CYclone’s Musical Journey

CYclone began to rhyme in the year of 1995 and formed a rap group with his brother and best friend Eli. Through much dedication he eventually went solo in the year of 1999. During this time CY had a few producers that was supposed to produce beats for him, but they were taking too long and holding him back as he waited on them. With tons of music and beats in his head he went out and purchased a Triton Studio keyboard for $2,500 at the time and began to learn how to make beats. He used Korg support and continued calling with questions until he was fully trained on the equipment and began writing to the beats he produced.

These songs created his first album The Complex. Although he hadn’t completed the album yet, he would perform those songs playing them straight from the keyboard. In the year 2001, CYclone did a concert and greatly impressed a professional producer well known in Houston named Stikk. He was so blown away by his performance, he grabbed CY by the shirt and out of the building with excitement as he asked and motivated CYclone to move to Houston to further pursue his opportunities in music. He asked CY to work with his record label and after hanging with Stikk and some of the artists already signed on the label he moved to Houston six months later with just $2,000 in his pocket. CYclone contributed guest lyrics to Stikk’s Street Sermons album and began to form relationships throughout the Texas hip-hop community.

In 2002, he signed with Much Luvv Records Inc. Much Luvv Records at the time was a nationally known positive hip-hop label. Through Much Luvv, CY released The Complex Album and filmed an award winning video for his Confession Invasion single.  That single was also single of the year and The Complex album awarded CY as winner of New Artist of the Year at the Texas Holy Hip Hop Awards and was also awarded New Artist of the Year in a popular New York Magazine Award ceremony called the WHAT Awards. He provided production and guest verses on several of Much Luvv Records compilation and artist roster’s albums, and led the way with Much Luvv’s Double Disk album titled, “The Next Now”.  CY would go on to executive produce his next project Circus World Event…The Ringleader.  CY developed an eye-popping stage show that adds creative visual illustrations to the story subjects described in Circus World Event’s song list. The album includes guest appearances by R-Swift (Cross Movement Records), J-Silas (RockSoul Entertainment), Pettidee (Soldier Sound Productions), Sean Slaughter, Mark J, Enock, and the Much Luvv Family.  For this album he was honored at the Holy Hip Hop Awards in Atlanta with several nominations nationally.

After launching his second solo album, Circus World Event…The Ringleader album at the 2007 Texas Holy Hip Hop Achievement Awards (where MTV personality Sway was a presenter) to critical acclaim, stating, “This is what Hip Hop is missing as CYclone walked off the stage, Circus World Event was distributed through Infinity distribution. CY began to focus about the direction of its much anticipated follow-up. Whereas The Ringleader’s concept envisioned our world as a circus with one true ringleader, and an imposter who plots and schemes for the same position, much like Circus World Event…High Wire Act plays off a tight rope metaphor that represents having balance, handling the pressure, walking a narrow road and working your way up. It features various musical rooms in what CY describes as a musical castle and each room is an environment as the music paints the picture of that room with the same awesome production that was heard on the Circus World Event album. The project also carries other messages about the humility that must be maintained by those placed in lofty positions..

CYclone’s High Wire Act employed a gloomier carnival sound and high quality music production. The song from this album High Wire Act was heavily rotated by Chris Chicago’s radio stations and nationally rotated heavily. Circuses can be inspiring. Introduce children to one and then carefully observe their next month on the playground as they re-create the roles of the clown, the lion tamer, and the trapeze artist. For producer and rapper CYclone also known as CY, it launched a fresh phase of his music career – one marked by a new found creative freedom for his sound, lyrics, and stage show. Each song of High Wire Act was painstakingly crafted to embody a singular theme where both the music and lyrics meld together to transport audiences to a specific time and place. A perfect example is the song Ice Cream Truck which takes the listener back to the youthful days of chasing after their neighborhood’s mobile, sweet treat shop. Here, CYclone is handing out a variety of lyrical ice cream bars.

It’s versatile and accessible to all listeners, something for everyone with guest artists like Young Joshua, Von Won, Gifted, FireJaws, D. Steele, One Dose, Kent & Shellee Coley, and tracks produced by CYclone himself, Phillip Moore, Tony Stone, Vohn Beats/Symbolyc One, Jimmy Natural and others.

So far, CYclone has four albums to his credit and has established his own Complex Melodies production company and record label.

CY was honored with 7 music industry awards along with 14 nominations. High Wire Act marks CY’s third solo album (fourth overall.) Previous records have spawned an award winning video for his “Confession Invasion” single, recognition for the best New Album and New Artist of the Year (2004, 2005 Texas Hip Hop Awards), and several other nominations and industry honors. In addition, CY has performed at major events such as SXSW, Rap Fest, the En Sound Music Awards, the All Eyes On Me Awards, and Atlanta’s Holy Hip Hop Awards (where he was also honored.) Through those events and others, He has been honored to share the stage with, collaborated or worked with Gospel Gangstaz, Double 0 Seven-007, DJ Primo, Crossmovement Records, J.R., K-Drama, Martay, Cheno Lyfe, K-Nine, Soulfruit, This’L, Yunek, Kurtis Blow, KRS-1, G-Notes, Lita Rodi, Braille, Brinson, Sean Slaughter, Corey Paul, Eddie Velez, Burt, Frontlynaz, Von Won, Sivion, D-Maub, DJ WadeO, Christafari, The Warriors ATX,, Scott Floyd, Tony Stone, NoizeRus, :Young Joshua, J.A.Z. of A.D.F. Todd Bangz, RockSoul Entertainment, Zeeda, Lill Raskull, NuWine, Pettidee, Rawsrvnt, DJ iRockJesus, DJ Derrick White, DJ Nonchalant, Troy Edwards of 3HP, 4 Sight Sounds, Sketch The Journalist, Slave, Dasouth.com, Havikoro, MouthPi3ce, Toby Hill, FireJaws, Jimmie McDowell of Much Luvv Records & Reach Records, Dillon Chase, DJ Wiz, Fred Hammond, S.F.C. I.D.O.L. King, Red Airplanes, BIg AL, Canton Jones, ColCutz, 3:16 Radio, One Dose, MiKalibur, DJ Jesus Beatz, DJ Anomally, Serious People Music, Serious, First Class MultiMedia & Webdesign , Urban Gospel Alliance (UGA) Bishop, DJ Bishop, Ursula, Sypreme, Bruce Takara, Solo, KB, Ambassador, Chris Chicago, TruVine, NuWine, Zeeda, Snack Bar Sounds, Gifted, Tre9, S.O.M., Icece, Lil Keke, Lill Raskull, NuWine, Holy Kulture Radio, MouthPi3ce, Toby Hill, FireJaws, Dillon Chase, DJ Wiz, Fred Hammond, S.F.C. I.D.O.L. King, Red Airplanes, BIg AL, Canton Jones, ColCutz, 3:16 Radio, One Dose, MiKalibur, DJ Jesus Beatz, DJ Anomally, Serious People Music, First Class MultiMedia & Webdesign , Urban Gospel Alliance, Sypreme, Bruce Takara, Phillip Moore, South By SouthWest, JAM Booking, Jimmie, DJ Heat Humphrey, Jambi, Grits, Flavor Fest, Bronx, NY Rap Fest, Mike James NBA event, GuerillaCross, Rapzilla, UpRock Records, Sphere Of Hip Hop, Josh Niemyjski, Holy Culture, Tooth And Nail, EMI, Infinity Distribution, Phillip Rood, DJ Lace, DJ Wiz, Trevor Lee, Justified, Reconcile, Rickie 2 Crunk for Jesus Bradford, Lil J.Xavier, Lord Knowledge, Apocalypse, Tragedy, Southern Gospitality Records, Big Nate. Buschwick Bill, 3HP Records, Tunnel Rats, Sev Statik, Syntax Records, Flame, Phanatik, Chille Baby, Dre Murray, Sypreme, Fred Hammond, The Breaks, Cruz Cordero, Stikk, FBI, BINKS, LPG, MR. Del, Holy south Records, Urban D, Enock, Mark-J, Much Luvv Records inc, SOM, MouthPi3ce, Toby Hill, FireJaws, Jimmie McDowell Of Dillon Chase, DJ Wiz, Fred Hammond, S.F.C. I.D.O.L. King, Red Airplanes, BIg AL, Canton Jones, ColCutz, 3:16 Radio, One Dose, MiKalibur, Zeeda, Snack Bar Sounds, Jam The Hype, Pigeon John, Antonious, LA Symphony, Mike B and too many more to name…

He has performed at major stages such as Rap Fest Bronx New York, Flavor Fest out of Florida, Texas Holy Hip Hop Awards Hosted by Sway of MTV 5 times, and a 4 time performer at Holy Hip Hop Awards in Atlanta and performed at more major events such as South By South West Festival SXSW 4 times in a row.  Was Featured several months on KJ52’s website for “Bottom Of The Charts”, a verse CY wrote to one of KJ52’s notable beats.  CY did the same with Derek Minor for “Technology” a verse CY wrote to his beat.  He received New Artist Of The Year Award For his debut album “The Complex” and Video of the Year and Single of the Year in 2004 for his Confession Invasion Video at the Texas Holy Hip Hop Achievement Awards as well as nominated in seven other categories at this award ceremony alone for 2004 such as Lyricist Of The Year, and Stage Performer of the Year etc.,

He won New Artist Of The Year and received honorable mention honors for Album Of The year at the W.H.A.T. Awards for his first album The Complex Album in 2004. Nominated at the UGA Urban Gospel Alliance for Hip Hop Male Artist of the year Award for 2005 and Album of the Year along side Da’Truth, R-Swift, Enock, Flame and Phanatik for Circus World Event..The Ringleader. He received Recognition Award for 2010 Holy Hip Hop Awards in Atlanta in January 2010 for the Circus World Album. He was nominated for a Philadelphia Holy Hip Hop Award for Album and Artist of the Year for “Circus World Event..The Ringleader” in 2009. Also nominated at the Ensound Music Awards for his Single “The FlipSide Trapeze” and Album of the Year for Circus World Event.The Ringleader and Artist of the Year in 2010. Nominated Artist of the Year in 2010 for the Circus World Album. While working on his next album High Wire Act, CYclone became frustrated and a little discouraged at the amount of artists that began to create circus themed albums including T-Pain and Britney Spears “Circus Tour”. Even T-Pain’s spotlight and showmanship presentation resembled CY’s. About 8 christian artists also began putting out Circus themed projects. So CY created High Wire Act with this in mind, using an aspect of walking the high wire as a theme, centered around song themes where each song transported listeners to a specific time and place. CY’s last solo album to date is High Wire Act, but not his last songs. He’s been featured on tons of albums and has created various songs by inspiration after the High Wire Act which can be currently heard on the Bonus Playlist for free at www.ComplexMelodies.com. CYclone is currently working on new singles and recently performed at the “NBA Mike James Day” event in New York City.