Cranston

When someone is born into a family full of musicians, it only seems befitting for them to grow an authentic love for music right? This just so happens to be the case for the emerging 25-year-old artist and producer known as Cranston.

Growing up in Dallas, Texas, Cranston was exposed to the world of music at a young age. His grandfather, Classie Ballou Sr., is a well-known blues guitarist who started a family band called “Classie Ballou and the Family Band” before he was born. The band included his father, uncles, cousins and his aunt. They performed music that included the musical styles of zydeco, jazz, blues, soul and country music. With the band having so much to offer, they couldn’t be overlooked. They started traveling everywhere across the U.S. performing among diverse crowds. “When I was very little, my parents would bring me to some of the shows and I remember running on stage to hit on the drum set,” he chuckles.  

At the age of 10, he started spending his summers with his family in Waco, Texas. It was during this time where he became more hands on with music. His first live performance he participated in involved him playing the "scrub board" for his cousin’s band, “Cedryl Ballou & the Zydeco Trendsetters”. When he turned 12, his cousin started teaching him how to play the drums at their local church. His dad then gave him a Roland Octapad drum machine, and he began making beats along with a five-channel programming keyboard.

After high school his interest in making beats grew, so he informed his dad about his newfound desire. His dad told him if he wanted to be good at it, he needed to learn how to play the piano. He started watching and studying the world-renowned Greek composer Yanni Chryssomalli‘s performances on DVD. When he turned 19, he bought a keyboard from his friend and started learning how to play the piano by watching YouTube videos. A friend of the family who made beats installed a music production software on his laptop called "Reason 5." This is when he began to take the craft more seriously. Spending countless hours making beats in his bedroom kept him in hiding for about a year, but the dedication would soon pay off.

In 2011 he started networking and producing for some local artists in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, but it wasn’t until 2013 when he connected with Grammy-nominated and Multi-Platinum producer, Drumma Boy. He was introduced to him through former 97.9 The Beat radio host, Tenay Mathis, and his manager, Christian Taylor, who was interning at the radio station. Cranston was invited to a studio session with Drumma Boy where he met Dallas rapper S. Fresh. After playing a few beats for them, they liked what they heard and quickly began recording. Together, they created S. Fresh’s song ‘I’m Fresh’ featuring Drumma Boy, and he credits them for giving him his break into the industry.

He continued producing for a few more artists including Dorrough, Lil Man, Tum Tum, Mr. Lucci, Chamillionaire and Corner Boy P before making the decision to become an artist himself. He produced, wrote and recorded his first song in December of 2014 called ‘Marilyn Monroe.’ Since his family released albums during their time in music, he wanted to carry on the family tradition by releasing his own. His debut album titled “Late Bloomer,” which was completely produced by him in his bedroom, was released earlier this year to showcase his many talents. “I chose that title because not many people know I have this gift of music,” he said. “Music was truly given to me. Now I just want to let the world know and share it. It’s been years in the making, so that's why I feel like a "Late Bloomer.”