U-N-I
THURZDAY & Y-O “THURZDAY” THE INGLEWOOD NATIVE HAS BEEN THE BEST KEPT SECRET AND IT’S ABOUT TIME THAT THE HIP HOP WORLD EMBRACES HIM. GROWING UP THURZDAY (BORN YANNICK KOFFI) FELL IN LOVE WITH MUSIC PLAYED BY HIS ELDERS THAT CONSISTED OF HIP HOP, REGGAE AND SOUL. THE CONSTANT PLAY OF REGGAE MUSIC IN HIS BELIZEAN HOME HELPED HIM TO HAVE A DIVERSE APPRECIATION FOR MUSIC. HE TOYED WITH THE IDEA OF BEING AN EMCEE UNTIL HE LEARNED HOW TO WRITE MATERIAL IN SONG FORMAT. AFTER RECORDING HIS FIRST COUPLE OF SONGS ON A KARAOKE MACHINE, THE HUNGER TO SUCCEED AS AN ARTIST KEPT GROWING.
“I WANT TO BULLY THE RAP GAME… I WANT TO MAKE AN IMPRESSION WITH EVERYTHING THAT I DO” -THURZDAY WITH HIS FAR-FROM-AVERAGE LYRICAL CONTENT, THIS WITTY AND INTELLIGENT EMCEE RAPS ABOUT REAL LIFE SITUATIONS THAT MANY PEOPLE CAN RELATE TO. DUE TO HIS DIVERSE TASTE IN MUSIC, THURZDAY IS INFLUENCED BY BOB MARLEY, BIGGIE, WU-TANG, ATCQ, J DILLA, TUPAC, AL GREEN, REDMAN, LITTLE BROTHER, COMMON, BLACK THOUGHT AND THE ROOTS, AND MOS DEF. THURZDAY REAPS CREATIVITY AND ITS NO WONDER WHY THIS UNIQUE ARTIST IS BEING RECOGNIZED EVERYWHERE HE GOES.
"Y-O” THE VIBRANT MOHAWKED EMCEE FROM SEATTLE, WASHINGTON IS LIKE NO OTHER INDIVIDUAL IN THE HIP HOP GAME. THIS ECLECTIC SOUL HAS NO LIMITATIONS TO HIS SKILL AND ABILITY AS AN EMCEE. BORN YONAS SEMERE MICHEAL (YONAS MEANING “SOLDIER”), Y-O CONTAINS A RELENTLESS DRIVE TO EXPLORE ARTISTIC REGION FAR BEYOND THE COMFORT ZONE. BREAKING DOWN ALL SORTS OF BARRIERS, HE CONTINUES TO MAINTAIN AN EDGE AND STREET CREDIBILITY THAT RESONATES WITH THE PURIST, SUBURBIA AND THE STREETS, ALL IN ONE.
RAPPING SINCE JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL, Y-O BEGAN TO TAKE HIS CRAFT SERIOUSLY AFTER HE PACKED HIS BAGS AND MOVED TO INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA IN 1996, WHERE HE HOPED TO GAIN AN EDGE IN THE MUSIC GAME. INSPIRED BY SUCH ARTISTS SUCH AS KRS-ONE, RAKIM, TUPAC, J DILLA, BIGGIE, DR DRE, MOS DEF, AND COMMON TO NAME A FEW, Y-O CONTINUED TO FOLLOW HIS LOVE FOR HIP HOP.
“I MADE MY DECISION TO TAKE THIS MIC AND USE IT AS A CAREER TO TAKE ME PLACES WHERE I NEVER BEEN BEFORE… WHERE I DREAMED OF.” - Y-O
U-N-I IN 1999, AT THEIR FIRST DAY AT ST. BERNARD HIGH SCHOOL, Y-O MET THURZDAY, ANOTHER RAW MC. DURING LUNCH THEY WOULD HAVE FREESTYLE BATTLES THAT WOULD GET THE WHOLE SCHOOL WILD. THEY QUICKLY RECOGNIZED EACH OTHER’S TALENTS.
TOGETHER AS “U-N-I”, THEY HAVE OPENED UP FOR REDMAN AT THE SNEAKER PIMPS TOUR IN LOS ANGELES, AND CHICAGO’S VERY OWN, LUPE FIASCO AT THE KEY CLUB ON SUNSET. THEY HAVE CONQUERED AIRWAVES ON POWER 106FM IN THE MIX WITH DJ RAPHIKI, AND ON 93.5 KDAY WITH THE GOODFELLAS. THEY ARE CURRENTLY FEATURED IN THE FOURTH EDITION OF SCHEME MAGAZINE, AND HAVE BEEN INDUCTED AS THE FIRST SCHEME MAGAZINE ARTIST, OR SCHEMERS. U-N-I CAN BE SEEN ON SCHEME MAG’S WEBSITE AT <a href="HTTP://SCHEMEMAG.COM/SCHEMERS/U-N-I">HTTP://SCHEMEMAG.COM/SCHEMERS/U-N-I.</a>
RECENTLY THEY HAVE BEEN FEATURED IN URB MAGAZINE’S NEXT 1000. THE NEXT 1000 IS WHERE URB SCOURS THE GLOBE TO BRING YOU 20 BREAKING ARTISTS PER WEEK FOR A WHOLE YEAR. U-N-I RECEIVED A COPIOUS AMOUNT OF VOTES AND YOU CAN ADD A VOTE AND COMMENT AT HTTP://WWW.URB.COM/PROMOTIONS/NEXT1000/PROFILE.PHP?BANDID=371.
CURRENTLY U-N-I IS PROMOTING THEIR STREET ALBUM, “FRIED CHICKEN AND WATERMELON.” LACED WITH 14 TRACKS OF COMPLEX, THOUGHT-PROVOKING AND PLAYFUL LYRICISM COUPLED WITH SURE-FIRE BEATS, “FRIED CHICKEN AND WATERMELON” IS SET TO BREAK THE STEREOTYPE GIVEN TO WEST COAST RAPPERS. THEY HAVE RECEIVED GREAT REVIEWS ON OKAYPLAYER.COM AND RAPMULLET.COM, AND HAVE BEEN RECEIVED WITH OPEN ARMS IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC.
“IT’S NOT GANGSTA RAP, IT’S FRESH NEW HIP HOP MUSIC FROM 2007 AND BEYOND.” -Y-O THE STREET ALBUM ALSO INCLUDES HOT PRODUCTION FROM SWIFF D, RO BLVD, MOUFAHZA, PROH MIC, DIABOLIC AND DAME TAYLOR.
U-N-I IS SET OUT TO BRING A NEW SOUND TO THE GAME, WHILE KEEPING IN THE MIND THE TRUE FUNDAMENTALS OF HIP-HOP. UNFAZED AND DETERMINE, U-N-I IS BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS BY ATTRACTING PEOPLE FROM ALL DIFFERENT AREAS. IT’S NOT JUST AN URBAN SOUND, BUT ALSO SUBURBAN. U-N-I, SHORT FOR “U-N-I TO THE VERSE,” (LIKE YOU AND I) IS DETERMINED TO UNITE PEOPLE WHEREVER THEY PERFORM. THROUGH THEIR UNIQUE SOUND AND RAW TALENT, THESE VERSATILE AND AUTHENTIC ARTISTS WON’T STOP UNTIL THEIR MESSAGE OF UNITY GETS ACROSS. FROM ASIAN, TO BLACK TO LATINO, EVERYONE IS CERTAIN TO VIBE WITH THEM.
STORY OPPORTUNITIES/P.R. CONTACT: MEDIA@CONTRASHADOW.COM CONTRASHADOW PR (626) 826-1795 (626) 482-0005 </center>
