A, and Too Short. Mixing his influences together into a special blend of Johnny Cash meets Jay-Z [4], Wax eventually became a lead vocal/guitar member of a 6 piece band, MacGregor, who had the chance to experience touring throughout the United States in the Midwest, the South, and New England. [2] Eventually MacGregor split up because members had obtained other jobs or engaged in serious relationships.
Career
editYouTube
editIn mid-2007, Wax and his twin brother Herbal T started posting videos of themselves rapping on YouTube and started building a buzz after uploading thousands of YouTube freestyles and rhymes. [5] In early 2008, Wax made a name for himself after dropping a near flawless freestyle while simultaneously driving a car over a Stephen Marley (musician) track called Traffic Jam, which received over a million views to date. [1] After he cracked YouTube's Top 100 Musician list, his subscription base tripled and averaged about nearly 1,000 new subscribers each day. [3] To this day he has collectively garnered more than 12 million views from his YouTube videos. [6]
Independent Venture
editWhile working on building a strong online fan base infrastructure through YouTube, Wax and Herbal T released their first album together called Grizzly Season [2006] under AGP Records.
In 2008, an East Coast producer named EOM (Elements of Music) reached out to Wax after witnessing his raw and vicious lyricism on YouTube. [7] The two talked through Myspace and decided to make a song called Larry and Tina, which was written by Wax and produced by EOM. They started to discuss more collaborative opportunities that inevitably led to a whole album being produced by EOM and written Wax at the end of 2008 called Liquid Courage. [8]
Def Jam Recordings
editIn March 2011, Wax announced that he signed with Def Jam Recordings when he released a joint venture mixtape called Scrublife [2011] hosted by DJ Skee and Dale Firebird. [9] EOM, The Fyre Department, Dale Firebird, Finatik N Zak and Jim Jonsin are featured guest boardworks for the mixtape. [10] His lead single is a song called Dispensary Girl [4] and the music video debuted on Entertainment Weekly a day before Scrublife released. Wax's debut LP with Def Jam Recordings has yet to receive an official release date, but it definitely will be announced in the near future. [5]
Discography
edit- 2006: Grizzly Season
- 2008: Liquid Courage (Produced by EOM)
- 2011: Scrublife (Hosted by DJ Skee and Dale Firebird)
References
edit- ^ a b Chandler, D.L. (March 1, 2011). "Newcomer Wax Looks To Make 2011 His Year". MTV.
- ^ a b Gutierrez, David (March 15, 2011). "Wax - Def Jam's Newest Artist". Urban Magazine.
- ^ a b c Rodriguez, Nathan (June 22, 2010). "Wax - Next Great White Rapper". Glide Magazine.
- ^ a b Blauvelt, Christian (March 14, 2011). "Rising rapper Wax debuts his new video, 'Dispensary Girl'". Entertainment Weekly.
- ^ a b Ryon, Sean (March 15, 2011). "Maryland Emcee Wax Signs to Def Jam". HipHop DX.
- ^ Casteel, Jay (March 15, 2011). "Rap Newcome Wax Inks Deal with Def Jam, Drops Anticipated 'Scrublife' Mixtape". Baller Status.
- ^ C., Freddie (December 6, 2008). "Wax & EOM: Liquid Courage". Kevin Nottingham.
- ^ White, Sudaara (March 15, 20011). "Wax: Let the Digital Era Reign". All Hip Hop.
- ^ LoPresti, Nicole (March 15, 2011). "Wax, Danny Brown Sign Record Deals". XXL Magazine.
- ^ S., Nathan (April 7, 2011). "Wax - Scrublife - Hip Hop Album Review". DJ Booth.