Growing up in Kansas City, Missouri, the son of a soldier and the oldest of three brothers, Undead front man, Cinch, would find his comfort in every form of Hip-Hop there was. Cinch found his love for the culture at an early age, starting out with B-Boying (break dancing), then moving on to D.J.\'ing, and eventually growing into form and adopting the skill of rocking the mic.
As a kid, Cinch would be engulfed in vinyl from artists like KRS ONE, The Pharcyde and A Tribe Called Quest to name a few. It was easy to see that the young man could easily be entertained with a spray can and a bag full of records.
The meaning behind the name Undead came from Cinch’s love for horror movies, and a fight against corporatization of the Hip-Hop culture. As a young man Cinch would find himself cruising the streets with a Krylon can, occasionally spraying the name \"Undead\" on neighborhood walls. For Cinch, already a fan of classic horror flicks, the name would symbolize the fact that he would rarely sleep. As Cinch grew up, the Hip-Hop industry would become saturated with overrated material that Cinch felt was unworthy of media attention. The name \"Undead\" would now take on the meaning of Hip-Hop not being dead but being alive and well in the “Underground”.
As time would pass, Cinch’s younger brother, Charlie a.k.a. DeLay, a skilled emcee in his own right, would serve his country in the military, an endeavor that eventually landed him in El Paso, Texas. Though in different cities the strong bond between brothers wouldn\'t allow Cinch to stray away from his siblings. The brothers would call each other and exchange written material and ideas. Eventually, Cinch relocated to El Paso in 2004 to stay with his brother for good.
Once on Chuco Town (El Paso) soil. Cinch fell in love with the culture and tightness within the Hip-Hop community. Quickly, Cinch began to realize that there was something about El Paso that was unlike any other city. It was there that Cinch began to gain recognition within the Sun City’s close knitted Hip-Hop scene. Cinch’s DJ skills were tight enough to earn him a spot on Eye To Eye Productions’ popular weekly event, \"Bring That Beat Back\", that took place at the one time Hip-Hop Mecca, The Zone Nightclub.
Eventually, Cinch would go on to perform freestyles on open-mic night, which caught the attention of “Bring That Beat Back” promoter and Golden Rule Records Co-CEO, Jesus Reyes. Reyes immediately caught on to the artist’s potential and together with business partner, Albert Diaz (Golden Rule Records Co-CEO), decided to sign the Kansas City native to his label.
Months later Cinch met Oktoe, a homegrown beatsmith of equal potential. After one listen of Oktoe’s demo CD, Cinch felt that his beats were a perfect compliment to his technique on the mic. This chance encounter would eventually lead to the formation of Undead as an official group.
The duo started strong, gaining huge local support and national recognition by opening for acts like the Visionaries, Copywrite, Vast Aire, and Blueprint even before releasing an album.
But that wouldn\'t be for long, as they would ultimately release their debut album titled \"Don\'t Turn Around\", an effort that combines Cinch’s eccentric lyricism and Oktoe’s hypnotic beats.
Shortly after its release, “Don’t Turn Around” marked the group’s place in Hip-Hop history by being recognized as one of CD Baby\'s Editor’s Picks, an honor that has been bestowed upon other artists such as Digital Underground, Cappadonna, Foreign Legion, Awol One and Josh Martinez. With an already eventful history, Undead is poised for a momentous and bright future.
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Those interested in booking a show or obtaining an interview with Undead should contact Jesus Reyes at 915-667-3408 or jmreyes76@gmail.com.
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