Lavel

Lavel's first love was music. "His mother gave him a snare drum at the age of 6, His dad got him a drum machine at 19, and finally he had gotten familiar with keyboard work stations," he explains. Lavel later produced Music in Detroit, Michigan to study the music industry further. He made music for four years with with local artist, gaining industry sucess in music as well as Billboard charts. Lavel became associated with artist he felt were on the wrong musical path. There he found the darker side of music. Gradually, his love for music grew, and he zeal for his service prompted him to seek ways to serve cleaner quality music. This led to the dedication of fun loving music you can dance to. "Having music as a career is a dedicated way of life, so a life of dedication was not unfamiliar to me," Lavel observes. His time for concert performances decreased as he began to engage in the Christian ministry of preaching the good news of God's Kingdom in obedience to Jesus' instructions.Matthew 24:14; Mark 13:10. Now that he spends only a limited time performing music, how does he feel? "Sometimes a little frustrated that I won't have more time to practice," he admits, "but I still play my instruments and enjoy music. Music is a gift from Jehovah. I enjoy it more now that I have put his service first in my life."Matthew 6:33.

As one of the few truly unique hip-hop producer/artists to revel atop the underground side of the industry during the early 2000s, Lavel initially spent most of his time producing flavorful hits for Esham, Insane Clown Posse and other National Detroit artist with remix credits from Bone Thugs N Harmony, Mack 10, Tech N9ne and other top-tier rappers. He eventually seized the opportunity to launch his own rapping career as well, with much acclaim awaiting him. Granted, Lavel himself isnt your typical rapper. He has a lot going for him. For one, hes witty, coming up with off-the-wall lyrics and ideas that are smart and funny at the same time. Secondly, he has a gritty singsong flow that made him seem like an everyman rapper as if he were your homeboy from down the street (or perhaps you yourself) even though he was, in fact, a seasoned rapper who'd been writing rhymes since he first heard Run DMC, KRS One and L.L. Cool J back in the day. Moreover, his beat-making skills were peerless; a trademark orchestral, rap/rock arrangements with R&B and Pop elements is his arsenal of audio attack, and a likewise trademark stutter-step drum-programming touch for his rhythms -- a simple, yet potent combination. And lastly, in spite of his hit making potential, he has yet to break into producing for the top names in the industry, though Lavel has toured nationwide with Bone Thugs N Harmony, Mack 10, Vanilla Ice, (2Pacs) Outlaws, Insane Clown Posse, Esham, and Twiztid. All the while, he continued producing chart topping Billboard independent releases. Lavel is no stranger to success, having produced for years, but suddenly he wasn't just an in-demand producer -- he was the man of the moment. The latest in a long line of momentarily brand-new, red-hot rappers. From out of Detroit, Lavel was an unlikely sensation and more than once defied adversity. Like so many others who were initially inspired by L.L. Cool Js Radio, he began as just another aspiring rapper with a boundless passion for hip-hop, albeit a rapper with a Midas touch when it came to beat making. And it was indeed his beat making skills that got his foot in the industry door. Though he did quite a bit of noteworthy production work, it was his work for Psychopathic Recording artist Twiztid that took his career to the next level with positive reviews from entertainment industry critics for his work on Twiztids 2005 release Mans Myth Vol.. 1. (The tight loop of Southern-fried guitar heard on "Off the Chain" is just one of the fresh ideas longtime producer and associate Lavel brings to the record. All of Lavel's tracks are tight,) David Jeffries, All Music Guide Consistently delivering hot tracks to album after album, the critics finally gave Lavel props when he laced Twiztid's earth-shaking Man's Myth Vol. 1 album. More high-profile productions followed and before long, word spread that Lavel was going to release an album of his own, on which he'd rap as well as produce. Suddenly, Lavels 3 year old daughter, Jewell Alexis Hicks, was diagnosed with a Malignant brain tumor. After 3 long years of chemotherapy and numerous doctor visits, finally Lavel experienced the tragic lost of his 6-year-old daughter to brain cancer on September 12th, 2004. This traumatic and life-altering experience caused Lavel to draw out all of his negative energies and transfer them into positive energies that gave him inspiration to put together his very own production company. Lavel continued to churn out big hits for the likes of Insane Clown Posse (Clown Walk) FF4 2005, Twiztid (Feel This") Mans Myth Vol. 1 2005, Anybody Killa (Laugh at You") Dirty History 2005. Lavel also features as an artist on Blazes (Look Out) which was selected for the video game 25 to Life (Eidos 2006). In the wake of his breakout success, Lavel earned a spot in a super group with Insane Clown Posse and Esham called Soopa Villainz (Furious) in which he appeared as an artist and producer, receiving Billboard chart topping success. The Billboard 200 #92, Top Independent #9, Top Internet Albums #92, Top R&B/Hip-Hop # 42. And hes just getting started.

Yes,Company of nice people, Very Much, Yes, when everyone sings along.

My daughter Jewell, she loves to sing.

Korg Karma.

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