God, Jesus, my Moms and Pops, Big brother Akira, my big brother Saburo, Martin and Malcolm, Mohandas Gandhi, J Dilla, Slum Village, Lupe Fiasco, Common, Jon Blazini, Sol Uniq, Open Mic Affiliates, Native Immigrantz, PaulFlow, King David(from the Bible), Saul Williams, Talib Kweli, Mos Def, Pablo Neruda, Kahlil Gibran, Joel Osteen, Langston Hughes, Bruce Lee, Marshallese culture, Black culture, Public Enemy, Black Panther Movement, Professor Semmes at EMU, Nas, Jay-Z, B.I.G., Kanye West, D.A. T.R.U.T.H., Chubb Rock, Black Milk, Digable Planets, DJ Illigan, Platinum Pied Pipers, Athletic Mic League, Subterraneous, NowOn, Funktell, Elzhi, Royce Da 5' 9, Black Thought, EMU's Poetry Society, Youth Speaks poets, Ypsi/A2/Detroit hip hop/poetry heads, Cross Movement, Fred Hammond, Tonex, LA Symphony, Tunnel Rats, Remnant Militia, Gospel Gangstaz(back in the day), Idol King, Commissioned, TD Jakes, Kirk Franklin, Hot Sauce, Outkast, Metallica, Death Cab for Cutie, Maroon 5, John Meyer, Busta Rhymes, Guru, Eminem, Ludacris, Babyface, Musiq, Bilal, Erykah, Jill, SoulQuarians, D'Angelo, John Coltrane, Bjork, Miles Davis, C. Parker, Santana, Bob Marley, Maya Angelou, Ill League, Little Brother, Strange Fruit, N.E.R.D., A Tribe Called Quest, Joe Buddens, The Roots, De La Soul, Clara Hill, Bugz in the Attic, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Jimi Hendrix, Victor Wooten, Victor Duplaix, family, love, happiness, frustration, life experiences...
"With the right push, he could easily become the next underground phenomenon."
-URB
"...boasts joints for the ladies, as well as depth"
-Okayplayer
"...has one of the most well-rounded albums I've ever heard from an independent artist."
-Detroit Fashion Pages
"He's bringin' real hip hop back!!"
-D.J. Mo Beatz (FM 98 WJLB-Detroit)
"Yoshi is a very gifted, talented artist who is going to make a mark in today's music industry. His unique style, rhythmic flow, and intelligent rhyme skills surpass most of today's MC's in the underground scene and even on the radio."
-D.J. Joey A (Former Bomb Squad Mixer Channel 95.5 Detroit)
"Yoshi is bringing that passion back to the rap game. From the party joints to the smoothed out, you can feel his soul on the records."
-D.J. Graffiti (Michigan Mixtape King)
"Yoshi is going to be that next dude. Every so often, we get a taste of what real hip-hop feels like. Yoshi is just that...Definately someone to watch out for."
-Winston Brown (Director of "How To Succeed In Urban Fashion" and "FashBiz 101")
"Yoshi is dope! A young man with an old soul when it comes to creating music. The future of Ann Arbor hip hop is in good hands."
-Buff1 of Athletic Mic League
"Musically, Michigan cannot be f%$ed with, and Yoshi is yet another reason why this notion is a fact."
-NowOn (L.A/Ann Arbor based hiphop group)
BIO:
In the world of hip-hop, Yoshi is utterly unique: a versatile rapper, poet, and songwriter who explores the musical roots of his Pacific Islander and African American heritage like no one else has (or could).
Trained by his music teacher father and seasoned through years of poetry slams, talent shows, and musical and rap performances, Yoshi found his audience in the Metro Detroit hip-hop scene while a student at nearby Eastern Michigan University. Always at the grindstone, he found success as a rapper and songwriter while earning his degree in Communications.
His unique combination of soul and swagger were immediately obvious upon the release of his tour de force "Unorthodox Slang." That disc, along with his latest EP "Headknod Oddyssey," proved popular with a hugely diverse audience from all over the world and set the stage for his new group Sol Uniq. His new album, "The Talent Show," an incredible masterpiece of soulful hip hop beginning to end, is set to debut February 2009 and is predicted to make a huge buzz in international circuits.
As shown by his endless and successful hustling for listeners, Yoshi is neither a hobbyist nor an amateur. He is a rising and undeniable voice in hip-hop who has been compared to Common and L.L. Cool J., and has shared the stage with Saul Williams, Elzhi of Slum Village, Black Milk, long-time Wu-Tang collaborator Killah Priest, MTV2's Amanda Diva, One Be Lo, Fred Hammond, Matthew Santos, Miz Korona (best known for her appearance in "8 Mile"), HERO, Rafael Casal, God Make me Funky, Athletic Mic League, Subterraneous, and more.
Yoshi is a veteran of the business with underground credibility and mainstream appeal. His refreshingly pure, conscious, and soul-driven music and his intense personal charisma will make him unstoppable in 2009.
Live music!!!!!! This Thursday 6-18-09 LADIES FREE TILL 11:30 pm@ Studio 4 Reggae 314 s 4th ave Ann Arbor,MI call for info 734-686-4303 Guest appearance by King Jazzy DJ Rudy Rude bringing da hot flavor Drink specials-$3Mojitos /$3 Long Islands /$3 Kamikazes "Come get your Hustle on!!!!"
NICE nice! its funny how we're on the same work times :) Oiiii and where was my call yesty Mr.YoMoney!?! hmm... tisk tisk.. haha.. Be Good! -E Dollar$! :P
