"From Worst 2 First"
Every now and then a young and hungry rhyme-spitter emerges from the
faceless, nameless sea of rappers to offer hope in the form of a fresh, new
flow. The hip-hop breeding ground that is Zone 6 of Atlanta has delivered
yet another talent. Only this time, it is a little different.
Already dubbed the "Eminem of the South" by his local following, 23 year-old
$hamrock, born Timothy Rasmussen, brings a different perspective to say the
least. "I rep for that one white dude in the trap, in the hood, playing
hoops, in the club, who just don't know anything else. I get down with the
best of em."
Raised in Decatur, GA and Conyers, GA on the eastside of Atlanta, "$ham"
learned early on that rap was a powerful force. "Everyone always doubted me
when they first saw me like 'oh he a lame' and 'why he here' and shit like
that. When people heard me rap, it was like my acceptance."
n between earning Varsity letters and tearing down lunch cafeteria sessions
in high school, $ham managed to earn numerous scholarships to attend
college. Taking his act to the University of Georgia in Athens, GA, it was
there that $ham made his rap visions a reality. After winning the first
talent show he ever entered, $ham earned a gig opening for The Roots and
Sleepy Brown. As he tells it, that opportunity was the final push he needed.
"That was it for me. I had the whole school telling me I'm tight and that
I'm gone make it and blow up and be rich. I promised Moms that I would get
my degree and then I would chase my dream to get signed. She and my Pops
gave me their blessing and that was that."
Making good on his promise, $hamrock earned his Journalism degree in May
2005.
n 2006, after working with local underground producers Luney Tunez & Ribah, $hamrock's break finally came. $hamrock was picked to be on a new VH1 show that would air at the end of the year called "VH1's EGOTRIP - The White Rapper Show". After a grueling process, which included him garnering millions of fans and beating out a dozen other finalists, $hamrock won.
Now rocking shows from coast-to-coast, being known worldwide (yes, the show is now on in the UK & other countries as well), and being $100,000 dollars richer, $hamrock is ready to bring his music to the masses. But stopping traffic in Manhattan, constantly being stopped by his supporters in the streets all over the country, and being courted by major record labels for the opportunity to release his debut album “Worst 2 First” has not changed $hamrock one bit.
"I basically think that I will get out what I put in. The harder I work and
the more opportunities I go after, its more likely I will get my shine. It's
all about that hustle and flow."
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