Chose
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Chose

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States | INDIE

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States | INDIE
Band Pop Hip Hop

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"Hollywood No More - Chose w/ Metal Hill"

Today we're introducing a rap/production duo out of Philly by the name of Metal Hill. They put out their new video for "Hollywood No More" off their upcoming debut EP. Watch this cautionary tale that depicts what happens when "drunk and hot girls" go wrong. Video Directed by Steven Tapia. - OkayPlayer


"Chose & Metal Hill Raps about Capitol Hill."

Philadelphia new age hip-hop group Metal Hill has posted a new track on their MySpace in celebration of President-elect Barack Obama’s historic victory on Tuesday night. In keeping with the groups sound, the hip-hop beats and rhymes are the toppings on a base of European style electronic synthesizer flourishes.

Some of the lyrics to the incredibly poignant track include: “I know I can’t fly but look what heaven sent/The people say this is needed and relevant/I told my baby she could be a doctor but what I could tell her she could be the president?/I tell my people this could be the case and when I say my people I mean every race/Just a different address in the same crisis, the same foreclosures and the same gas prices”

The track was announced in an e-mail sent out in a blast to the group’s followers who are signed up on their e-mail list. You can listen to a high quality version of the song right here.

- Phrequency.com


"Passport to Great Hip-Hop"

Without missing a beat, the Metal Hill went straight into their set as soon as Dapper Doe left the stage. The group consists of the Front Runners, Chose and Diamin, backed by the five-piece Metal Hill Band and with vocal support from host/singer, Summer. While hard to place into a specific genre, the group falls squarely into the category of good music. With a spacey sound of a N.E.R.D. meets Kanye West song, the group “tranced” on stage in a very impressive set. While there was hardly a lackluster song, “Hollywood No More” was definitely the standout, featuring some very heartfelt verses from Front Runner, Chose. - Phrequency.com


"Metal Hill Ain't Hip-Hop"

The city of brotherly love is synonymous with all of the aforementioned iconic images and Metal Hill guarantees to be a part of that list. Born and raised in Philadelphia, the “Jacks of all Trades” multi-instrumentalists ooze the city’s grime and glamour through their music; an eclectic mix of neo rap, trance, with a slight tinge of rock, pop and gospel.

When Luke “Chose” Bailey and Jason “Diamin” Cofer teamed up in 2006 they set out to become what they have now coined as “an unstoppable cosmic event” in music. Bred in a city amidst a bevy of musical and cultural genres, both guys come from backgrounds rooted in gospel–which plays a heavy influence in their signature “dreamy” sequence-laden tracks. Diamin and Chose have created their own new musical genre (which has yet to be named it’s that ahead of the game!) and their newest EP, Love/Suicide is like a patchwork quilt. With no two tracks sounding alike, MH interlaces 80's trance and pop with bass-heavy electronica, soulful jazz and gospel chords all mixed with the swagger of organic hip-hop and rap. Top it all off with Diamin’s choir pipes and Chose’s poet heart and Metal Hill has got you by the eardrums.

With musical roots spanning across the spectrum, Metal Hill is the true quintessential renaissance band. Just don’t ever call them a hip-hop band.

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How did you both decide on the band name?

CHOSE: The name was pretty much decided for us. A lot of people get confused when they hear Metal Hill. They think that we’re a heavy metal group or something. The name is actually something my older brother came up with. He was rapping when I was just writing poetry and he inspired me to direct my poetry into music (not just hip-hop). He made the name to represent the place where we grew up–our street was on a huge hill and there was a lot of gun violence erupting around there; hence the term “Metal Hill”. My brother is currently serving a life sentence in prison right now [because he is] a product of that violent environment. When Diamin and I decided to form this duo we chose to use this name, but to represent it in a different light [to our audience]. To us, Metal Hill [represents] a lifestyle that praises originality and triumph over adversity. We represent what you can accomplish when you stand as an individual, aside from the majority.

And your stage names? I know those aren’t your birth names.

CH: (Laughs) No. We rarely go by our government names now, everyone calls us by Chose and Diamin. My name was given to me by my brother who, when I was writing strictly poems, said that I had such a gift I was the “Chosen One”. So from that came Chosen which then got shortened to Chose as recently as last year.

DIAMIN: Yeah man, you’ll never hear us ever call out to each other like “Yo, Luke! Yo, Jason!” My name was “born” when I started making instrumentals and this one guy who I used to make beats for said, “Your beats will help me go 10 times platinum!” and I said, “That means it’s a Diamond.” Since then I changed the spelling and meaning of my name so that it represents more of my frame of mind as opposed to being misunderstood as a cocky statement.




What genres of music do you draw most of your influences from?

DI: A lot of our musical influences are from the 80’s– early and late pop and trance music [mixed in] with some traditional gospel. When we create our music we try to put the listener into an environment, rather than to just give them something to listen to. When you listen to some of our cuts, you will notice the “Dreamy Vibe” that we create with the various sounds that we use. [It's meant to] take you somewhere. When creating for our EP, our first single, Hollywood No More, truly encompassed that aversion to the mainstream sound everyone expects from any new and up and coming artist.

What can we expect from your debut EP?

CH: The title of the EP is Love/Suicide and the theme is based on people who love too much to let go or accept change. The definition of it is something like a situation where a woman [chooses to stay] in a bad relationship or an established artist who won’t leave the game even though they know it is hurting more than helping. [With the EP] you can expect a different experience when you listen. Overall it took us a few months to finish this project. We haven’t decided on the exact due date yet, but it will be somewhere close to the end of June.

For your single, “Hollywood No More”, how did you decide on the final cut?

CH: It wasn’t too hard to pick this song as our introduction to the world. We just thought of the one song we could put out that showcases [our different approach], and we felt this track showed it best. When creating we don’t limit ourselves to a genre. We both rap, we both sing, we both write and produce. [We agreed that this accurately] shows our versatility. It is definitely our favorite song off the EP.

How did you develop your “signature” sound?

DI: We don’t necessarily like to put ourselves in the box of just being hip-hop artists. A lot of people see us and hear what we do but only focus on the rap–I guess because we are black artists and figure that’s all we do. What they don’t know is we make everything you hear [in music]. I mean, to be real, we could both wake up tomorrow and decide we want to just sing or go straight pop and we could actually accomplish it.

CH: When The Fugees first came out, no one really knew what Wyclef was capable of. He’s a musician and a great [thinker] so he can do whatever he wants with music and make it relevant. A lot of our music is influenced by the dreamy concept of trance music–but when we say trance we are referring to a lifestyle, rather than a musical genre. When people go in to Starbucks, they aren’t paying four bucks for the coffee, they are paying four bucks to be a part of that lifestyle. Everyone lives out a particular lifestyle that is individual to them. We embrace overall individuality as a lifestyle, which in turn translates into our sound.

What are Metal Hill’s top three favorite albums of all time?

CH: Wow… That’s a hard one. There are so many classics from a lot of genres so don’t hold us to this! (Comes out of huddle w/ DIAMIN): Musically, we’d have to make a collective decision and say Michael Jackson’s Thriller, Phil Collin’s Face Value, and The Very Best of Yanni are some really great projects that we gain inspiration from. As far as Hip-Hop goes and not to sound cliché, but Biggie’s Ready To Die and Life After Death albums changed the game for rap music. It showed [him as] a whole new kind of hip-hop artist. Also, 2PAC’s All Eyez On Me was another game changer. It showed 2PAC at his peak and displayed [his] strength and vulnerability. It’s like he came full circle.




Who do you cite as your biggest hero(es)?

CH: My biggest heroes are my friends and family who support what we do. What we do would not be possible without our own sacrifices, but most of all, without the sacrifices our loved ones make to make this possible for us.

DI: My biggest hero is my dad who passed away in 2004. He was the person that never missed taking me to band rehearsal or a jazz festival when I was in music school. I credit a lot of my talents to him doing his job as a father.

Where do you hope to see or already see MH headed next?

DI: We hope to see Metal Hill’s name with some of the elite names in music. Right now we’re just focused on getting the EP out successfully and from there we hope that the world will “drink the Kool-Aid and eat the fried chicken” and walk with us throughout the rest of our journey. One thing’s for sure: we will definitely be around.

How would you describe Metal Hill in three words?

BOTH: Unstoppable. Cosmic. Event.

Keep your ear to the ground for updates, release date of Love/Suicide
- CIEN Magazine


"TripleTimeXL Review"

Check this out – Metal Hill, a hip-hop duo out of Philadelphia, recently released a video for their new single "Hollywood No More" directed by the veteran director, Steven Tapia. In the video, Tapia uses a wide array of color and lighting to perfectly execute and intensify the emotional story within the song. Fashion played a major role throughout the filming of this video. There aren't any extras wearing trendy sneakers and designer urban t-shirts; instead, the musicians in the video are dressed in normal, form fitting clothing, such as blazers, slacks, ties and button downs. The video, which could have headed down a very raunchy path, continued to maintain a strong sense of class. Jivanta Roberts, the beautiful young woman in the film, really helped bring everything together. She's a budding actress who's been a back-up dancer for dozens of hip-hop stars and was one of the leading ladies in Charles Hamilton's "Brooklyn Girls" and Ron Browz's "Jumpin Out The Window". Enjoy this new creative song and video, from the talented musicians of Metal Hill.

- TripleTimeXL


"Chose w/ Metal Hill Band Live @ The Fire"

Watch at the link... - YouTube


Discography

Still working on that hot first release.

Photos

Bio

Singer/Songwriter/Producer, Chose, born Luke Bailey is the epitome of forward thinking musicians. His music is the future, with a strong reminder of past when incorporating eighties and early ninetees Pop. He knows who he is and does not try to fit into a mold. He is way ahead of his time.

In the artist's own words he says, "My music is my expression. Sometimes when I'm creating a song, I stop writing and I just start feeling." Chose projects his every emotion in his music as organic as can be displayed. He tours with a live band and commands the audience to follow his every action.