Conscious Hip Hop balancing global and street awareness.

17 MP3 Songs
HIP HOP/RAP: Hip Hop, HIP HOP/RAP: Rap



Details:
Born in the Bronx, New York, Geoffrey Gary was warmly received by his mother and father Brenda and Gregory Gary Sr. The middle child of three sons, much of his musical interests were shaped by his older brother Greg Jr. who was heavily interested in the music being born right there on his own city's streets, Hip Hop. In 1982 the Gary Family moved to Horseheads, New York where Geoffrey and his brothers followed the role of their father and became very involved in sports. Mr Freeâs interest was mainly in basketball, and football which later became his ticket to the University of Maine.

In his younger years, Mr Free spent a great deal of his time in the church his grandparents founded. It was there that his mother was the Director of Music. He played the saxophone briefly, but later gave it up to follow his grueling schedule in sports. Yet his love for music was clearly embedded in his soul.

While at the University of Maine, Mr Free began to polish his gift of poetry and gave his first performance as a new and upcoming hip-hop artist. His fellow classmates and friends encouraged him to continue with his gift and so he did. Seeking to find other avenues of musical expression, Free worked part time as a DJ at the college radio station and found it to be a great vehicle in which to convey his day to day insights and share a positive message. After a liberating experience on the island of Oahu, he became known to his fans as Mr Free, a gifted artist with a positive message.

Upon graduation with a BS Degree in Psychology, Mr Free continued with his poetry while teaching at a middle school in Northern Virginia. Once again he found a forum to reach youth and shed light on many of the issues they wrestled with from time to time. All the while drawing inspiration from the trials and tribulations being endured by his very own students.

He spent time abroad and traveled from Egypt to Singapore, always making it a point to converse with the natives about their culture and perspective. In the meantime, he continually documented his thoughts and often penned lyrics fresh off of conversations with those within the struggle.

Jamaica quickly became a favorite destination of his due to the warmth and intellect of the people. It was there that he discovered the sounds of Sizzla Kalongi. The consciousness within Sizzla's music combined with the natural surroundings of Jamaica truly fueled Free's passion. It was this music that became a powerful influence in his life and message. His passion was and remains to empower listeners with a sense of hope despite the current state of affairs.

It was Hawaii where Free got his first musical break. There he met the members of Creed who took a liking to his style and the integrity of his message. Scott Stapp and Mark Tremonti continually encouraged Free to devote his energy to his music and invited him to perform with them at the Nissan Pavilion in Bristow, Virginia while on their 2002 âWeatheredâ tour. Before 20,000 Creed fans, Mr Free made his first professional appearance. Scott and Mark (Creed) became very influential in convincing Free to dedicate himself full time to his calling. Stapp even went so far as loaning him recording equipment and arranging for his first demo. It was through this connection that other opportunities began to come forward.

In 2002 Mr Free toured with Lyricist Lounge. In 2003 he toured with the Paul Reed Smith Band (of PRS Guitars) throughout the U.K. This connection also landed him in Anaheim to perform at the N.A.M.M. Music Conference. Soon there after he joined the PRS Band on their CD entitled, The New Equation.

It was around this same time that Mr Free was introduced to Krayola of the Paragon Sound. His masterful production and roots in the Washington D.C. underground hip hop scene proved to be the fuel that formed the union The 13th Floor. Joined by fellow emcees, Vi-Cee and Shin-Q, the four of them ignited numerous venues from New York to D.C. They also joined forces to create, A Long Time Coming, the groups 1st album.

Since those early beginnings, Mr Free has opened for Talib Kweli, Ghostface Killah, M-1 from Dead Prez, Scarface, Erick Sermon and others. Among his US tours, he has performed at the House of Blues (Sunset) , the 930 Club in DC, the Nissan Pavilion and the Catalyst in Santa Cruz.

In 2005 Mr Free moved to California and teamed up with Lisa Taylor, a very skillful artist in her own right, who can be heard on Whatâs It Gonna Be from Mr Freeâs first solo project entitled, Lay Up Lines, the mixtape released in June 2006.

Mr Freeâs easy flowing style, intellectual slant on world affairs, passion for the environment and everyday living brings appeal to people on all levels and from every age group. You can look to hear more from Mr Free, the journey has just begun!