JUNCLASSIC: Scholastic Street Dweller
Junclassic (pronounced June Classic) is an emcee whose capabilities lie deeply rooted in a multisyllable flow, versatile and varying cadences, and an unabashed emotional depth that many artists carefully avoid as a result of Hip Hop’s ubiquitously superficial machismo. Add to that a forceful delivery entrenched in a raspy baritone that echoes both triumph and tragedy and you have a multitalented free spirit with a lot on his mind and a willingness to share it all with the listener.
Jun is the product of two hard-working Jamaican parents who inhabited the infamous Southside, Jamaica, Queens in the mid-70s. The despair of drugs and violence coexisted with his amazing academic achievements, allowing this young emcee the rare opportunity to experience the best and worst of both worlds. Rhyming seriously since the age of 17, Jun was beating on cafeteria tables and trying to impress the homies and pretty young ladies of high school. He quickly realized the necessity of stinging punchlines and a smooth yet bouncy flow that would leave crowds hypnotized and salivating for more.
Junclassic is simply an emcee’s emcee, spitting creative punchlines and rhyming on various topics. Having survived the hardship of police harassment, an unfortunately common occurrence in Southside Queens, years of doing dirt, and finally racial subjugation as the result of tumultuous experiences at NYU, Junclassic gets deep and descriptive. Hitting up the open mic circuit since the new millennium, Jun has ran through Club Cheetah, demolished Demerrara, chewed up the China Club, and rocked at the weekly event End Of The Weak in the L.E.S, to name a few spots. His stage show explodes in unbdridled energy, “The crowd does what the emcee does. So if you just standing there, how are they supposed to be enthused to move?” Due to the bad politics of past producers, Junclassic has taken up production, insisting on creating music without the crutch of samples. Although this is a somewhat new area for the Southside emcee (its been a year plus since the keyboard purchase) his prowess at the keyboard grows exponentially. Now all he needs in the ear of the people.
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