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Editor's review
With placement in the Wayans Brothers' film "White Chicks" and serious play in the UK, pop-rapper Stock's stock is on the rise. The combination of bouncy beats and street-smart lyrics gives these tracks the catchiness of Top40 and the hardscrabble sincerity of Hip-Hop.
- CNet - www.download.com
PUBLISHED: Sunday, December 2, 2007
Musician gets success in U.K.
BY GREG NELSON
Sun Staff Writer
David Baird has come a long way since paying $20 to cut his first musical recording in a Pontiac studio as a 16'year'old.
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Now 30, the 1995 Vestaburg High School graduate is better known to fans of hip'hop music as "Stock."
He recently signed a recording contract with Snowdog Records in London, England, to produce three albums. The first release is due out in early 2008. It will be distributed throughout the United Kingdom, where Baird now lives, and on digital outlets such as iTunes, Emagic and others.
"I actually started out performing in church plays and then cut my first demo (recording) when I was in ninth grade," he said. "I started doing hip'hop music even though it was totally against the grain where I went to school. Most people were into county music and pop. Hip'hop was not as mainstream as it is today."
Baird was back in mid'Michigan for a couple of weeks to celebrate Thanksgiving with his mother, Linda Drowley, grandmother and other relatives who still live near Blanchard.
At age 18, he and two other singers formed the band MindFlow and recorded their first album. After that Baird did a "lot of solo stuff," but fame was still just a dream.
He left home and lived in Colorado, California and Florida, then attended Greenville College in
Illinois for a year where he met his wife, Helen, who was from the U,K. They returned to Mt. Pleasant where Baird and a couple of friends opened the Sunless Tanning Salon.
But in 2001 he sold the business and the couple moved to the U.K. to help take care of his wife's mother who had cancer.
That's when Baird's musical career took an upward turn.
"A big, big opportunity opened up when we moved to the UK," he said. "Things really started happening."
Out of more than 2,000 contestants who entered the Rock FM 97.4 radio station contest, "Rock Idol," Baird won. His songs later got air time on BBC Radio 1 and he performed with Daniel Bedingfield and Misteeq and attend interviews as a guest with Wyclef Jean.
"Things really started happening after I won the contest," he said.
However, he still hadn't "made it big." "Record labels kept turning me down," Baird said.
"They didn't know what to do with me. They never had a U.S. rapper try to make it in the U.K."
Then in 2004 he got another big break.
Baird got his song "Bounce" into the movie "White Chicks" that starred the Wayans brothers and has grossed $114 million worldwide.
"That was cool," he said. "It gave me credibility."
A couple of months ago he appeared on the BBC TV show "Identity," which is hosted by Donny Osmond.
His new record company is sending him to Midem, one of the largest music conferences in the world, which is held in Cannes, France each year, where they will be looking for licensing partners for Baird's materials.
"They already have France and Germany on board and we are in talks with a couple of major distributors in the states," Baird said.
He's already got a licensing deal in place where mini compact discs will be distributed under the lids of drinks at all McDonald's in China.
Baird has received more than 600,000 hits on his Web site, www. stockmashin.com, and had more than 60,000 downloads of his music through various Internet sites.
"It's been an uphill battle," Baird said. "But I'm finally getting there. Good things are happening."
- Morning Star Publishing Company
"...“He beat off thousands of other entries to win the Rock FM Rock Idol contest and we’ve had loads of requests to feature him,” said Elliott. “He’s tipped as the next Eminem so once again The Residence is getting there first.” For more information visit www.teen-angels.co.uk "
-Robin Duke, Blackpool Gazette - Blackpool Gazette (Jul 25,2008)
Stock
USA - Rap - Contact
Based in northwest England, but originally from Detroit, Stock last year beat 2,000 artists to win the Rock Idol competition organised by 97.4 Rock FM, which led him to perform for a crowd of 30,000 at the Ewood Park Football Stadium alongside several national acts.
His tracks have been played by BBC Radio One, and he recently toured as part of a sponsored tour. On his four-track demo, Stock has teamed up with the multi-platinum, Atlanta-based producer Dwight “Skrapp” Reynolds.
www.stockmashin.com
- www.Hitquarters.com
So what is going on in the RCA community, got lots of PM's which is great. Still going through them (managed about 200 at the weekend). Don't panic when it comes to whether your music is being listened to or not. If it's within the community it's available to everyone, and there's a lot of us now.
Now were working on the media player too, it will be even easier for people to experience your music. This is something I am looking into further and wish to develop. As things happen I'll let you know via here.
I spend a lot of time listening to the tracks from the communities and there are a lot of great tracks in here. I really appriciate the recommendations from other artists, that shows a passion for what we're trying to acheive. So thanks to those who have.
I wanted to share with you some of the things I've been listening to of late, to see what you think.
Jon Trowbridge's Words Don't Fail Me Now has a really strong chrous and great vocal melody. Have a listen, see what you think. I really like this one.
Mashinmusic's Slingshot feat. Jah 7 - Check out this guy's profile, quite a story and his stuff is worth a listen to. Have a look through his blog and say hello. Leave some comments on here aswell if you really want to tell us what you think.
- www.RCADEMOS.VOX.COM
Stock
USA - Rap - Contact
Based in northwest England, but originally from Detroit, Stock last year beat 2,000 artists to win the Rock Idol competition organised by 97.4 Rock FM, which led him to perform for a crowd of 30,000 at the Ewood Park Football Stadium alongside several national acts.
His tracks have been played by BBC Radio One, and he recently toured as part of a sponsored tour. On his four-track demo, Stock has teamed up with the multi-platinum, Atlanta-based producer Dwight “Skrapp” Reynolds.
www.stockmashin.com
- www.Hitquarters.com
Discography
Bounce -BBC Radio 1
Bounce Bandit Remix - White Chicks film starring Wayans Brothers
Culture Shock - Ozone Radio Detroit
Independant Local Radio (UK Regions)
StockMashin 2005 - limited Edition album
Photos
Bio
STOCK
What is hip hop ?. In 2008 it is almost a trick question, Dizzy Rascal, Wiley, Lil Wayne, Kanye West, 50 Cent and Eminem have all blurred the boundaries between pop and hip hop in recent times. So now to the next “big thing” Stock, this guy knows no boundaries, musically you will have a job to try and shackle him or pigeon hole him and live wise he will blow your mind as he picks up a cornet, blows half way through one track, and the guitar on another. Like Kanye West, Stock is so much more than simply just “another” hip hop act he is a pure entertainer has his live shows up and down the UK have shown.
Now based in the UK but originally from America Stock has spent some three years working on this his debut album. The first single is the breathtaking “Hustlers Anthem” everybody that has heard it from A&R people to Radio Pluggers has used one word to describe it “hit”. Stock’s conscious lyrical rap is something that the world has being crying out for. When he moved to the UK Stock won a music talent competition with established ILR station Rock FM. Stock was amazingly picked out of over 2000 demos, so it endorses what a huge talent he is. His prize was for being picked was performing with Daniel Beddingfield, Will Young, Lemar, and others at Feel The Noise Live at Ewood Park, Blackburn. A lot of interest from the media and a lot of airplay followed on the likes of Radio 1 and many regional ILR stations. Things continued to progress whilst Stock put his debut album together, this included a placement of his song "Bounce" was featured in the soundtrack of the $114 million film White Chicks.
So to today Stock is quite simply the next level in Hip-Hop and as he prepares to release his debut single and album in November 2008 here is your chance to hear and support it in advance. On the album Stock has worked with multi platinum producer Dwight Reynolds (Akon, Whitney Houston and back in the day Another Level) for his new single and other tracks on his album but he has also enlisted some hot UK producers in Konkrete Productions and Clique Productions. Stock also has produced tracks on the album himself. The icing on the cake for this stunning debut album comes via its mastering at the 5am Production Studios in the UK, 5am have been responsible for so many urban hits in recent years for the likes of Lemar, Usher, Kelly Rowland and many more.
So sit back crank up the volume and come on this amazing musical journey with a hip hop act that will simply re-write the boundaries of hip hop.
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