ANTHM
New York City, New York, United States | SELF
Music
Press
ANTHM, an up-and-coming rapper out of Virginia, just dropped his new EP, Joy & Pain. The project features Blu on "Polaris," as well as more guest appearances by Freddie Gibbs and Janelle Kroll. “Siren’s Song” is the latest visual from the EP that follows ANTHM through an abandoned space filled with beautiful women. As he tries to escape, the seductive sirens portraying his nightmares eventually eat him alive. Directed by Nat Prinzi, it’s one of those videos that’ll leave you wondering what the follow-up visual story will be like. We just have to wait and see. - Complex
I hear "yo, you gotta hear this new dude, he can really rap!" approximately eleventy-billion times a day. Since nearly 100% of the time that turns out to not be true, I mostly ignore anyone being pushed on me like that (this is RefinedHype after all), and frankly I ignored ANTHM when he first started popping up.
But then I starting hearing "you gotta check this dude out" more and more, and then some people whose opinion I really trust started saying it, and fine, I'll listen to dude's new single "Manhattan". Hmmm..that shit's definitely original, and I gotta give it up for anyone rapping over the RJD2 "Mad Men" theme song. So I went back and listened to his last release, "Life Imitates Art", and that was pretty dope too. So I copped his "When We Were Kings" mixtape and, what do you know, it was some dopeness.
So where do I think ANTHM's career is headed? I have no idea, not everyone needs to be "the next [insert other rappers name here]". All I know if that I discovered some dope new music from an emcee today that I didn't know about yesterday. Maybe you'll do the same. Maybe not. Either way, at least press play. Trust me, this dude can really rap. - Refined Hype
Every big dreamer has one or more idols, who guide their efforts and exemplify what they wish to become. ANTHM‘s just so happens to be a flaming ball of gas, not another rapper. Determined to “...shine like the greatest,” the Life Imitates Art emcee patterns himself after Polaris, the Northern pole star and the brightest member of Ursa Minor, on a brand new single off his next EP. RJF keeps it smooth and dreamy on the production tip, flipping a sample from singer/songwriter James Vincent McMorrow’s haunting If I Had a Boat as the Ethiopian-American spitter rhymes about the legacy he hopes to leave behind in the game. In the process, he showcases a combo of internal rhyme, wit and imagery that will leave few lyrical heads unimpressed: “Driven by competitive edge, fully-fledged / on the edge, next to veteran heads like Mt. Rushmore.” Cali underground mainstay Blu guests, looking forward to the day when he gets his much-deserved shine in a self-assured middle verse. Like what you’re hearing? More awaits on ANTHM’s Joy & Pain EP, scheduled for release June 12. Additionally, listeners who happen to reside in the Big Apple will be able to catch both ANTHM and Blu rocking the stage at SOB’s June 13. - DJ Booth
I’ve seen ANTHM (previously known as Anthem) grow from a small-time Dukie who liked to freestyle at night, to a Wall Street employee who worked days and nights to support his family, to a friend who quit his high-paying job to pursue a career in music, to a rapper who was trying to figure out exactly what his path would be, to an aspiring artist crafting his sound and seeking my advice on how to get heard by the masses, to a rapper who found his sound and proved he still has the Wall Street work ethic when he performed at a show I put on and he rehearsed his performance for hours in the green room, to a successful young artist supported by the likes of 2DopeBoyz, who are now the official hosts of this EP, Joy & Pain. That’s a run-on sentence, but ANTHM’s journey has been long and it’s been fluid, so it feels okay to break the rules to get that sentence out. It has been incredible to watch ANTHM grow and find his path in this crazy music industry. But this EP proves to me, and should prove to you, that ANTHM has found himself and he is here to stay. I will tell you up-front, and I will repeat it at the end of this review, that this EP is one of the best collections of songs and stories that I have ever heard. Joy & Pain is truly incredible. - Sunset in the Rearview
“ANTHM does something unique on this project; he’s able to make party songs sound introspective as evidenced on the groovy ‘God of Joy.’ But where he’s most comfortable is when he gets reflective over the somber standout track ‘Be Still.’ He may still be a new jack but ANTHM has the talent and poise of a seasoned veteran.” – Andreas Hale - The Well Versed
A high-paying gig as a Wall Street trader couldn’t hold back this ambitious MC from pursuing his artistic endeavors… - XXL
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
Photos
Bio
ANTHM found his “come up� through hard work and perseverance. Growing up, he never knew his father, but was raised by a strong, single Ethiopian mother who taught him that nothing in life is handed to you. Ant took this "go-hard" principle and applied it to everything in his life, which translated into academic achievement. Despite the financial hardships they faced, he earned his way into Duke University, which opened up his world. It was also at Duke where he transitioned from poetry and spoken word to rhyming, finding his passion for emceeing. After graduating, ANTHM put his mic dreams on hold and accepted an offer to work as a trader at a Wall St firm. Although it was primarily a way to help his family, it also served to bring him to Manhattan, and ultimately one step closer to his dreams.
ANTHM owes much of his growth to Manhattan; both personally and as an emcee. Navigating through the cutthroat environment on Wall St, he acquired the instincts and edge to define his own future and developed the relationship that proved critical to his transition to hip-hop. His one-time Wall St mentor and now collaborator, DG, was the first person to recognize Ant's full potential - and agreed to back him - with the agreement that they would apply the same relentless quest for excellence to music that they did to finance. Trading by day and rapping by night, the two built out their independent label, AMG. As a young and talented duo, their narrative epitomizes both the American dream and entrepreneurship.
Welcome to Manhattan.
Band Members
Links
