Rakim, Special Ed, Kool Moe Dee, Outkast, Mos Def, The Roots, Wu-Tang, Big Pun, Canibus, Slick Rick, Portishead, Talib Kweli, Parliament Funkadelic, Run D.M.C., Eminem, E.P.M.D., Big Daddy Kane, Jay-Z ...and so many more it hurts tryin to think of them all
Born in our nation’s capitol, as Garrick Perry, Force was introduced to Hip-Hop at an early age by his father, a D.C. area D.J. He grew up surrounded by the sounds of house parties and immersed in songs of legends such as Afrika Bambaataa, and Kurtis Blow. Garrick quickly gained a profound love and appreciation for Hip-Hop culture. After spending countless hours in his father’s basement studying Hip-Hop’s forefathers and honing his craft and unique style, the boy who would be Force began sharing his love of verse with his peers on school playgrounds. That was where he found his calling.
During his middle and high school years, Force spit verses to anyone who would listen to him. It was at local coffeehouses where Force gained his emcee chops and developed his skilled phrasing and clever writing style. After moving to Western, MA to attend Amherst College, it was only a few short months before Force became lead vocalist for a local Hip-Hop/ Funk band which allowed him to lay his trademark smooth vocals over everything from Digable Planets tunes to Herbie Hancock classics. While in college, he led a number of bands, which fused jazz, classical, and rock music with pure Hip-Hop flavor. Force tore through the five college scene, and quickly established himself as one of the Valley’s hungriest new artists.
After graduation, Force remained in the Valley and formed the Hip-Hop trio known as Rival School with fellow Amherst alums Trauma (James Reed) and Ages (Andrew Unger). The three crafted a number of songs and performed with acts such as The Beatnuts, E3 and up and coming star Miri Ben Ari. The collaboration was short-lived, but Force…not one to give in to setbacks, embarked on his solo career and quickly established himself in the Northampton music scene.
From co-creating Northampton’s first weekly Hip-Hop showcase, Speakeasy, to hosting a number of open mics and M.C. battles, he has unwaveringly sought to share his passion for hip hop with others. Force’s continual involvement in the Hip-Hop scene has shown that he is more than capable of holding his own, recently sharing the stage with artists such as Breez Evahflowin, Grand Buffet, and the Heiruspecs.
it was very nice to see u!!!! sorry its taken me so long to approach and say wasssssup!!!!! but u were awesome and i hope to see u again soon!!!!!!!im hoping to see u in amherst(i may have my nephew) but ill def. see u at the horse!!!!!!have a good day :) its beautiful!!!!!
hello my dear. it was awesome seeing you for my miniature vacation! so, my brother just gave me 'the dark side of oz' and holy crap...i love it! seriously, i'm blown away. Give me a call when you come visit...
Hey Force! It was great to see you guys play in Hartford Friday, you did amazing! We can always count on you guys for a great show :) Let me know when you'll be in Northhampton, James and I would love to go! Oh, also, I want ur live cd, I didn't have enough cash on friday, how can I go about buying it? Let me know :) ttys Liz
BROOOTHA!! i will always and always be at wormtown!! I AM the recycling worm, if it werent for me, the camp would be a done wreck. I LOOK forward to seeing yall. YOU ROCK MY DAMN FACE....THERE ARE NO WORDS!!! THANK YOU!!!
i'm so terribly sorry that i missed ur birthday, happy belated! i hope u had a wonderful time...so, i might be gettin a job a biships...i'll keep u posted.
where ya goin?? my summer is busy, moved to an organic farm..just got stitches in my foot, arg. toughin it out. GLAD YOUR WELL, you always bring a smile to my face!!
yo thanx a lot dog i love The dark side of OZ that "home" joint is my shit!! we gotta do another jam soon..ima try an check yall out in manchester when u guys come out here..peace fam
yeah man, we are 200% down for collaberating with you on promotion. i'm sure it would work out to benefit us all. the ideal scenario would be to do something at a festival you guys are playing at and one we are vending at. we are planning on trying to get a spot at the september wormtown festival in greenfield if you're going to be playing there.
on an unrelated note, there are alot of people in berkshire county who are really hoping to have you out this way real soon, possibly at La Cocina in Pittsfield again, or Club Helsinki in Great Barrington.
