OverDose
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OverDose

Eureka, California, United States | SELF

Eureka, California, United States | SELF
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"Ukiah Daily Journal & Times Standard Press Release 2010"

Rapping for redemption

Bouncing from one dysfunctional household to another, William L. Nicholson's childhood was filled with trouble and drug abuse.

At 15 years of age, he found himself in Humboldt County Juvenile Hall. Now 30 and recently released from jail after serving a two-and-a-half-year sentence for drug trafficking, Nicholson is seeking a second chance at life through hip hop.

”Music is my salvation,” said Nicholson, who now goes by his stage name 'OverDose'. “It's my dream and it helps me release all the stress.”

The longtime Eureka resident has had to deal with plenty of stress throughout his life. Raised without a father and with his mother absent due to battles with drug addiction, OverDose spent a majority of his youth with his grandmother, a recovering drug addict herself. Growing up, OverDose was often distressed and always uncomfortable.

"I remember feeling like nobody liked me; an outcast all the time,” he said. “My major thing growing up was I couldn't stay out of trouble. Because I grew up everywhere, I didn't have any good influences to grow up with."

As time passed, the issue of his father and mother tormented OverDose, saying he felt "like they just threw (me) in the trash."

As the loneliness began to wear on him, OverDose retreated into writing love songs and poetry. But more than anything for OverDose, music was an escape from his harsh reality. His goal was to be one of the
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only rap artists representing Humboldt County completely uncut; having something raw and uncensored, yet real to say.

"The reason why I wanted to get into the local rap/hip-hop scene was because it takes nothing to show who I am and to tell things how they really are.

”Everything I rap about is real,” he said. “The ins and outs of trouble with the law, the messing with substances and mind-altering chemicals, the violence as a youngster and the Humboldt County drug scene. It's real. It's reality. It's my experiences. I hope it opens the eyes of people that have never witnessed the sadness and sorrow of drug abuse.”

Although OverDose said it can be pretty tough growing up without parents while searching for salvation on the streets of Eureka, he takes full responsibility for his mistakes.

”These are self-inflicted obstacles. I've created them,” the convicted felon said. “I've been my worst enemy.”

In 2007, OverDose was without a job. In an attempt to make ends meet, he turned to what he knew best: the drug game.

He began transporting methamphetamine from Southern California to Humboldt County and said it was a “fairly lucrative” business as he made fast cash and recieved a lot of stolen goods such as computers, gaming consoles and anything else an addict felt was worthy of trade.

But on a December afternoon in 2007, his black-market meth-trafficking business came to a crashing halt when Eureka police discovered four ounces of meth in his car. His girlfriend at the time bailed him out of jail, and two weeks later he was caught again with a smaller amount of the drug.

This time, bail was not posted and he received a five-year prison sentence.

”I felt like my life was over,” he recalled. “Jail sucked. It was like walking on eggshells 24 hours a day. But it gave me determination and it put more drive in me.”

During his stint in the slammer, OverDose wrote more than 100 songs. When he was released from the High Desert State Prison in Susanville four months ago, he quickly reunited with his music-producing and media publicist cousin John Duff. Since then, OverDose and Duff have created OverDose Productions, LLC on which they released an album entitled “Humboldt County's Most Wanted”, which has garnered acclaim from critics and musicians.

In September, OverDose is scheduled to perform at an Aftermath Music party in Sacramento. Hip Hop legend Dr. Dre owns and operates Aftermath Music which is Eminem and 50 Cent's label.

So far, the family business has been good for the cousins.

”It's great working with him. He's like my little brother,” Duff said. “We're getting a lot of national attention. Shady, Aftermath and G-Unit Records are all showing us love. We hope to go all the way.”

To listen to OverDose's music, visit www.myspace.com/musicoverdose. - Tri-City Weekly - Kai Beech 08/18/10


"On the Rise......"

You Can View The Article By Going To http://www.metroane.com (Online Catalog) May 26th, 2010 - Page 16 - METRO ANE MAGAZINE


Discography

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Bio

William L. Nicholson AKA OverDose™ was named after a drug overdose that almost landed him in the hospital late October, Halloween night of 1995, although it's meaning reflects a hustlers view of the Humboldt County drug epidemic. OverDose grew up around many influential leaders of the Humboldt County underworld.

OverDose was born on October 6, 1979, From childhood, everyone called him "Bill or Billy The Troublemaker." For misbehaving, he had to read entire newsprints of the Humboldt County edition of The Times Standard headlining nothing but Meth, Heiron, & Marijuana busts. A punishment that sparked fire in his imagination and his musical career. OverDose without father, his mother absent battling with her own addiction, went away to stay with his grandmother, Karen Mesa a newly recovered addict, needless to say they experienced hard times and the family was very dysfunctional. No matter where they moved Myrtletown, Eureka, Weaverville, Laguna Hills, with family-OverDose was distressed and always uncomfortable. "I remember feeling like nobody liked me, an outcast all the time.

My major thing growing up was I couldn't stay out of trouble. Because I grew up everywhere. I didn't have any good influences to grow up with." As time passed, the issue of his father and mother tormented him. He felt "like they just threw him in the trash," he said. Then his loyal best friend Dennis Lee, at that time-crime partner, started saying he had an effeminate face. "I don't know. I just didn't feel hard."

Placed in Juvenile Hall Humboldt County Correctional Facility at age fifteen, records now concealed, he fell into rap; he started writing lyrics, walking with a swagger, milking the dark background of Humboldt County's root secrets for all they were worth. People in big towns feared the Redwood Curtains reputation; back in the day OverDose called himself "Stingy," a nickname that could never stick due to his caring outlook on single parenting. Regardless of the truth, even the Humboldt County Sheriff Department & Eureka Police Department made people think he was some kind of tough guy who would never get anywhere or amount to much.

The loneliness began to wear on him. He retreated into writing love songs and poetry. "I remember I had a notebook like a diary. And in that book I said I was going to be famous." He wanted to be one of the only rap artists' representing Humboldt County to the fullest, completely uncut, having something raw and uncensored, yet real to say. Music was an escape from the reality of life. He was good at it, eager to leave his tough times behind. "The reason why I wanted to get into the local rap/hip-hop scene was because it takes nothing to show who I am and to tell things how they really are. without forgetting our small community motto; the more we learn the less we know."

His grandmother Karen Mesa presently an active member of the local community, owner of almost half of Eureka, California's half-way/clean&sober homes and treasurer of The Lost Coast Survivors' motorcycle club/thrift shop, eventually enrolled him into the Humboldt Recovery Center known formally as "H.R.C," an escape from prison and conditions of his parole where he focused and found that his dream of becoming a famous rap artist was happening right before his eyes, "I can remember thinking... "This is the best shit in the world!" That got me real high, a high that drugs couldn't even touch. I was learning musical career changing secrets: Marketing is what my cousin JD does best and now he has been promoted to OverDose Production Manager, an invaluable asset to my independent record label, OverDose Productions

~Thank you & much love Cuz~

OverDose enrolled in the illustrious College of The Redwoods, where he studied music with lyrical masterminds and finally felt "in touch" with himself. "Those guys had pro-tools that we never seen before," he said. "That was the first time I saw there were talented Humboldt County rap artists who had a true vision of telling it how it really is without any fear of what anyone thought, people who you could get along with. Before that, I just believed what everyone else said: Humboldt County was nothing but cut-throat, drug addicts, fiends all heartless without souls, nor remorse. But I liked the drug lifestyle, with drug addicts-I could easily relate and the gang related games that seemed to play all on auto pilot. Nonetheless, I loved going to school. It taught me a lot. I was starting to feel like I really wanted to be an artist using emotion to sell my musical artistic abilities.” And that was exactly what he did pulling in hundreds by tugging on the heart-strings of thousands.

In early 2006-2008, OverDose teamed up with Kenny Freestyle, local Humboldt County artist Karma and other Bay Area-based rappers to create 2009's "Humboldt County's Most Wanted" a band intent on massive bass beats and frenetic, Parliament- Funkadelic-style rhythms. The idea for the album came to Over