ISSA

The ever evolving art form of Hip Hop has never been more diverse than where we find it in today's musical landscape. From auto tuned trappers to storytelling lyricists... from turn up to conscious, the culture is widely represented. 21 year old, DC native Issa, is primed to join the diverse class of new wave MCs, and introduce you to his brand of Hip Hop.

Issa was introduced to music at an early age by his step father, who he calls "dad", an aspiring rapper from the Bronx, NY. At just nine years old, Issa would follow his dad's path and begin honing his rap skills with impromptu living room concerts, performing songs that his dad had penned. The response from his family was pure shock. His delivery and ability to memorize his lines was beyond his years. They immediately realized that this nine year old had the potential to be a star. As he matured, Issa began cultivating his own sound and writing his own rhymes, with artists like DMX, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z and Bob Marley serving as his inspiration. Spending summers with his biological father's family in their native Kingston Jamaica would opened him up culturally to a much larger world. After shifting around the D.C. area with his family, Issa's life would get a new backdrop when they decided to pick up and make Atlanta their new home.

Soon after the move, driven by his passion and love of music, his pursuit of a full-time rap career began at just 14 years old. Garnering attention from the local Atlanta music scene, Issa quickly became a fan favorite in the community, especially with the high school girls. At just 16 he became the father of a beautiful daughter. With strong male role models in his life, Issaunderstood that it was time to man up. His daughter, an unplanned blessing, would motivated and pushed him to go harder for his new family. That motivation inspired a new level of maturity that would help him focus and redirect his brand in the following years, taking his music to new heights. Issa's sound strikes a balance between street and back pack rap, remaining youthful, but still wise beyond his years, or as AllHopHop.com defined it, "Trap Conscious".

To kick off 2016, Issa released new music in the form of a 4-song EP titled ‘This Winter’ which featured stand out tracks like "Only God", "The Come Up" produced by Go Grizzly, and his current single, the Cassius Jay produced "Next One". He also, debuted his Sample Sunday's campaign this past January, showcasing his diverse ear for music as he raps over sample driven tracks inspired by the likes of Eryka Badu, Common and others. At just 21 years old, Issa, now a father of 2, finds himself 12 years removed from rocking concerts in his living room, and is ready to take his sound into living rooms across the world, one house hold at a time.