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John Brown, a.k.a. the 'King of da Burbz', is not just an artist, but a brand - Hip-Hop's advocate for the suburbs.

Raised in Davis, CA, Brown was known locally as the sole person in his town making hip-hop music. After spending time in London developing his song-writing and production skills, Brown re-located to NYC where he continued carving his unique creative lane. He built on an innovative concept that defined his place within hip-hop - 'King of da 'Burbz'.


He explained to RealTalkNY: "As I grew up and developed my craft with music I decided to embrace suburbia rather than run from it," Brown said. "I felt that if I'm already sitting in the "American dream", I should represent the mentalities and cultural traits associated with it - the ironies, contradictions and economics."

Brown's introduction to the public arena occurred when he became the star of "ego trip's (White) Rapper Show" on VH1.



"It really just gave me a platform, an entrance point, with which to bring the music that I had been making for years," Brown told AllHipHop."The real reason I got involved with it was because of ego trip and their ability to create strong statements through art."

Brown was known for relentlessly marketing his company and one of their slogans - "Hallelujah Holla Back".

The cultural impact of Brown's role on the show reached all the way to the White House, as President Obama said "Hallelujah Holla Back" in his Notre Dame Commencement speech in May 2009.

Since the show, Brown has only expanded his relevancy within hip-hop. His ode to Sarah Palin "(I Wanna Lay Pipe)", was critically acclaimed and featured in several publications including Rolling Stone.



Most importantly, Brown has grasped the importance of viral marketing in the rapidly-evolving music industry and created a buzzing internet presence. In addition to releasing 4 mixtapes, a digital EP and countless videos, Brown also writes a weekly column for Mark Ecko's Complex. "Politickin' with John Brown" provides political commentary from Brown's unique perspective.

Brown is launching a new website, TheBurbsLife.com - everything burbs-related. A mixtape of the same name will accompany the sites launch, leading into Brown's official EP release.

As Sacramento News & Review explains: "Whether you agree with his philosophies or not, they're making a noticeable splash in the nation of hip hop, and the ripple seems only to be widening."