Bio

Sookase (pronounced Sue-Case) was born Otis Levon Keys the II on April 4, 1983 at Martin Luther King hospital in Los Angeles, California. Sookase’s passion for music was noticed early on, when, at age 9, he wrote his first song. Sookase always enjoyed the South, frequenting Mississippi to visit grandparents and at the age of 12, he relocated to Brandon, Mississippi with his paternal grandmother. Here, he was given the name Sookase by one of his friends, Coon (RIP). Life in the South was fascinating, but it came with its own struggles. After losing many of his family members and friends—through drug involvement, prison and death—and finding himself two years behind in high school, Sookase decided to change his life and his surroundings. He moved to Dallas to be closer to his mother. Now away from the distractions he found in Mississippi, Sookase turned his life around and graduated from W.T. White high school and rediscovered his interest in music. He began recording with various Dallas groups and record labels as an unsigned artist. In 2005, Sookase joined Sho Me Mo Entertainment—a management company started by a close friend’s uncle—and formed the supergroup Antidote along with other Sho Me Mo artists: Dubb Duece, J-Rat, Prolyfic, Lucky and T. Anidote gained popularity, performing in St. Louis as well as making countless appearances throughout the metroplex, including 97.9 FM’s 2006 Annual Custom Car Show. Anidote later disbanded so members could pursue solo projects. In early 2008 Sookase met Moo and Nine, two producers out of New Orleans. The trio began networking and hooked up with Seven6, Nathan Walker (business) and Kevin Martin (media) all out of Dallas to form Midi Muzik Mob. While the label members have since gone their separate ways, the founders still collaborate on various solo endeavors. Not wanting to lose focus on his solo career and knowing he needed to be his own boss, Sookase created Klassic music group (named after his 2nd son). He then reached out to Greg Ballard, his old connection at Sho Me Mo Entertainment to fill the role as his manager and hooked back up with Nathan Walker of Midi Muzik Mob to be his business manager. Klassic music, like any classic, is intended to be music that’s felt no matter when it’s heard.