Born and raised in Regent Park – Canada’s first Government housing project, Imperial is a crucial member of Point Blank. Focused on bridging the gap between the hardships of the streets and the glamour of mainstream rap, he is working ferociously to achieve international success. With his witty lyrics, untouchable flow and delivery, Imperial awaits a bright future ahead. Imperial was raised in a family that is deeply rooted in music. Born to a musician/songwriter father and a dancer/teacher mother, he was predisposed to follow a musical career. At the age of 7, Imperial began his drum lessons, and at age 12 he started writing his first songs. At only 14 years old, he was taken in by Point Blank – Regent Park native hip-hop group. From that point on, Imperial had a new perspective on his musical career. He shared a common goal and mission as the rest of the group, and found new windows of opportunity for his success. Propelled forward by a strong sense of family and unity, Imperial is able to take his experiences and incorporate them in his verses. His lyrics speak of the daily struggles and hardships faced growing up in the ghetto. Portraying a grungy childhood and adolescence, he offers those listening hope for a better future. He is backed by a solid team comprised of talent and loyalty which makes his goal of conquering the world just around the corner. In his early stages, Imperial was influenced by artists such as Rakim, N.W.A, Fat Boys, Fresh Prince, Nas, Big L, Biggie, and Mobb Deep. He has come a long way from his first verses, and has been able to share the stage with some of these legends. With his crew, Point Blank, he has performed alongside moguls such as Rakim, KRS-1, Mobb Deep, Outcast and Next to name a few. These experiences have allowed him to steady garner respect and credibility in the street as well as among other Canadian mainstream urban artists. Imperial has graced the pages of many national and international publications like The Source, Peace and Pound Magazine and has had many TV and radio appearances. Imperial is featured on all of Point Blank’s releases and continues to work with the group on their projects. 2007 was a very prominent year for the Imperial and Point Blank. In February 2007 the group released their new single and video “Born and Raised in the Ghetto.” The video has received critical acclaim and was nominated for 2007 MuchMusic “Best Rap Video Award,” aswell as hitting 1 on MuchMusic’s Rapcity. To date the video has received over 170,000 youtube views. In addition, the track was also nominated for a Stylus DJ Award for “Best Canadian Rap Single,” and was in rotation on commercial and campus mixshows across the country. With the success of the single and video, the group also garnered amazing press including a 5 page feature in the National Post and a cover story in the September ’07 issue Urbanology Magazine. The group has now released their 2nd single and video off the album entitled “God Only Knows,” and plans to release their next single "T.O 2 O.T" before the new year. On August 19th, 2008, the highly anticipated self-titled album (POINT BLANK) debuted at 1 on the Indie Charts and 5 on the Rap Charts across Canada. Receiving rave reviews (including a feature on the cover of The Toronto Star's Entertainment section) the album has since maintained a high ranking position earning the title of Canada's top selling Indie group. Imperial is also putting long hours of work into his solo project, which he plans to unravel in 2009. Equipped with a hunger for more and a strong sense of community and family values, Imperial is a star in the making, determined to reach the sky.
(read less)Born and raised in Regent Park – Canada’s first Government housing project, Imperial is a crucial member of Point Blank. Focused on bridging the gap between the hardships of the streets and the glamour of mainstream rap, he is working ferociously to achieve international success. With his witty lyrics, untouchable flow and delivery, Imperial awaits a bright future ahead. Imperial was raised in a family that is deeply rooted in music. Born to a musician/songwriter father and a dancer/teacher...
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