PIMP T

Renown for his energetic live show, Fredericton, New Brunswick, rap emcee Pimp Tea ('Positively Influencing More People To Excel Artistically') brings forth a diverse style, but with a distinctive small-town flavour. Inspired by his late Great Uncle Don Messer (a fiddling legend), he's been nominated for an East Coast Music Award (2003) and a UMAC Award (2000). He's performed on MusiquePlus, ZeD TV (CBC) and at the Canada Winter Games (2003). His video for 'Tha PIMP-T Theme' was featured on MuchMusic and MusiquePlus. www.pimptea.com

The DAISY age of hip-hop was a beautiful time and for rap emcee Pimp Tea aka Troy Neilson, it's essential he stay true to this style of music by having fun and also expressing his "inner self". His focus is on pursuing the good-hearted party roots of rap music from the early days of Kool Herc, while also being mindful of the late eighties conscious community-oriented spirit of hip-hop. At a quick glance, Pimp Tea might be viewed as a bling bling show-me-the-money rapper, but fortunately there is much more to be read beneath the cover. Hailing from Fredericton, New Brunswick, he brings forth a diverse style, but with a distinctive small-town flavour. In fact, it's his love of hip-hop and live energy that puts potency in his act. Backed by the Pimp Tea acronym of "Positively Influencing More People To Excel Artisitically," he has worked hard to help unify the local hip-hop community via his bi-weekly Atlantic Canada Hip-Hop Newsletter. In addition, he has reviewed over 300 albums and conducted interviews with the likes of Swollen Members, Rascalz, Buck 65, Choclair, Classified, Skratch Bastid, Mastermind, and Jelleestone, while writing for The Brunswickan, HipHopCanada.com, Soundcheck Magazine and even hiphopdx.com over the past six years. His hard work with Jesse Plunkett over the past 3 years has also helped rebuild HipHopCanada.com into the 2002 & 2003 Urban Music Association of Canada (UMAC) winner for Best Canadian Urban On-line Publication/Website. This awareness of existing rap music plays an integral role in the diversity and creativity shaping the sounds in his music. Pimp Tea's love of music can be traced back to his family roots. His Great Uncle Don Messer stands as the most famous Canadian fiddler of all time and has even been dubbed "the absolute granddaddy of East Coast Music" by the National Post. This love of music first took shape at the young age of eight when he and his brother, Colin, began making beats with their mouths and recording them on cassette. At the age of ten his keen interest in writing blossomed as he won Ganong's "Why I love the Chocolate Mousse" poetry contest, beating out hundreds of other contestants. By the mid-nineties he had discovered his passion for hip-hop, which first boiled over in 1995 when a high school chemistry project resulted in the classic 'Ice Ice Water'. The following years would see Pimp Tea perform with several local bands prior to going solo in 2000. In the interim, a wacky Halloween costume earned him the nickname PIMP-T. However, it was his amusing multimedia project for a university course in 2000, which caused the name to stick. The 'PIMP-T Project' yielded a low-quality music video which has gone on to be featured on both MuchMusic and MusiquePlus and ultimately landed Pimp Tea as a top-five nominee for a 2000 UMAC award for best Hip-Hop Recording. Pimp Tea used these accolades as a springboard for the creativity, uniqueness and positivity infused throughout his 2002 debut album, Power Is Mindful Peace. The album was nominated for Best Urban Recording at the 2003 East Coast Music Association (ECMA) awards and has been described as "a considerable achievement" (The Daily Gleaner) and "truly groundbreaking" (ybfree.com). At the time, Pimp Tea was known under the moniker PIMP-T ("Power Is Mindful Peace" - Troy), but felt a name change was in order for his sophomore album due to his growth recording, writing and rapping-wise. "I like diversity, change and growth, especially when it comes to music, so I made the change" says Pimp Tea. "As well, I like how Pimp Tea sort of bridges the gap between the street image - pimp - and the royalty image - sipping tea. Ultimately, I felt that the acronym of 'Power Is Mindful Peace' didn't explain my overall vision anymore. The new acronym ('Positively Influencing More People To Excel Artistically') reflects me as a whole person rather than as just an artist and I like that." Renowned for his energetic live show, Pimp Tea always makes an effort to pull out all the stops. Accompanied by his trusty dancing/rapping sidekick, Rory Borealis, their lively performance provides an unparalleled sight that if nothing else, will captivate you. Often clad in vintage retro apparel, they combine adlib freestyle dance moves while dropping verses. Their shows are all about having fun. This 24-year old Masters student in the Computer Science program at the University of New Brunswick, has performed everywhere from MusiquePlus (French MuchMusic) in Montréal to the 2003 Canada Winter Games in Bathurst. He released independent videos for 'Tha PIMP-T Theme' and 'Petty Crime' to critical acclaim. He performed 'Shake Ya Caboose' and 'Super Dude' live on CBC's ZeD TV, which was broadcast nationally. He's won two Urban Music Association of Canada (UMAC) awards, and been nominated for an East Coast Music Award. It's clear that Pimp Tea is on the rise and eats, sleeps, and breathes hip-hop.

I love to play live. Special moments? Lots of them. The 2002 Battle of the bands with the funky punks band... any show where everyone throws their thumbs up during 'Super Dude'.

I like to experiment. I really like fresh & new sounds. As far as influences, I'd say Buck 65, Bonshah, Outkast, Black Eyed Peas, Don Messer.

Computer, microphones, mic pre-amps. cool edit pro. fruity loops. fast tracker. sound forge.