Funk Volume

SwizZz

Born and raised in Southern California, SwizZz is not your stereotypical MC. Through his music, SwizZz reveals a wide range of experiences, much of which he credits to his biracial background. He is not, nor does he claim to be, a “thug” or a “gangsta”, but prides himself on being able to reach the masses by being honest about his confrontations with life’s challenges. It is not always glamorous or positive, but you can count on SwizZz being true to himself.
After high school SwizZz got accepted into the University of California at Irvine, but after two years he has decided put his education on hold in order to pursue a career in music. He was having a hard time figuring out what he wanted to major in, and because he couldn’t find anything he was passionate about in school, he didn’t want to continue down a path in which he was not going to put forth 100% of his effort. SwizZz strives for perfection, and quite frankly, mediocrity is not an option.
Since dropping out of college SwizZz has been in the studio, grinding away at his music. While working on all elements of his craft from songwriting and storytelling, to his physical fitness and image, he still finds time to bless the mic with a freestyle session. And SwizZz’s freestyles are always off the top, never written, never rehearsed. Some folks have described his style as “real”, “raw”, “loony”, “creative”, “insightful”, and “authentic”. But however you want to describe him the man is a unique talent.

Hopsin

It would probably be easier if we told you what Hopsin doesn’t do, but Hop is an MC, producer, director, actor, and editor. And his journey has been anything but painless.
Like many kids, Hopsin wanted to be “cool”. But as hard as he tried, he never graduated past being that “weird black kid” that rode around on a skateboard. He tried to get attention by making people laugh, but he always ended up being the butt of the joke. He wrote songs for girls to get them to like him, but got no love.
Stuck in special education classes, Hopsin did not see much of a future. His teachers did nothing but reinforce the feelings that he wouldn’t amount to anything; especially if he continued to waste his time attending classes where nothing was actually being taught. So with no money and only a few real friends, Hopsin dropped out of school in 2004.
Still determined to be one of Southern Cali’s premier MCs he bought an $8 microphone from Wal-Mart, installed Fruity Loops on his computer, and locked himself in the basement. Not only did he spend countless hours perfecting his own craft, he also studied the careers of artists to better understand what has made them successful. As time went by he knew that his lyrics and production had surpassed what he was hearing on the radio. He combined his skills with a new image [often seen wearing white contacts] and emerged from the basement as a complete artist. In 2007, Hopsin signed a major record deal with Ruthless Records.