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ROSCOE DASH?

ARTIST BIO

Atlanta breeds its fair share of music milestones - chart-topping trap boys, dance innovators, crunk divas, trendsetting teens who finger-snap, "twerk," and "swag surf" their way into the pop culture mainstream. And then there's Roscoe Dash, an ATL native son poised to carve a movement of his own. The rapper made major noise in '09 with the party-starting radio smash "All The Way Turnt Up!" featuring Soulja Boy. Now, he is writing his own pages in history.

Born Jeffrey Johnson, Jr., Dash grew up in Atlanta's Capitol Homes projects under the watchful eye of his mother and great-grandmother. The baby of the family (he has an older brother, two half-sisters and two step-brothers), Dash was an inquisitive and bright child who learned about Hip-Hop from his older brother Erik.

"My brother used to make beats in the basement," says Dash. "When he'd leave the house, I'd steal the beats off of his computer and record them on a karaoke machine."

Dash began writing raps at 12 years old. By high school, he'd taken on the name "ATL" as part of a four-man rap group called the Blackout Boys. In 2006, the group (which included Dash's brother) released a mixtape, Recognition, which generated significant buzz around Mill Creek High School. The following year, the already popular Dash - a basketball-playing heartthrob - released a solo mixtape entitled My Turn, further boosting his high school profile. However, the aspiring emcee didn't begin to take his music career seriously until he became a father at the age of 16.

"When my daughter was born, my life suddenly had a purpose," says Dash. "It wasn't just about me anymore. It was about spending time with her and making sure I could provide her with a great life."

Dash continued to record songs in his basement and distribute them at school and at parties. His networking efforts led him to his cousin Torrey "YT" Hood, an investor in the Stone Mountain-based trio Travis Porter. Dash became cool with the group and hung out with them from time to time. One day, in a car on the way to a club in 2009, Dash let YT and Travis Porter member Strap hear a song he'd just recorded entitled "All The Way Turnt Up!"

"I'd written all three verses on the song plus the hook," explains Dash. "And I purchased the beat from producer Vibe Beats off of Soundclick.com."

Strap listened to the song and immediately wanted to get on it. Because Travis Porter had an established local name, Dash figured it would help his cause if he incorporated the group into the song. Clearing two verses off of the track -

the first verse, hook and intro remained - Dash handed the song over to Travis Porter. It sat on the group's hard drive for several weeks, until T.P.'s manager, Charlie Jabaley, stumbled upon it while putting together their mixtape I'm a Differenter 2.

"Charlie called me and said he liked the song and was interested in signing me to their label, Porterhouse Records," says Dash. "We started the process of lawyers and paperwork and everything."

While Dash negotiated joining the Porterhouse fold, Travis Porter released the I'm A Differenter 2 mixtape on August 1, 2009 with "All The Way Turnt Up!" credited as "Travis Porter featuring YT and ATL," giving the impression that Dash, still rapping under the moniker "ATL," was merely a guest on the song. This idea spread fast, due to the success of the mixtape - driven by "All The Way Turnt Up!," no doubt - and the subsequent heavy rotation of the single at radio.

Travis Porter began performing the song on the road, sometimes with Dash, many times without. Internal conflicts ensued and Dash soon realized that he needed to establish his own situation outside of T.P.

Changing his name to "Roscoe Dash" after Google-ing the names of old comic book superheroes, is where it all started...

Faced with high expectations and aggressive goals, Dash is currently working hard and making music that has a healthy balance of hip-hop, pop, and R&B rhythms, the sky is the limit.

"I'm really just trying to make music that everyone can relate to, this is what I came to do" says Dash.

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