Belligerent
Columbia, Missouri, United States | SELF
Music
Press
Hip Hop: Belligerent “Quality Assurance” (2011). A collaborator of Farout’s, Miles “Belligerent” Huddleston has a deep, charismatic timbre to his voice, delivering his high-caliber rhymes over sonic collages mingling funk, soul and rock. - Columbia Daily Tribune
Don’t call Miles “Belligerent” Huddleston a rapper. He’s an MC. “Rap and rapper have negative connotations,” the 25-year-old Huddleston says. “Hip-hop is about progressing the culture, and an MC or lyricist takes the time to make sure what they say is going to help someone.”
Huddleston rhymes about family struggles, relationships and the challenge of being an MC in a world of pop-rap and club bangers. It’s about the message, not the quick buck that rappers often concern themselves with. His latest single, “Check Please,” addresses the issue in lyrics such as, “You see we’re on different airwaves / I’m thinking longevity, and you’re thinking about the quickest way to get paid.”
“It helps me release,” Huddleston says. “It’s therapeutic. But I’m not out to profit. Why am I going to sell you something when you haven’t even heard of me yet?”
Huddleston started performing at age 10 by forming a Boyz II Men-style group with his cousins and singing at family gatherings. Growing up with Kris Kross and Jay-Z’s music, Huddleston decided to pursue hip-hop after high school, and he left his hometown of Edwardsville, Ill., to attend college in St. Joseph.
While others took notes in lecture, Huddleston thought about rhyme schemes. School wasn’t his calling, and neither was St. Joseph’s disillusioning gangsta rap scene. Taking a break from both college and music, Huddleston moved to Columbia for a fresh start in May 2009 and discovered a bustling underground hip-hop scene. It revived his inner MC.
Positive audience reactions at Mojo’s open-mic nights led to Huddleston’s transformation into Belligerent, a name that came from a childhood infatuation with big words. When he eventually learned its connotation of waging war, he associated it with his battle of being an MC in a rapper’s world. When local MC Eric “Farout” Farlow heard Huddleston, he immediately related to their shared vision of hip-hop as personal expression. Farlow engineered Belligerent’s 2010 debut mix tape, The Sampler, that summer. “He’ll make songs that have stories and morals, and it’s relatable,” Farlow says. “He gives you a sense of his perspective on life.”
Because his music is free on bandcamp.com, Huddleston makes his money at concerts. He conceded early on that being an MC might not result in many paychecks. Afraid that his mother Minnie Tucker wouldn’t share that perspective, he waited nearly seven months before telling her about Belligerent. “No parent wants their kid to go into a field where there is so much uncertainty,” Huddleston says.
Tucker’s glad her son is pursuing his hip-hop dream with lyrics that reflect his personality. “It’s more poetry than that thug rap,” Tucker says. “He’s concerned about issues of the heart, and a lot of that comes out in his music.” - VOX Magazine
Discography
July 2010 - "The Sampler" Free download
single - "Too Late" feat. P.O.L.O Free download
single - "Check Please" Free download
March 2011 - "Quality Assurance" Free Download
Photos
Bio
I'm just a man who grew up listening to all types of music; Hip Hop, Jazz, Funk, Pop, Country, R&B and everything else in between. The only music that captured my attention the most was of course Hip-Hop. Growing up in a suburban town (Edwardsville, IL) I was always told that going through the educational system was the best way to achieve happiness. Graduate high school, and then college; after that everything will be fine. I graduated high school and felt a void that only music could fill. I opted to follow my dream and focus on being an emcee with something to say. My musical influences are all over the place. Jay-Z for his ability to paint a picture with words, Lupe Fiasco and common for their ability to bring consciousness into mainstream music and still be well respected. The list could go on forever with who has influenced me, but I'll just let the music speak for itself and you can tell me who it reminds you of!
I think what sets me apart from other artist is my ability to relate. I didn't come from any type of wealth, but I grew up in small town ran by politics. Your friends were based on who your parents were and what you could give. So I've seen both sides; I've seen the struggle, but I've also seen what wealth allows you to do. This puts me smack dab in the middle. I can reach those who don't have much, but can hold my own with those who don't know where I come from. My music reflects that I believe. I don't talk about degrading women, drugs, guns, etc because that's not what I know. I know about life and how it's affected me and those I've associated myself with.
Links
