Bio

[b]***NOTE: Please do not vote me a 5 or leave a nice comment just to get love in return. That's how Soundclick got ruined. I've already noticed some bad music get really high ratings becuz everyone wants to return a favor for a favor. I ain't like that. I will only comment/vote if I actually like ur music. If I don't, I'll keep my mouth closed. At the same time, I expect u to be honest with me. Leave me genuine feedback or don't bother leaving it. I appreciate that and it makes things better for all of us indy rappers trynna make it.***[/b] WWW.MYSPACE.COM/NOXTRADAMAS WWW.NOXTRADAMAS.COM “My music is a combination of Midwest swag with an East coast flavor and a touch of 80’s soul...without the ‘snap’ " Noxtradamas was born James M. Mahnic on May 16th, 1984 in Cleveland, OH to a musically inclined family. His grandfather was a saxophonist who traveled with a local polka band that performed at festivals around the country including some overseas. His father and uncle were guitar players in a local band that received media attention and interest from record labels in the 70‘s, but were never signed due to his uncle’s stage fright and dislike of the spotlight. “My uncle is a simple guy. He loves guitar, beer, and women but he likes to stay low key. I’ve been told by tons of people that he woulda been a superstar if he played professionally but I guess that’s just not the life he wanted. I respect that” says Noxtradamas of his uncle. Noxtradamas’ biggest influence growing up was Michael Jackson. He gave his first public performance on the 4th of July at the age of 9 in front of family and friends dressed as Jackson, complete with 3 piece suit and top hat, doing his own rendition of “Billy Jean”. He was also part of a grade school church choir, and even played Jesus in a Passion skit. Once he reached high school, he took a break from the performing arts and lived an up and down life as every teenager does. Growing up in Cleveland, OH, he spent much of his life in the shadows of bigger people and bigger problems. At age 13 when his parents divorced, he was forced to split time between two completely different environments which made him feel like he was living separate lives. He spent half of his time in a big comfortable house on the quiet & safe side of town near his closest friends where he grew up; and half on the “other” side of town in a cramped apartment where burglaries and drug activity were an everyday part of life. He became friends with people from all walks of life, from thieves & drug dealers to rich white boys & conservative girls, he knew them all. Although this helped him to understand and relate to almost anyone, it also pitted him in a battle within himself to figure out what his real identity was. At 18 he applied for student loans and left Cleveland for Ohio University to take a break from the drama and try to figure out what to do with his life. It was there that he started to write hip-hop music about his experiences which he recorded and put onto a mixtape. He handed the cd out to friends and family and this marked the beginning of an up-and-down pursuit of music. At 19, he met Scott 'Solo’ Solomon, a person who would eventually become one of his best friends and teach him the art of studio engineering which got him seriously involved in his own music for the first time. Noxtradamas then released a series of underground albums and mixtapes locally as he perfected his craft. Although there was nothing impressive about his earlier projects, he claims that he learned enough from each one to make significant improvements on the next, and he continued to try and out-rap himself on each consecutive cd. In 2005 at his first ever live show, he met fellow Ohio University rapper and Clevelander Jesty Beatz who showed him the promotional and marketing side of the industry. He took bits and pieces of what he learned from Jesty and developed his own promotional plans to help him take his music to the next level. From 2005-2006, Noxtradamas performed several live shows and began establishing a small fan base on the college campus. He attempted some smaller promotions on the internet, but for the most part he stayed true to the local audience and did things the old fashioned way with live performances, fliers, and a little bit of help from AOL instant messenger and Facebook where he could promote his gigs and cd releases to friends. As college came to an end, he considered quitting rap altogether, but instead chose to take some time away from performing to further study the industry from a promotional perspective and learn how to take his music beyond a small college audience. Now in 2007, Noxtradamas is living in Columbus and stepping out of the shadows that used to hold him back by doing things on his own terms. His music is unique because of his ability to write raps for all types of people, black or white, rich or poor. He’s lived life on both sides, associated with criminals and non-criminals, rode clean and dirty, and knew the books as well as he knew the streets. For this reason, he remains confident that anyone will be able to vibe with his music on a number of levels. His retail debut album is scheduled to release this July and is a true representation of who he is, what he’s experienced, and where he sees society heading. From his clubby hype jams to the laid back 80’s sampled joints, and the hard hitting Midwest street joints, this album is by far the most complete project he has ever recorded, and could be a big local hit. His new movement focuses on the people, the fans who he knows have the power to make or break him, and his goal is to make sure they help him stick around. If hip-hop is dying, Noxtradamas wants to do everything he can to keep it alive, and only time will tell what his real influence will be.[b][b][/b][b][/b][b][/b][b]