20 Grand Pikaso

“You hood rich with 20.You can do a lot with that. It’s a foundation, 20 Grand. Pikaso, because everything I speak is vivid and I paint pictures,” states the Brownsville, Kings County MC breaking down one of the many meanings behind his moniker. As 20 Grand Pikaso further states, he “specializes in the spit game.”
At the young age of eighteen Pikaso was invited by a friend to meet at the legendary Chung King Studios. Although, when he got to the studio his people weren’t in the house but Jay-Z, Wyclef Jean, and others including the infamous, John Forte were at work trading music notes. Later that night 20 hit Forte with some carefully crafted Brooklyn bars and hooks, and like a dream he was soon taken on tour around the world. At an important industry showcase in Reno, NV called the Gavin, Pikaso freestyled over a beat Forte made on the spot as a new addition to the already touring show. Right after the impromptu but well-noted display Flavor Unit CEO, Shakim Compere approached the young mc to make a deal over a quick lunch and some real talk. 20 Grand was then signed to the independent label from 2000 - 2002 were his talents and bank of songs sat in quasi-limbo, like mint twenty dollar bills in a vault. Pikaso looked at the opportunity given and took the experince as a both a learning and growing process.
Now back with his Lufthansa Music Group behind him, 20 Grand is signed to the streets and poised to make use of his knowledge of history and lay down his ultimate pen game. Look for Pikaso’s new mixtape, The Sour Diesel, and an independent street LP with production by the sound chameleon, Salami Remi and his faithful affiliates from Smokehitty Productions. As a lyrical painter, Pikaso is abstract as he says, “I got a style that’s different from everybody else man, cause when I rap I don’t got no flow. I just get the track. I build it (his verse) around the track.” In regards to other artist and how he differs, 20 paints it plain when he says, “I don’t need to name names. Everybody sound the same”














- Equal Writes Publications