Suni Clay

When Rena Malkah stepped up to bail aspiring rapper Suni Clay out of jail in December, he knew he'd have to work hard and stay straight, if she was to manage him. And so far, he has. The Toronto artist has almost completed his debut album, slated for a September 21 release. The double-sided single, "My Hood," backed with "I'm Out," will drop July 27.

"I don't know how I'm going to get a guarantee," says Malkah, who owns the Dep-distributed Kick Ass Records and also manages urban producer 2Rude and pop group Untamed. "He promised me that he was turning a new leaf and that he was going to concentrate on his music career and not do any of the other activities."

Since being out on bail, the 24-year-old Clay has cut five tracks with Marcus Kane, including "My Hood," "I'm Out," "Time of My Life," "Sunshine" and "Lil' Man," and also worked with Colin Munroe, John Bido, and D.J. Hasabe.

"I'm trying to make 'big' music," Clay says. "I want to bring movie stardom to music. You listen to all my songs; I don't have a style. That's what makes me different. I'm like water; I fit into anything. As a song comes, I don't try and bring nothin' from another song onto it, just me, me alone, as the imprint."

Boasting much like the mentor for whom he was nicknamed, boxer Cassius Clay (better known as Muhammed Ali), Clay has been spitting rhymes since age 16. He claims he once had two studios. "One time, the cops came and took one. Music's been hard road for me."

Asked if the confiscated gear was stolen and he says, "No, they stole my gear. We needed the receipts to prove (we owned it) and we didn't have the receipts. We bought it, just not from the straightest people. But good music came from that."

Clay has been in and out of jail since he was 14. He rattles off a list of offenses - auto theft, car jacking, breaking and entering, assault, assault with a weapon. "But I'm not a bad person," he adds. "These are the things I had to go through to get to where I had to get to."

The latest charge is for possession of firearms. "Firearms possessed me," he says with a smile. "I'm pretty lucky. I'm going to get the charges dropped because the head of my case, the arresting officer, he's going through some scandal right now."

He recognizes that in America many of his sentences would likely be a lot steeper, seven to 10 years verses 14 to 18 months. He also realizes Malkah has been a life-saver.

"I used to call Rude from the jail and rap to him, and try and spit stuff to him and make him save them on his answering machine," Clay recalls of how he was introduced to his now manager before this latest bout with the law. "He was like, 'This lady, Rena, if she can't help you, nobody can help you.' She helped get me out of jail, and she knows what's she's doing."

The pair first met when Rude invited Clay to Wellesley Sound to perform on a track for Untamed. Rude was also producing tracks for Clay, including "Throw It up," which received some airplay on Toronto urban station FLOW 93.5 and video play on MuchMusic.

"Seeing him in the video was very impressive, the way he moved, the way he looked on camera. He flipped right over a car," Malkah says. "Rude and Suni tried to do this (a recording) before and for whatever reason, it didn't work out, which forced Suni to go back to his old ways. This is the second time and we're going to do it right."

So what's going to prevent him from returning to crime? "Money," Clay answers. He has self-produced a song with that title, and "Cowboy," featuring Snow, is also about the love of cash. "If the money doesn't happen, I'll probably be back there. Hopefully not. I hope not."

- By KAREN BLISS -- For JAM! Music

“CANADA’S RISING RAP STAR!
WINS “THE WORLD’S LEADING SONGWRITING COMPETITION”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Press Release
January 8, 2005

Ontario-based rapper/songwriter Trevor Walker AKA Suni Clay took home first prize in the rap category of the 2004 USA Songwriting Competition with his song "Lil’ Man". Suni Clay is the first Canadian rapper to win an International writing competition. With over 35, 000 applicants in 15 different categories the prize winners of the competition also came from Australia, Switzerland, Germany, Lebanon, Argentina, Iceland, Moldova, Japan and the United States. www.songwriting.net.
Winning songs of the 2004 competition will receive radio airplay on a nationally syndicated radio program serving over 60 cities in North America.

Entrants shared a grand prize of over $50,000 (US) in cash and merchandise as well as invaluable exposure. Past winners have received recording and publishing contracts, and also had their work placed on film and television.
Judges for the event included music reps from Warner/Reprise Records, Walt Disney Music Publishing, Sony Music, peer music, ASCAP and Tommy Boy Records.
Along with Music Connection, sponsors for the event included MARS Music Superstores, Berklee Press, Mackie, Guild Guitars, D'Addario Strings, Electronic Musician, Digitech, Line 6, Kurzweil, Peavey, Gavin, ASN, Tascam, Vibe, Blaze and SPIN magazine.

Since the release of his “THROW IT UP” video in 2002, SUNI CLAY has kept quiet while preparing for his new project “SUNRISE” and subsequently signing a record deal with KICK ASS RECORDS. “THROW IT UP” directed by Rob Elsworthy continues to receive play on MuchVIBE

SUNRISE, produced by Marcus Kane ( Urban Music Association of Canada Award Winner Producer of the Year 2004) and Lac “Keez” Sihra” Candian producer who has lived in Brooklyn For last 10 years and has a production deal with Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs, Richard “Rude” Canadian Juno Award Winning platinum producer, Motoe from Vancouver, Colin Munroe and Suni Clay produced one track on his own “Money”, funny it rhymes with Suni, as well as co-producing the spiritual song “Psalm 23” with Keez. The album is expected to be released March 22nd 2005 on the KICK ASS RECORD label, distributed by DEP/UNIVERSAL.
SUNI CLAY will be touring Canada U.S. Caribbean and Europe extensively to promote his album well into 2005.

Prior to the release of SUNRISE, double-single “MY HOOD” /“I’m Out” with 2 hip-hop and r&b bonus tracks entitled “Cowboy” featuring multi-platinum reggae artist, Snow, and Sunshyne was released to retail and radio in Canada late September 2004 as a prelude to the album and to create awareness of the artist. The single has remained Top 40 at retail and Top 20 at radio.

“Sunshyne” is on rotation on Mix 93 Lewisport, NF, Flow 93.5 Toronto, The Beat 91.5 Kitchener, Mix 97 Belleville, Hot 102 Jamaica, Max Trax Power Hits Calgary, Max Trax The Beat Calgary, Urban Galaxie, and The Beat Vancouver. “My Hood” is on rotation on Dred E. Maximum CIUT, the British Armed Forces Base in Medicine Hat, AB, and Zip FM Jamaica. The latest single “N.I.” has been pre-released to Flow 93.5 Toronto to rave reviews.


SUNI COMMENT
"I am very pleased to receive such recognition," said Suni. "I believe any chance we have to encourage others in the creative arts should be pounced upon. I wrote L’IL MAN when my creative juices were flowing…it all came to me!

Here is just a small list of this “SENSATIONAL KID’S” accomplishments….

New credits 2004

HMV –KickAss Records – DEP/Universal distribution
New Album “Sunrise” spring release

Juno nominations (3) – Best new artist, Best rap recording, Best video
USA Songwriting Competition 1st place “Winner” rap category, first time awarded to a non-American

International charting – Russia, Sweden, Caribbean, Canada

Cover of New York Magazine and article in Street’s Mos’ distributed to 30 States and Canada.

Upcoming article in Source Magazine - Number 1 hip hop magazine in U.S.

Radio Play – Sunshyne Top 20, Top 40 retail
“N I” Track – Flow 93.5 pre- release in high rotation.

Suni Clay is available for songwriting and production collaborations, live or phone-in interviews, drops, performances for concerts, television, newspaper, magazine and website articles and music reviews.xxxx

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE.

KICK ASS RECORDS
300 John St. Suite 308 Thornhill, ON L3T 5W4 Cell-416.821-9613 Office-905-731-1111 x 228
Fax-905.731.6860 Rena Malkah, C.E.O rmalkah@primus.ca

- Kick Ass Records