13FIVE

Musician returns to Flint to organize 'Winter W.A.R.S.' hip-hop showcase at Flint Local
William E. Ketchum III | wketchum@mlive.com By William E. Ketchum III | wketchum@mlive.com
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on December 06, 2013 at 3:00 PM, updated December 10, 2013 at 12:44 AM

Demetrius "Power" Clayborne, whose stage name is 13Five, during a life performance.
FLINT, MI—After starting a rap career in Flint that that has led to performances around the country and collaborating with nationally-recognized acts, Demetrius "Power" Clayborne is coming back to give a jump start to someone else.
Clayborne is the organizer and co-host of Winter W.A.R.S. (Wisdom | Art | Rhymes | Style), a concert/showcase at the Flint Local 432 on Friday, Dec. 20 at 8 p.m. Admission to the show is $5. Flint Local 432 is located at 124 W. First Street, Flint.
Clayborne grew up in Lexington, Ky., and attended Kentucky State University, where he met Flint native fellow poet Natasha "Theory" Thomas-Jackson. Thomas-Jackson moved back to Flint after leaving Kentucky State, and when the two had a child, Clayborne moved to Flint as well.
He and Thomas-Jackson, along with other Flint poets and musicians like James Anthony, Gary Jones, and others, had a book club and met up every Sunday at University of Michigan-Flint. They eventually made music together and formed Neo Griot--a collective of like minds whose members shared their work and collaborated with each other.
The group released a group album in 2002, and Clayborne released a solo album under the name Main Event.
"We had poets, we did plays, we did youth mentorship. It gave birth what's there now--it made room to what's going on now in Flint," he said. "...Flint was the first real ground-breaking place I started to do what I do. I had a group when I was younger, but when I moved to Flint, I started learning what the music business was all about."
Now, Neo Griot's members are involved in different areas of area art, activism and education. Thomas-Jackson has since gotten married, and she founded Raise It Up Youth & Awareness, a Flint organization that uses poetry and arts to educate and spearhead community engagement. She also organizes Flint's nationally-competing Brave New Voices poetry team. Jones is a program coordinator for Boys and Girls Club of Greater Flint, the organizer of the new Flint Super Talent Show, and still performs.

Demetrius "Power" Clayborne, whose stage name is 13Five.


Clayborne moved back down south in 2006. Though he had released another record, "Directors Cut," and nabbed a few gigs, he mostly dedicated his time to "soul-searching, and getting back on my feet." He moved to Detroit in 2009, changed his stage name to 13Five, and joined a rap collective there called Sun Tzu Cadre.
This year, Clayborne has released his solo album "A More Perfect Union," appeared on Sun Tzu Cadre's "Master Equality," and his own "13 Stripes: Wu Vs. Tzu," a mixtape he made to pay tribute to the Wu Tang Clan's impact on his career. He has also worked with Hell Razah, an affiliate of Wu Tang Clan.
He has been performing around the country, and he also conducts hip-hop and social awareness workshops for youth, centered around self-esteem, literacy, personal and social issues.
Clayborne organized Winter W.A.R.S. as a way to help other artists in Flint get a jump start the same way he did with Neo Griot.
"Flint is my second home for me as a man, but it's my first home when it comes to this music business," he said. "(The show is) more of a way, not really giving back, but the same opportunity given to me, I want to give to the next individual as well."
The event will have Michigan-based vendors selling their products, art by Michigan artists on the walls, and performances by area artists. Confirmed acts include Hackey OG, Michael Quintanilla, Adam Liske, Elajawon Scott, Glory, and Gameface, with the show's headliners being The Heard + 13Five and Nya LoveChild. 13Five will co-host the show with Brady Gozza, half of Flint's Artful Dodgers and host of Gozza Strip Radio on WKUF-LP 94.3 FM.
Proceeds from the show will go to Flint Local 432, and to NGE Youth Academy in Detroit.
Interested vendors, performers or visual artists can email info@isupportmedia.com.

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A movement out of the economically deprived city of Detroit aka Motown known as the Sun Tzu Cadre has been a consistent fixture in the “D”‘s Hip Hop scene and continues to consistently drop gems. One of the busiest artists from Motown’s Wu affiliated crew is producer/emcee 13Five. His name is mentioned among the best of MI’s MCs including Jon Connor, Boldy James, Black Milk, Guilty Simpson just to name a few.
The premier single and visual, “Full Of Lies”, features Sunz Of Man frontman Hell Razah. The first offering from the upcoming album, 13th Amendment, appears on the Digital Dynasty mixtape series Volume 29, which is hosted by Hip Hop legends Lords Of The Underground. This is also the single that earned the KY born/Detroit bred artist a feature on DJ Vlad’s “Next To Blow”." - Rapcine.com

Rapper 13Five uit Detroit dropt vandaag zijn nieuwe single en video genaamd “Full Of Lies” waarop hij samenwerkt met Sunz Of Man frontman Hell Razah. Beluister en bekijk het nummer hierboven.[translation from dutch: 13Five rapper from Detroit today drops his new single and video called "Full Of Lies" on which he collaborated with Sunz Of Man frontman Hell Razah. Listen and watch the number above.] - Spithate.com

"Detroit made, Kentucky raised rapper 13Five links with Wu Afilliate and Sunz Of Man member Hell Razah for this dope DR G produced "Full Of Lies" single and video form off of the upcoming "13th Amendment" album dropping February 18th." - Ok-Tho.com

February 3, 2014(Detroit, MI) -- A movement out of the economically deprived city of Detroit aka Motown known as the Sun Tzu Cadre has been a consistent fixture in the "D"'s Hip Hop scene and continues to consistently drop gems.

One of the busiest artists from Motown's Wu affiliated crew is producer/emcee 13Five. His name is mentioned among the best of MI's MCs including Jon Connor, Boldy James, Black Milk, Guilty Simpson just to name a few.

The premier single and visual, "Full Of Lies", features Sunz Of Man frontman Hell Razah. The first offering from the upcoming album, 13th Amendment, appears on the Digital Dynasty mixtape series Volume 29, which is hosted by Hip Hop legends Lords Of The Underground.

This is also the single that earned the KY born/Detroit bred artist a feature on DJ Vlad's "Next To Blow". - Rap StarPromo Publication