Creating music for 22 years now, being raised in a dysfunctional household, music was an outlet of escape. An escape from neglect, drug abuse, domestic violence, malnutrition, poverty, an absentee father, a pest-ridden environment, and an unstable living situation. Being around eclectic sounds of music such as oldies, hip-hop, r&b, pop, country, and latin, Empire was influenced to start writing poetry at a very young age and developed his own style/voice within the hip-hop culture. After living in a group home at the age of 14, Empire began rapping and fine tuning his craft. Creating a rap group in high school, called Tha Flamespittaz, Empire, along with two other friends, were spending their lunch periods in a classroom where they shared their lyrics with other fellow artists. As a way to vent/cope with reality, Empire utilized his resources and recorded songs on cassette tapes using a karaoke machine. Two years after high school, Empire joined the U.S. Air Force where he made musical connections and eventually performed live for the first time. After being discharged from the military, he came back home with more drive and began making his own beats on the computer. Getting his group back together, Empire started working on his own albums and performing any place he could. Determined to be fully independent, Empire worked hard to be able to afford recording equipment of his own and eventually constructed a home recording studio, where he records, mixes, edits, and masters his own music to this day. Practicing his craft, he taught himself how to use the equipment needed to not have to rely on anybody in order to move forward with his work. While performing more often, Empire started networking with other artists and, not long after, created his own independent label called Hott 16 Entertainment in 2007 while managing a number of diverse musicians. After losing himself within the business side of things, Empire stopped managing and began focusing on his individual artistry. He started associating himself with known artists like Killa Tay and C-Bo, but along the way, the constant struggles of life have caused him to push his music aside and focus on surviving. After some years of doing music as a hobby, recently becoming a father, and realizing that he didnt promote his music as much as he should have due to his depression and anxiety, Empire is recommitting back to his music and doing things the right way. Right now, he's working on his upcoming album, The Human Condition, so be on the lookout for new music and shows as Empire embarks on a new musical journey!
Some of Empire's worthy mentionable music acomplishments are being interviewed/music played on Standford Radio, being interviewed/music played on KPOO Radio, opening up for Andre Nikatina, opening up for Tech N9ne's artist Cognito, performing for Dipset West record label, and performing with the West Coast Mafia music group.
