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In an industry filled with stereotypical rappers who all sound and look the same, standing out is paramount concern for any burgeoning lyricist. Atlanta-based artist Quake clearly sets himself apart from the competition with an unmistakable sound and unmatched grind.

The realization of his reign as a solo artist materialized after winning Hot 107.9 FM’s freestyle battle for four weeks straight in ‘03. “One of my most memorable moments took place while battling a female rapper,” he recalls. “After she spit a whole verse, I spit one line and they stopped me to declare me the winner.” Bet you don’t know when your last cycle hit/ because you sound like you look like Michael Vick was the memorable quote that prompted listeners to light up the station’s phone lines.

Quake gained a loyal fan base while studying criminal justice and entertainment law at West GA University. Killing two birds with one stone, he tapped into the college market and learned the legal side of the music industry. “Education helped me get back on top of my business. I learned the true meaning of copyrights, contracts, and document structure,” he states. “I got some joints stolen from me back in the day when I was young and naïve, I didn’t want to go through that again.”

While he may have earned a formal education, it was the streets that taught him life lessons. “I was a problem child,” Quake explains, “but I was able to turn my life around and earn a degree.” Always one to see things through to the finish, when situations got tough, Quake found inspiration in an array of rappers such as T.I., Jadakiss, 2Pac, Ceelo and Ludacris. He describes himself as an “uptempo mixture of Luda, Tip, Jeezy, and Young Buck.”

Though he’s earned impressive accolades, Quake intends to put his leadership qualities to further use as the co-owner of SuperVizion LLC. Along with his partners Adrian Vernon and Joshua Glover, the overall intent of the label is to bring their trendsetting visions to life, and they won’t stop until they bust open the Atlanta underground scene. “Everybody’s sick of people handing them mixtapes, it’s like handing out a chewed piece of gum,” Quakes says, “So when you see me out with a full official album, make sure you support.”