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Charles Hamilton (rapper)

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Charles Hamilton

Charles Hamilton (born November 10, 1987), is an American rapper and producer.

History

Raised in Harlem New York, Charles Hamilton was exposed to music at an early age. "My mother was an entertainment journalist for the Cleveland Call and Post, so she would take me with her to events when I was just a baby." He is the younger cousin of MC Lyte[citation needed], one of the most acclaimed female rappers in the history of hip-hop.

His mother always made sure he had an instrument around him. She put different kinds of instruments in the basement of their Cleveland home, but he naturally gravitated to the keyboard. "At first, I was just playing the rhythm of the songs I would hear," says Hamilton. "The older I got, the more proficient I got at hearing the notes." For most of his life, he was self taught, picking up the lead and bass guitar in his teenage years, as well as the drums and harmonica. He says listening to other genres of music, being exposed to different cultures and experiencing life helped mold his musical sound.

Most of his music is sample-driven. Though he catches quite a bit of heat for his sampling, he insists it is for the good of music: His use of sampling music is unique which is always looked at on his mixtapes.

When I sample, I'm not just doing it to sound good. I'm trying to tell a story. To convey an emotion. If I sampled it, there is a reason I sampled it. I believe that music is based on moments, and that there are some moments that people may have missed back in the day. They may have even missed it a year ago. When I sample, I'm giving the artist their respect, while simultaneously creating something new.

Utilizing a studio built in Frederick Douglass Academy (in West Harlem), Charles Hamilton spends countless hours in the studio, perfecting his craft and his signature sound. "The Lab (FDA's studio) means so much to me because when I literally didn't have anywhere else to go in the world, I can just go into my beloved alma mater and purge myself creatively." In this studio is where most (if not all) of Charles Hamilton's music is made. "Don't get me wrong," continues Hamilton. "I can do my thing in other studios. It's just something about home that makes my music breathe."

At his July 19, 2007 show at the Bowery Poetry Club dubbed "Night of the Living Lavalamp", Charles Hamilton was on stage with his DJ (producer/turntablist Halo), alternative/blues band Mad Cow, hip-hop producer Black, and live painter Sarah Kolker. All of which are personal friends of Charles Hamilton. In regards to them, he stated:

My man Halo and I met at a cookout me and my man Sciryl threw in the summer of 2007. That's like my twin. We had only known each other for a few weeks before we did the show. That's how much we hit it off on a creative level. I actually met Viktor from Mad Cow in the summer of 2006 when I was in a rap duo. We had been talking about working together for ages, and we finally did it at my show. I grew up with Black. He was the first person I knew when I moved to Harlem. Ironically enough, I taught him how to play the piano. And Sarah, I met her through my poet friend Aja-Monet. We hit it off very well" Aja-Monet performed at "Night of the Living Lavalamp". "I hope to make 'Night of the Living Lavalamp' an ongoing thing at the Bowery. The Bowery is where I got my start when it comes to on stage experience when doing hip-hop. I love them for that.

It was at "Night of the Living Lavalamp" that Charles Hamilton met Rainmaker, spoken word artist and President of VinylPop (Charles Hamilton's company). "Rainmaker is just off the chain. We vibed at the show, but I was doing my Charles Hamilton thing on stage so I didn't get a chance to have a serious conversation. I met him again at an open house that Abiodun (from The Last Poets) has every Sunday. We just talked for hours about everything from music, race relations, to relationships. He exposed me to the most profound spoken word artists in the world. I am thankful to God for introducing me to him, among other things I thank God for."

His debut solo digital album, "The Pink Lavalamp," is his way of illustrating his ideas for the future of music. "It is, without question, a hip-hop album," says Hamilton. "At the same time, I embody different genres of music to express different feelings and emotions that I feel in my everyday life. My music is ALWAYS based on my life. My happiness, my sins, my heartbreak, my anger, my quirkiness, my everything is given in my music. The music I grew up listening to told a story. So I'm taking the music I grew up with, as well as my story, AS WELL as my musicianship, to bring about a new sound. I don't want to sound redundant and talk about myself all the time, but I hope my story can help someone else's life. If my life were to be a movie, it would be the Antoine Fisher story all over again, but with a killer soundtrack and without a military background.[1]

His favorite video game character, Sonic the Hedgehog, is featured prominently in his music and promotional artwork.

In December 2008, Charles Hamilton was featured on the cover of XXL, along with Asher Roth, Wale and B.o.B.

Discography

Albums

Mixtapes

  • The Binge Vol.1 (2007)
  • Outside Looking (2008)
  • Crash Landed (2008)
  • American Gangsta: Who Is Charles Hamilton (2008)
  • American Gangsta V2.0: Where Is Charles Hamilton (2008)
  • And Then They Played Dilla (2008)
  • Death Of The Mixtape Rapper (2008)
  • Staff Development (2008)
  • It's Charles Hamilton (2008)
  • The L Word (2008)
  • Sonic The Hamilton (2008)
  • Intervention (2008)
  • The Pink LavaLamp (2007 - 2008)
  • Well Isn't This Awkward... (2009)
  • My Brain Is Alive (2009)
  • Every Charles Hamilton Ex-Girlfriend's Worst Nightmare (2009)
  • The Dead Zone (2009)
  • At Most I'm Just...(2009)
  • Dope2Go (The Halo+The Hamilton Project) (2009)
  • Shut Up Already 3-Song Mixtape (2009)
  • This Perfect 3-Song Mixtape (2009)

Compilations

  • The Best of the Hamiltonization Process DJ Skee (2009)

Collaborations

  • Ayo! These Niggaz Went Hollywood - Various Demevolist Artists (2008)
  • First Order of Business DISK 1 - Various Demevolist Artists (2009)
  • First Order of Business DISK 2 - Various Demevolist Artists (2009)

Singles

References

  1. ^ http://www.myspace.com/hamiltonsmusic
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