Brooklyn resident "Substantial", originally from Maryland, is an emcee in the truest sense of the word. He has spent the last several years developing his skill as an outstanding lyricist and upholding the art of beat boxing (which he feels is a lost element of hip-hop). Like most hip-hop artist, his surroundings influenced his music as he began to come of age. But not in the way that it has influenced most. Instead, Substantial chooses to illustrate through his music how no matter what the obstacle you can over come. "If reality sucks, why would you want to "keep it real", when we can make it better! Life is what we make it." Rakim, Krs 1, Big Daddy Kane, and Common are some of Substantial's major influences in the category of MC'ing. As far as beat boxing Buffy (R.I.P.), Doug E. Fresh, and Rahzel have inspired him to keep the art alive. Yet his talents do not end there, he uses his ear for music to create his own unique style of production under the name ""Subtracktion"". In the future he plans on becoming equally respected as a lyricist and producer. He made his debut as a producer on his solo release ""Substantial Evidence"". He is currently focusing on production for artists such as Nuyorican slam poets Ana Caona & The Marxman, Insanate (pronounced Insanity), U.V. & many more. Substantial has released numerous singles since 2000 ("Lyrical Terrorists" w/ L-Universe, "Home Sweet Home"", "Remembering Dave"", "Kalitwutchawon2", "If I Was Your Mic", and Invisible Man). All of which combined have sold close to 20,000 copies worldwide (Each single was only released on vinyl with the exception of "Invisible Man"). His debut LP "...to this union a sun was born" sold 2,000 copies in 2 weeks after it's released in Japan by Hyde Out Productions/Dimid Recordings (Oct.2001). The LP also remained in the top 10 for record sells two months in a row at the Virgin Megastore in the town of Ikebukuro in Tokyo, Japan. In the month of November, it actually out sold artist such as Ja Rule, DMX, Jermaine Dupri, Faith Evans, and Angie Stone. The LP's U.S. release date was January 2001. To this day "To This Union??¦" has received critical acclaim around the world and Substantial's new release Substantial Evidence is headed on the same path. It has received rave reviews from magazines and websites alike such as React Magazine, Beautiful Decay, Import Tuner and Cellarnoise.com. For entire bio, visit: http://www.substantial-music.com