Fourte

As the 21st century begins the music industry is at a crossroads: adapt or be left behind. Today's world is an unprecedented period of internet exposure and online marketing, bringing with it an obscure yet slightly more attainable goal of stardom for music hopefuls. Countless artists rise and fall, each battling with the next while walking the perilous road toward success. In order to do so today's artists have been forced to redefine themselves or be ignored, a fact which is exemplified by the up and coming rap / rmb group Fourte. Fourte boasts a four part band drawing on the talents and expertise of four totally different people from totally different backgrounds, a fact which clearly is expressed in their music. Garrington Spence, a native of Anaheim California, brings with him a west-coast swagger which breathes intensity. Ty Henry (an Orlando native) provides the group with an extremely talented and passionate rapper, whose lyrics reflect a deep and honest flare rarely heard in hip hop. Uzoma Idah (born in Nigeria) brings to the group a smooth, soulful rmb-styled voice, while Collin McLoughlin (from the New York City suburb of Westchester) provides the group with a more poppy, rock styled sound. “We all come from such different upbringings, areas, and backgrounds of music so we figured the name Fourte would be best for our group.” The band met while attending the prestigious Colgate University, with three of the members (producer Garrington Spence, rapper Ty Henry and vocalist Uzoma Idah) playing football for the University. Collin McLoughlin, the most recent addition of the group who joined in the spring of 2009, met the other three members through a mutual friend at school. The group quickly gained support of their surroundings, winning the group's first ever Battle of the Bands about seven weeks later. The group has drawn acclaim for their individual yet diverse sound. Providing melodies of nearly every genre, Fourte's sound is clearly unique. “The way we see it, music is about expressing yourself in whatever manner you can. In our music we try to flow with whatever Garrington puts in front of us, and it's allowed us to have a wide array of genres in our sound.” With rock-oriented anthems like “My World,” to club hits like “Hit the Floor,” Fourte's genre-breaking sound is one which is unlike any other in the music industry today. Just two concerts into their short yet promising career Fourte was given the opener slot for Lupe Fiasco at Colgate University's annual Spring Party Weekend (see the video below). “That concert gave us the bug, and ever since we've wanted to get back to that point.” With the band's first Mixtape due out this coming fall the future of Fourte appears to be bright, but the group remains focused. “We're aware it will take us years probably to get where we want to be, but we're ok with that. It's a grind, and no one expects it to be easy. Knowing that makes us want it more.” In this unprecedented age of digital music new bands will be forced to adapt and find a niche in the scene, and Fourte's cross-genre sound appears to provide them with the tools they need to make a name for themselves in the industry.