Tony Rose

When describing a rose, its most prominent features, and the ones usually mentioned, are the rich color of its petals and the tough thorns along its stem. In the case of Tony Rose, his most prominent features are his songs, rich with a “never negative” motif, and the travesties he has overcome that drive him further towards his dream of a career in entertainment. For him, the dream started at the age of 10 when his father, vacant for most of his life, reappeared and brought with him his obsession with the entrancing art of story telling that is Hip Hop. “The stories [they told in songs] were mine; I felt like they were speaking to me,” Tony Rose, born Matthew Rosa, said when asked what it is about the music that draws him in. His work has been influenced by many artists, especially artists like J. Cole and Kanye West, the latter of which he credits with being the first to pave the way for the non-gangster rappers. In other words, he paved the way for rappers like Tony. To date, Tony Rose is working diligently in Miami, Florida on his fourth mixtape, "The New Black", to be released sometime in 2014. With roots in Staten Island, New York by way of Charlotte, North Carolina, Matthew Rosa is a college student by day and the hard working Tony Rose by night and has seen more than his share of trials and tribulations. Each life lesson and struggle has been channeled into his lyrics in which he paints a more pleasant picture than the reality that he has grown accustomed to. “I don’t want to talk about the nightmares; I want to show my fans, critics, and peers my dreams.” Tony cares deeply for his growing fan base and never wants to seem above them, hence calling them members of “The Home Team” and giving them an official place in his own circle, which he calls Hardly Varsity.