JoeyBM

For years, Times Square has entertained visitors from across the globe with its lights, music, and food, knock-off designer bags and street acts. The Empire State’s “city that doesn’t sleep” really does not sleep. Even in the early hours of the day, the streets are packed with people fully awake and taking in the brilliant light displays around them.
Some people visit New York just once in their life – while others come back again and again. Others are there every night for a variety of reasons, like hip-hop artist JoeyBM. Every night he hangs around the area with a bunch of his CDs, selling them to whoever loves hip-hop.
He never knows whom he will run into. Being such a bustling area, this artist is always meeting new people from across the country and around the world. Nobody knows whom they might run into in such a big city – a famous CEO from some foreign company, Bill Gates, or even just a small reporter from Allentown, PA at one in the morning.
At 19, JoeyBM has had over 40,000 MySpace hits and over 20,000 Street units sold, but he is not stopping there. Every night usually from six o’clock till late at night and sometimes even early into the morning, JoeyBM can be found at Times Square stopping whoever will listen and even rapping for them. Nobody who has heard his music is disappointed afterwards. The Trumpet had the chance to catch up with this determined artist to get a little insight into his life and his music.
It is not rare that people come out of New York City saying “It’s a small world,” because it really is a small world, and it’s amazing whom someone can run into in such a big city. Joey is a recent area high school graduate and has attended both Liberty High School and William Allen High School.
JoeyBM says he got into recording music when he was pretty young. At twelve he had a toy keyboard and his mom got him a tape recorder with which he started recording raps about things like school. In fact, his first song was about an English teacher he had and how she ticked him off.
He says the best part about making music is, “I make music I wanna’ listen to. If other people like it, it’s great, but it’s really what I like.” Inspiration for his music, he said, comes from his family and relationships.
On being out late at Times Square, “I choose to be out there sometimes up to five times a week!” JoeyBM said. He has recently released his album Enter The New Skool and is currently working on another he expects to be out this summer.
His favorite part of New York City is not a place or a thing, but he said, “My favorite part is that it’s a city and people from all around the world are all around and I’m learning new languages.”
If there was any one person JoeyBM could meet, he said it would have to be President Barrack Obama, whom he has mentioned several times in his songs. He said “I’d want to meet Obama and his wife. I want to see the president because we’re from
Determined local rapper finds fame in Times Square
by Dolly Malik
the same background and I just think it’d be cool to give him my thoughts on policies and stuff. The first time I voted, it was for him, so it’d just be cool to meet him.”
Currently, his music can be purchased and listened to just about everywhere. He is on iTunes, Amazon, Rhapsody, among others. Fans can also check him out at www.myspace.com/joeybmjerome, on his YouTube channel, JoyBM or follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/joeybm. Be sure to listen to his number one song on iTunes, “Turn on the Light”!
This determined musician is going places and his advice to young artists is, “Don’t let people tell you to give up. And if they do, just go hard and don’t listen.” - Parkland Trumpet