The Camp

Picture this; it’s 2001 and you're sitting in the Campus Center of UMASS Amherst. You're at freshman orientation while sitting, listening to some random open mic session. After going through one too many acts of over the top hilarity, you finally decide you've had your fill. So you get up and head for the doorway, walking through the dimly light café, where the one source of light seems to be from the spotlight aimed at the stage---illuminating a sole microphone stand. As you reach for the door, you hear a voice come over the speakers; one that has something slightly different about it from the ones you've previously listened to. Without hesitation the voice begins…..

Raw and underground; wild yet controlled, the voice freestyles, covering not only every topic that all UMASS students live by (bitches, blunts and brews), but an assortment of topics and ideas leaving the crowd shocked, screaming wildly, enthusiastically, cheering with a level of passion that could only be topped by this voice itself.

You think to yourself, who is this? Who is the owner of this voice who controls the crowd so easily? At this point, you’ve just got to know. After the set, you walk up to something you did not expect. Underneath a white, flat brimmed Red Sox hat and a pair of thin-framed glasses stood the voice; a goofy and approachable looking freshmen. “I’m Evan and I am a DJ” I uttered, and the voice replied “I’m Keith”----and so it began as the seeds of that meeting planted what would eventually grow into The Camp.

Soon after, DJ Hevan (Evan) and Excetera (Keith) met another student, Eye (now known as Skipp Whitman). Eye and Excetera would often join DJ Hevan on his weekly radio show at UMASS and freestyle over the air, where they gained a lot of buzz around the campus. The three were good together, but they lacked one final piece in their puzzle of a group. They stumbled upon their fourth and final member, Dese, in a freestyle battle in Springfield, MA—a freestyle battle that Dese won of course. Dese's style and individual form was exactly what was needed to complete what would soon become a powerhouse of an underground Hip-Hop group.

Initially under the name E3 and after putting out single after single, gaining popularity and soon becoming one of the most well known Hip-Hop trios in Boston area, the group put out the E3 LP. The LP spread fast and soon they were opening for and performing with some of the biggest names in Hip-Hop: Kanye West, Cassidy, Joe Budden, KRS-One, Kool G Rap, Chingy, Immortal Technique, 7L & Esoteric, Jedi Mind Tricks, Gang Starr and many more.

The group stayed together throughout their college careers, however upon graduation, in 2005, Eye decided to pursue a solo career under the new name Skipp Whitman and E3 in its original incarnation disbanded. In Skipp’s place, in stepped Grime Tha MC to fill the void and his familiarity in with the group and local battle scenes made him a natural fit. Grime not only packed the coherent, deep thought rhymes that Eye/Skipp had, but he also brought a high level of intensity & sharp wordplay, which only added to the groups dynamics. Grime was not only the best choice for Eye's replacement; he really stood out as the only choice. With this The Camp had finally formed!!

While most college graduates will use their degrees to make their ways into the working force, the four members of the Camp dedicated themselves to their craft and their love of music. And while they may not be sitting behind corporate desks, pretending that the numbers they crunch actually matter, these four work just as hard, constantly tweaking and perfecting their craft to the best of their abilities.

In 2006, The Camp's first release, Make Room, (a mixtape) was very well received in the Boston area and was followed shortly thereafter by their second mixtape Bottoms Up. After receiving such an overwhelming response from Boston radio and fans, the group decided it was time to go big or go home and they begun work on the LP that would make them a household name----The Campaign was underway.

While working on their debut, The Campaign, The Camp linked up with another bona-fide up-and-comer, MC Apathy, (founder of the Demigodz) and they proceeded to develop an immediate and like-minded chemistry. Apathy would eventually produce the first single off the new album, “Cruise Control,” and almost instantly the track became a staple on local radio stations and all over college campuses in Boston. “Cruise Control” and “The Camp” were smashes that no one could deny and this was clearly no secret to Apathy as he decided to give his official stamp of approval by cosigning and offering to executive produce The Camp’s debut offering The Campaign.

The Camp's buzz was spreading throughout Boston and Commonwealth Records, Boston's number one Hip-Hop label came calling and signed The Camp to a worldwide distribution deal for The Campaign, which will be released on April 1st 2008.