Artist description arts and literature... "the music is no more important than the rap. so my contribution usually falls somewhere in the continuum of lyrical/thought-provoking/traditional/classic... yet you never know what you're gonna get in a song."

Music Style soulful, black music, mc'ing, vocal/lyrical accompaniment...

Musical Influences taught by his father, church choir, school band...

Similar Artists Barry White;

Artist History reading/writing since age 3; writing poetry since age 5; started rhyming in '83 or so; middle/high school talent shows; playing live music venues since '93; recording since '84 or so; studio work since '93; first nationally distributed release in 2000; debut full length album, Create & Hustle, 2002;

Group Members Bavu Blakes; Word Smith

Instruments Vocals and occasional Trumpet

Albums Create & Hustle CD, Word4Word Music [TX release: August 13, 2002]

Press Reviews if the following isn't enough for you, search for Bavu Blakes on google.com and enjoy... "One of Texas' brightest new stars" -- the D.O.C. "It goes like this: Houston's Devin and Scarface fill the pivotal point guard and center spots. Bun B, of Port Arthur's UGK, is the bruising power forward. Dallas' D.O.C. is the small forward. And starting at shooting guard..." -- The Dallas Morning News "He's a legitimate hip-hop artist, with a heavy emphasis on the word 'artist'. A lot of people make records or songs, but this dude does a really good job making good, creative music. I have the highest respect for the man." -- HeadKrack, 97.9 FM "The Beat", Dallas "Definitely one of the hottest up and coming artists to date. It's REAL southern hip-hop, str8 with no chaser!" -- Steve Nice, 104.5 FM "K104", Dallas and Big Dawg Pitbulls "His words remind fools that rap is the package poetry comes in these days. Blakes keeps language alive by breaking it up, reshaping it, loving it and helping it grow in amazing new ways." -- Austin Chronicle "He's a lyricist with heart and skill and a knack for making any stage he steps on the center of the hip-hop universe. A lot of emcees chatter on about taking hip-hop back to the essence, but this cat really delivers." -- Houston Press "So what's the deal about another Texas rapper who wants to make it big? First, there's the voice: deep, resonant and wed to a flow that enunciates every syllable... something that Barry White might envy. Then there's the verbal dexterity. Mr. Blakes is a natural-born writer, and he knows how to squeeze the most out of every line." -- Dallas Morning News "Austin's hip-hop artist most likely to break big, a wildly talented MC with the focus and temper to take himself to that proverbial next level." -- Austin American-Statesman

Additional Info Hip-hop, rap music and Texas will never be the same again... and you won't want 'em to be.

Location Austin, Texas - USA

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