A-Thug: Harlem's Unsung King

By The Hip Hop Writer
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer

There is a new king in Harlem. Ever since the late 1990s, the hip hop scene in Harlem has been dominated by Cam'ron. In the past, former Bad Boy star, Mase had a short run at the top. But, A-Thug has been doing his thing right there in Harlem for seven years.

In 2003, the streets of New York were buzzing because their own, 50 Cent, had emerged into the limelight. A few miles away, another legacy was born. A-Thug, at the time 22 years old, wanted to get into the game. After a few meetings with label heads, he decided he wanted to do this on his own.

With no funding, A-Thug put together his debut album, Wish of a Rolling Stone. In order to get the album out to the people, A-Thug went to the streets and sold the music, himself. The album was met with moderate success and made him into a New York street legend.

After releasing his debut album through his own label, Black Rolling Stones Entertainment, A-Thug sought to continue buildng his empire. The year of 2003 was closed with A-Thug adding more artists to his label. Towards the end of the year, the Harlem rapper had planned to release his second album, but instead he found himself behind bars. The time in jail only inspired A-Thug to hit the streets even harder when he came out.

In 2006, A-Thug returned on top of his game. He released his second album, Blow: The Art of Getting Rich, and the people loved it. Fans have the chance to interact with A-Thug, as he doubles as a street vendor. The goal is to become like Diddy and Jay-Z, but A-Thug understands that he has to walk before he can crawl. Outside of music, Thuggatron also unveiled his own clothing line, Black Rolling Stones Clothing, which has also been a major success for him. Running his empire from his home, A-Thug focused on getting the artists on his label exposure.

With the focus on expansion, soon A-Thug added MegaStarDVD to his growing number of products. By the time his third album, Fuel to the Fire, came out, the streets of New York did not have to ask who the rapper, A-Thug was. Ever since being released from incarceration in 2006, A-Thug went to the streets to sell his music. Along the way, he created MegaStarDVD, Black Rolling Stones Clothing, and has added multiple acts to his label.

Because he is on the streets, fans get a personal feeling from A-Thug. It would be a long shot to see Jay-Z in the middle of the street offering copies of one of his albums. Even when he does make it into the mainstream, A-Thug wants to keep this connection with the people. Fans have a distinct feeling about A-Thug and they have made him one of the most-popular street rappers in New York. This means a lot, seeing how flooded the New York rap market is.

In an effort to keep his name popular in New York and to build a market for himself in other places, A-Thug has hopped on remixes with mainstream artists. Not only has he added verses to many of the current hit singles, but he has also done music videos with him teaming up with the artists. Right now, these artists do not know A-Thug personally, but this will all soon change.

A-Thug ft. Gucci Mane and Trey Songz - "Beat It Up (remix)"