H3RO

Positivity abounds in the music video for “Be Something,” the latest cut from local emcee H3RO. Within the first few seconds, the words “Mind Over Matter” appear on the screen. (It’s the name of the film firm that helmed the video, but it still counts.) A few ticks later, a teacher writes the title phrase on a whiteboard, under a list of high-paying, socially beneficial jobs: doctor, lawyer, dentist, judge. The same teacher later meets his son on a basketball court, and teaches him how to pump-fake. The images fit the song, a posi-vibes paean to the power of aspiration and ass-busting spit over a scratchy electric guitar sample. “Be something,” H3RO insists. He’s speaking to kids, sure, but to his own listless generation (the emcee’s not so far removed from his days at Dutch Fork High School), too. He’s not much outside the local rap scene yet, but if “Be Something” is indicative of the material on the forthcoming Between the Panels, H3RO has a shot of being just that far beyond the suburbs. With Lite Gray, Taylor Boy, Hybrid, Nune, SB aka Mr. Next Week. - The free times

Local rapper H3RO knew he was on what he called “historical ground” at the State House, performing in front of the spot where only a couple weeks earlier the Confederate battle flag still few. “City Under Siege” was the highlight of his set, with lyrics that contrasted the love he has for his hometown with the problems it presents for a young black man. Pulling back from that confrontational brink, H3RO finished with his strongest track, the universally inspirational “Be Something.” - The Free times

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Navigation
Between the Panels of H3RO
by Kalyn Oyer | Published 04/17/15 2:29pm | Updated 04/20/15 11:44am
H3RO has been born in the Columbia hip-hop scene. USC alumnus Justin Daniels, also known by his stage name H3RO, is bringing a certain flavor to the underground scene, one that will be further savored with his new album “Between the Panels,” which is set to drop this summer.
img_4220
by Josh Thompson

The journey began in one of the scariest places on earth…high school. “I liked messing around with loops and things like that back in high school, making beats,” says Daniels. “Well, I didn’t really make beats. I was just slapping loops together and trying to rap over them, and people would listen to the music and think, ‘Okay, well the beat sounds really awesome but your rapping, like…you should just stop.’”


But he didn’t. Daniels took about a year hiatus from sharing his music and worked on his first mix-tape “Who Is Junior Blaze” in the meantime. This time around, the response was a lot different. Though there were the token haters, there were a lot more supporters—peers who told Daniels he needed to keep going because there was something special about what he was doing. - Garnet and Black magazine

As with the headliners, the rest of the lineup should open Jam Room up to new audiences. Hip-hop and R&B get unprecedentedly robust representation, with the clever and increasingly unflinching Columbia rapper H3RO, and Charleston's hypnotic and mercurial Contour and Niecy Blues (the latter showing off her boundary-evaporating collaboration with the Columbia indie rock crew ET Anderson). Florida’s Tomboi returns to town with vivacious, queer-positive electro-pop, while Charleston’s 2 Slices infuses similarly infectious and danceable jams with a heady psychedelic haze. - Free times

If you read H3RO's interview last month, you should be well aware that almost three years have passed since his last release. If 2015's Between The Panels shined a light on H3RO's character, Tragic H3RO uncovers darkness lurking in his shadows. One of the most important themes addressed in the album is storytelling. H3RO is honest and transparent even when the story is messy and uncomfortable.

Our hero stays true to his roots by including theatric skits throughout the album. The title track, "Tragic H3RO" kicks off the album as he vents about the woes of being a traditional Hip-Hop artist in the evolving genre. Another song along those same lines is "Can I Be Happy?" Both are classic H3RO songs where his wordplay stands out over standard Hip-Hop beats. Both are a treat to see live. "P.W.Y.O.M." comes in with one of the best beats on the entire album. Equipped with a moving piano melody and accompanying choir vocals, this is the one to get you riled up. FatRat the Czar closes the track with a verse to solidify this as one of the strongest tracks on the album. However, "Static Shock" would beg to differ. Another high-energy track with complementary features. This is one of the few times I've heard H3RO spit over more modern beats with heavy bass and complex percussion. The hit single "Freedom" is nestled in the perfect spot towards the end of the album. To close, our H3RO shows a softer side for the woman who will comfort him when he inevitably has to hang up his cape. "Relationship" is no exception. Katera's vocals add the finishing touches to one of the most vulnerable songs on the album. I have a weak spot for Hip-Hop songs about love. From Lil' Wayne's Something You Forgot to Phay's Real Love, there's something about a rapper showing a woman how important she is that always shakes my soul.
Tragic H3RO is a story about growth as a person and an artist. This journey comes full circle at the close of the figurative curtains. This project is a compelling and mature body of work that reframes the idea of full-length Hip-Hop albums in an era of loose singles and haphazard EPs. As I listened to H3RO spit exceptional bars, take artistic risks, and showcase talented artists from the Carolinas (shoutout to BINACT vets TWN, Cole Connor, and V Renee), I can honestly say my heart is full. - BINACT

I got put onto H3RO by checking Supastition’s twitter feed for a minute. He received a shout from DJ Sav One and that praise was duplicated by a few more individuals. So here we are…this kid is talented…extremely talented. The wordplay and sentence synergy (okay, I made that phrase up) is really on point. I can only hope that this buzz builds and he continues to receive a greater venue to share his talents with the world.

Peace! - Hip Hop Dependency

H3RO is a Columbia-SC Based Emcee who started making music with a mission to save hip hop—as times have changed, his goals have broadened and he hopes the music he makes can instead help save the world. Coming off his Sophomore Album Release, “Tragic H3RO”, H3RO touches on topics from politics to relationship issues to socioeconomics, while keeping a boom-bap style similar to the likes of Nas and Lupe Fiasco. Expect a spectacular display of lyricism and charm as he begins to take over the latter half of 2018. - Jam Room Festival