AO

Every young person dreams of what they will become when they grow up.  These days it seems like every kid wants to become either an entertainer or a professional athlete. AO was no different. He aspired to one day become a professional basketball player, ultimately, height was an area in which he was not genetically gifted. However, in elementary school it became apparent that he was musically talented after teaching himself how to play guitar, as well as the piano. He had a natural ability to immediately play back any melody he heard, and although he dedicated a considerable amount of time to more classical learnings, hip-hop was the genre in which he discovered himself.

 From artists like NWA and Eminem, to hometown heroes Three 6 Mafia and Yo Gotti, AO has been influenced by all types of rap from an early age. He began creating his own beats in middle school, many of which were given to other local artists. It wasn't until he was a junior in high school when he began writing his own music, which he described in its beginning stages as "garbage". He went on to add, "At that point in my life I didn't have the mentality of a rapper, I had nothing to really say, no point to get across, I just liked the feeling I got from creating my own songs."

Fast forward two years, now a sophomore in college, AO was feeling more and more compelled to leave school behind and pursue a career as a hip hop artist. Loss of interest quickly led to led to lower grades, which meant taking out student loans to remain a student, however, AO had different plans. In the spring of 2013, he dropped out of school to work full-time in order to fund his passion. It wasn't until late December when AO would record his first official song. “I want to tell my story and talk about the things I've seen that have led me to become the person I am today.  I’m not some guy out here trying to have one hit and that's it. I'm trying to make records that people can relate to, songs that inspire. I want people to hear my music and feel something. Its that simple." That very attitude has been the crux of his career - sharing stories, observations and ideas through music. 

In January of 2014, AO entered into a rap competition called "Unsigned Vibe", which he would go on to win. Shortly afterwards, AO signed a management deal with the firm that hosted the event; a contract that would become void less than a year in. Under that management, AO released his first mix tape titled, "Tell Your Friends", which he now considers to be more of a learning experience than anything. Following the release, AO was becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the direction his manager was leading him and decided to opt out his contract. 

AO has been performing and putting out music for over a year and a half, a short time that has had less ups than downs.  “I’ve had a fast growing fan base and other artists encouraging me, but i've also had the pay-to-play manager try to take me for my money,” the 21 year old laughs, “but at this point I just benefit from the bullshit." Currently, AO is working on his upcoming project, "Meanwhile, In Memphis" which is set to be released New Year's Day, 2016. 

 AO is an artist who doesn’t take any opportunity lightly, he’s doing the work and putting in the time, a process he refers to as, "Grit and Grind". For all those kids who want to be superstars, here’s one who never wanted to claim the mantle, but destiny keeps pushing him to success.