Biography
24 year old songwriter/producer/recording artist Wade Collins, noted for his work with many underground artist, is considered one of the better true hip-hop emerging artists. Born and raised in Tampa Bay, Florida, Wade has "taken the time to travel the journey of music, from the present all the way to the solid gold oldies of the 70's.", where he has taken influences from artists such as Isaac Hayes, Willie Hutch, Curtis Mayfield, Barry White, and Minnie Ripperton. Collins' unique style, blending vintage sound with new technology, offers a different yet refreshing ingredient to both the hardcore hip-hop fans' and the pop crowd's musical dish.
Collins', who attended performing arts school since the 3rd, has been making music and performing since a very young age. He first began making hip-hop music at age 12 using Magix Music Maker for Playstation, a subpar title that allowed Collins to import and sample music. First influenced by hip-hop in the 1990's with the deaths of Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls, Collins later gravitated towards earlier artists such as Tribe Called Quest, EPMD, Gangstarr, and Nas, where he found solace in the sample heavy, message driven music. At age 17, Collins released his first self produced/ self-recorded album The Counterculture with his High School friends,and was asked to perform at a nightclub for the first time.
Collins explains, "We went on dead last at 2am on a school night. The crowd had gotten a little thin, but by the time the song was at the end I saw people saying the words allowed with me, and the rest was history. I knew i had to do this."
Collins went on to study at Florida State University. During his tenure, he involved himself with various groups and organizations and had a seemingly normal college students life, however music was still his greatest passion. Upon graduation, Collins became determined to continuously work at his music and released In The Water Mixtape which became a smash hit amongst the campus.
Wade has went on to produce for up and coming artists such as Will Brennan (opener for J. Cole, B.o.B., and Wale), Lamar Adot Thomas (opener for Eyrkah Badu, Mystikal, and Rickey Smiley's 97.9FM Dallas Freestyle Champion) and Bril (opener for Young Jeezy, Wale, and Future and also Collins' cousin).
With the release of his 4th official project "Dearly Departed EP" Collins has establish his "Dream Or Die Tour" brand which plans to tour with a small group of emerging artists as word of the Gifted Wade Collins spreads. Residing in Dallas, TX he now plans to release 3 more projects in 2012, one being his highly anticipated independent album "G.L.O.R.E." on iTunes, Dec. 21st. Collins performs regularly throughout the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex, and works out of Yums Official Studio.
Collins has plans to take his talents to Los Angeles; shortly after to New York to study music at NYU. Whichever is the next path for the young, talented artist, the future appears brightest for Wade C.
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