Qbanito
Neiver Alberto Alvarez “Qbanito” was born in Havana, Cuba in 1979. Qbanito grew up in Guanabacoa, a neighborhood known as the home of the Cuban rumba. It was here that Qbanito’s passion and interest for music began. Throughout the 80’s and 90’s, U.S. music trends like Hip Hop and R & B made their way to Cuba. Young Qbanito became a fan of artists like Puff Daddy, Notorious BIG, Fat Joe, and TuPac, at a time when American music was taking Cuban youth by storm. As a young teen, Qbanito paired up with a neighborhood friend and wrote his first songs. The young boys mixed the beats of American Hip Hop with the Cuban rhythms they grew up listening to. The end result was Qbanito’s first compilations of “Cuban Rap.”
In 1996, Qbanito and his sister left Cuba bound for Montreal to reunite with their father. Montreal opened up a whole new world of opportunity to the then 18 year old singer as he found himself in a “melting pot” of cultures and races. After a period of adjustment and much hard work, Qbanito adapted to, and accepted his new French Canadian home. For the first time, the young singer was surrounded by music and rhythms from the Mid East and France; as well as the Latin influences he brought from Cuba. Qbanito decided to incorporate these new sounds into his music. His first big break came when he created the Cuban music group, Cuban Convoy. The group traveled throughout Canada performing in music festivals and concerts. Though he was firmly committed to his music group, Qbanito never lost sight of his real dream…to become a solo artist.
In the beginning of 2005, Qbanito launched his solo career. His plan was to leave Montreal and move to Miami. It was at this time that a producer in Montreal heard Qbanito’s demo tape. Thoroughly impressed with Qbanito’s musical talent and ability, he demanded that the singer stay in Montreal. A few weeks later, Qbanito signed with Universal Music France and Les Disques Tox as a solo artist, and released his debut solo album Partir.
Today, Qbanito is one of Grand Entertainment & Music’s signature artists. In October 2006, Qbanito released his Spanish album Adivina Quien Llegó in the United States. In recent news, Qbanito’s videos have been topping the charts on Canadian music TV, and his song “Homenaje a Celia Cruz” is featured on the soundtrack for the independent film Canvas, starring Emmy winner Joe Pantoliano, and Academy Award winner, Marci Gay Harden. Canvas was recently signed to a foreign distribution deal which will bring global exposure to the film and its soundtrack. Qbanito has started off 2007 with a bang. He is currently in the studios, working on his much anticipated follow-up French album, and his first French album was recently released in Europe.
Qbanito sites:
Website: Qbanito.ca
Myspace: MySpace.com/QbanitoProductions
Buy Qbanito CD's:
(Adivina Quien Llego)
(Partir)
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Big Lou
Known in the hood as the “Spanish Frank White,” Big Lou was born in one of the roughest cities in America, Camden, NJ. Big Lou was raised by a single mother (Maria Rodriguez), and grew up with four brothers and three sisters. At the age of 14, he started developing a passion for music. Music became a creative outlet, allowing him to write songs about the struggles of life “in the hood.” Before his music career would blossom, he became a product of the streets. As a young teenager, Lou got mixed up with the wrong crowd and was living life in the fast lane. Through it all his love for music grew more and more each day, and he determined to use his art as a way to build a better life for himself, and as his ticket off the streets. Saving money here and there, he slowly began buying studio equipment. Before he knew it he was spending more time recording than he was spending on the streets.
After successfully finishing his first independent album, he gave up the street life all together and focused on selling his music. Amazingly, Big Lou sold 3,500 units in a city that is only 8 square miles. He quickly created a buzz that traveled to Philly and parts of Jersey City. As Big Lou’s success kept growing, he decided to start his own independent label “Lost City Records.” He began booking his own shows, and opened up for acts such as Freeway, Ms. Jade, Fat Joe, MobbDeep, KRS One, Mista Cheeks, Papoose, Remy Ma, Jae Millz, Busta Rhymes, D-Block, and many others. He also performed at 10 Spanish Day Parades, and had Latin’s comparing him to the great, late Big Pun.
Wanting to give back to the community, Big Lou invested money from his CD sales into starting up a neighborhood charity event which is now known as “Lost City 4 the Kids.” Loved by his fans, many people are saying that Big Lou is an artist that deserves to be heard by the world. An MC that one day could be compared to the elite rappers of Hip Hop.
As of today, Big Lou is taking the rap community by storm. Last year, he won three underground awards, including Artist of the Year. Big names in the industry such as Busta Rhymes, Eminem, Lil Jon, and DJ Kay Slay have taken an intrest in the popular Jersey artist. Big Lou recently signed with DJ Kay Slay to collaborate on a mix tape. 2007 has already been a huge success for Big Lou. He was recently featured in an international freestyle documentary DVD, and was the artist chosen to be featured on the cover. Busta Rhymes and Big Lou recorded two freestyle collaborations, currently on radio airwaves throughout the tri-state area. He continues to sellout shows in NYC and the surrounding area. As an artist, Big Lou knows that this is only the beginning. He won’t stop until he is known as one of “The Greats” in the Hip Hop community.
Big Lou sites:
Website: BigLouLCR.com
Myspace: MySpace.com/BigLouTheSpanishFrankWhite
CD baby:
Itunes:
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