Tragic Hero

Tragic Hero is building a solid image for Ecuadorians in hip-hop. The 30-year-old's eclectic influence has inspired him to continuously switch up his overall sound. The faith-based rapper's debut album My Own Worst Enemy has been described as "honest, gritty, and uplifting." His collection of unique singles have appeared in the top 20 of the hip-hop charts on iTunes and has charted on Billboard. Throughout the album, Tragic Hero shows off his creativity by channeling his Kanye-esq ego on one track, then tapping into his inner dark side, á la The Weeknd, on another. - Vibe.com

Despite the small city of Camden, New Jersey sitting directly next to the rich-in-hip-hop-talent city of Philadelphia, the poverty ridden metro has yet to produce a rap star that has broken through to the mainstream.

There has been a handful of emcees who have broken through to the mixtape level, but Camden’s Beanie Sigel has yet to emerge. However, in a place that currently is a hotbed for some of the country’s purest Heroin, there’s a young man dodging the dangers of the streets for rap greatness.

ADVERTISING

CMD’s Tragic Hero is out here to put on for his crime ridden hometown. Overcoming insane odds, the Ecuadorian-American flamethrower releases his latest music video with VIBE.com today (May 5). Titled “Forever King,” the kid stomps through with bars of fury in the new visuals.

Link: Keep Up With Tragic Hero on Twiiter

Trag’s My Own Worst Enemy album is available on iTunes now — and features the new single.

Watch the newly released visuals below. - Vibe.com

Welcome to another week of the “This Is My Year” fan-challenge! As I explained in our inaugural post, we've has been rocking with the A3C Music Festival in Atlanta for years now because we both are dedicated to giving tomorrow's important voices a platform today. That's why we've come onboard for the "This Is My Year" contest.

Here's the deal: Artists who would like to perform at A3C need to submit via Sonicbids. A3C then selects six of those artists to enter the weekly challenge, and then every Monday that challenge goes live on DJBooth. All week fans will be able to vote on their favorite artists (one vote per day) and at the end of the week, the two top vote-getters will be invited to perform at a A3C. It's our way of putting the power to decide who performs in the hands of the people, where it belongs.

Check out the full rundown of this week's six candidates below, then hit the voting widget or vote here to help determine who makes the cut. And as long as we have you, the first official A3C lineup has just been announced, featuring De La Soul, Cam'ron, Curren$y, Jean Grae and much more. For the full roster and tickets click here, and in the meantime vote below!

Stoppa

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Hometown: Houston, TX
Twitter: @StoppaOnline
Facebook: Shostoppa's Fan Page
Video: "WTF"
Tragic Hero

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Hometown: Camden, NJ
Twitter: @iamtragichero
Facebook: Tragic Hero
Music: "Heart of a Hustler"
SmCity

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Hometown: Washington, DC
Twitter: @smcitymusic
Facebook: SmCity Booker
Music: "Cracks in the Pillars"
j.Carr

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Hometown: Austin, TX
Twitter: @jCarr2k11
Music: "KD" ft. Lil Bari & Carrtel
Jake&Papa

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Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Twitter: @JakeAndPapa
Facebook: Jake&Papa
Music: "Entertainer"
Kush Kelz

Vote
Hometown: Montclair, NJ
Twitter: @iHateKushKelz
Facebook: Kush Kelz
Music: "Purple" - www.djbooth.com

My Own Worst Enemy
Tragic Hero
July 11, 2015 - Billboard.com

Jul 26, 2015 1:07:01 PM

Thanks for supporting your favorite up-and-coming hip-hop artists each week. The winners of the This Is My Year fan-challenge will join the 2015 A3C Festival & Conference lineup with dope MCs like Rakim, Jean Grae, Pharaohe Monch, Cyhi the Prynce and hundreds more! Voting for "This Is My Year" week 13 has ended. With your help, we have picked over a couple dozen artists to perform this October in Atlanta, GA... and we are still going! Stay tuned for the next 6 contenders to be announced tomorrow afternoon!

Week 13's winners are... Tragic Hero of Camden, NJ and Kush Kelz of Montclair, NJ! - A3C Festival

In Case You Have Not Met

While Tragic Hero may currently be independent, he is far from an industry unknown. This unique emcee has dropped singles since 2011 leading up to his debut free album ‘Going Home’, a blend of booming speaker-beats and thought-provoking lyrical couplets. Since then he has been featured on numerous projects such as Swoope’s record “Bow Down” on ‘Sinema.’

With that being said, it was last October that Tragic really caught Forth’s attention and went from being a “growing emcee” to “a force to be reckoned with.” It was then that Wes Pendleton & Taelor Gray dropped their “Middle Clash EP” featuring a song called “Fade Away.” It was on “Fade Away” that Tragic shined alongside his co-stars(Wes Pen and Taelor Gray) and thus sent up the dope emcee bat signal. In case you missed it, you can stream “Fade Away” Here:

Fade Away put on display a talent being refined and readied to break down the barriers formerly known as CHH….And then Tragic dropped “My Own Worst Enemy.”

My Own Worst Enemy
Tragic’s latest album, “My Own Worst Enemy,” is a celebration of simple beats, instrumentation, and major league lyricism. Tragic, if nothing else, has the ability to tell a story through his art like few others in the game. The album is a start to finish listen with great features hosting the likes of Dre Murray, John Givez, Christon Gray, and Wes Pen.

Q&A with Tragic
We sat down with Tragic following the drop of MOWE to find out more about the man behind the music.

1. Who is Tragic Hero?
Tragic Hero: I’m a songwriter and MC from the city of Camden, NJ. I’ve written and featured for many artists you may have heard of (Christon Gray, Dre Murray, Swoope etc). I’m married, I have a son, and I work a full-time job.

2. Tell us about MOWE and the creative process?
Tragic Hero: MOWE is an honest hip hop album that speaks on my life story and my personal struggles. The content wasn’t really planned, it was what came out at the time due to some of the things I was going through. Sonically, Wit took the lead as an A&R. Most of the production was created or finished in his studio with help from 42*North. There were a couple songs where I would have an idea (voice memo/melody) and he would then take that idea and create a new song; that was done with Winter and Nothing You Can Do. Wit and I definitely had our disagreements along the way, but I think the tension makes for better music. As far as working with Wes, he usually creates this basic track for me to start writing on and then finishes the production afterwards. With Forever King, Jay Cardec created the production from scratch after I sent him the verses. Production from HotHandz and Jay Rhodan (Happy People and Charlie’s Song) were sent to me but they were undeniably good so they were easy to write to. While wrapping up the album, Wit and D.Steele hooked up to complete two songs on the project. D. Steele really added some subtle but important elements needed like some additional drums on 1984 and some of the synths on Nothing You Can Do.

3. Why do you make music?
Tragic Hero: I make music because it’s cathartic. When I speak, its hard for me to articulate my thoughts well but I seem to do that really well when it comes to writing songs.

4. What makes you different from every other rapper out there?
Tragic Hero: I care about the art and I choose my words carefully. I take my time to make music, I don’t like rushing to put anything out just to stay relevant.

5. Why Make Music?
Tragic Hero: Because it’s necessary in this day and age to be able to make music rich in content without sacrificing the production quality. I would like to think lot of my fans are mature and relate to my story and my struggles, and I’m providing them a soundtrack to their life.

6. What is your favorite song on MOWE & why?
Tragic Hero: My favorite song right now off this album is Last Night feat. David James. The production is something I could’ve heard on Kanye’s Late Registration and I tear up sometimes rapping the lyrics.

7. What is your favorite album?
Tragic Hero: All time? It’s hard to say, maybe The Cool by Lupe Fiasco or Late Registration by Kanye West. Right now? Oddisee’s Good Fight hands down.

8. What is your favorite book?
Tragic Hero: Kingdom Man by Dr. Tony Evans and The Billboard Guide to Writing and Producing Songs that Sell.

9. What is your favorite pastime?
Tragic Hero: Playing basketball (I blocked Dre Murray’s shot) and making music. - ForthDistrict.com

For as long as I’ve loved hip-hop, I have always had a partiality to the underground. That doesn’t mean that I dislike the mainstream but there is something about the underground that calls out to me. I love the passion, the rap wit, and the chip on their shoulder. Underground emcees have an edge to them that you don’t always see from mainstream artist. That was one of the many things that drew me to CHH; the whole genre felt like it was underground, and it was for a long time. The popularity and mainstream attention wasn’t there for CHH. But now the genre has boomed over the past several years and now the genre is rich with an abundance of talent. With this popularity creates a “mainstream” crop of talent that gets a lion’s share of the attention and several other artists that fly under the radar.
One of those artists has been Tragic Hero. Since coming onto the scene a few years back Tragic Hero has consistently flown under the radar. He’s done some great work this far in his career including his debut album “Going Home”, “The Resistance” EP that followed and his never ending list of features. Even with that resume most CHH fans aren’t that familiar with Tragic Hero. Tragic Hero is one of the best-kept secrets in all of CHH. He is a rappers rapper, an emcee in every sense of the word. He’s a tremendous lyricist, insanely creative and beautifully artistic. Now he is back with his second album entitled “My Own Worst Enemy”. Fans familiar with his resume are on the edge of their seats in anticipation for this record. Hopefully after this releases he won’t fly under the radar any longer.
Sound
Tragic Hero is as creative an emcee as there is in CHH and the sound of “My Own Worst Enemy” reflects that creativity. It’s not just heavy drums and bass throughout this record. Tragic Hero infuses different sounds and instruments all throughout and that gives this record a unique sound tailored specifically to Tragic Hero. The sound of this record has a lot of versatility and constantly gives the listener a different feel and vibe. That helps keep the record fresh and provides a lot of playback value because there are different types of sounds. This versatility was displayed beautifully at the beginning of the record when he opens with a softer and slower paced intro that the listener can just fall into. Tragic Hero then transitions into the tougher and faster paced “1984” featuring Dre Murray. It’s a stark transition but is done beautifully. This is what the listener can expect from this record- different sounds and feels from track to track.
For the long time fans of Tragic Hero this record will be about what they expect musically. For the newcomers you should expect a sound similar that which you would hear from Collision Records. A lot of instruments and different sounds, not relying heavily on bass or drums. It has a bit of an epic feel to it (like Collision). The production builds and is layered. A great example of this is the track “Winter” produced by Wit. It’s a slow paced track that has more of a worship feel than anything else. It sounds like what Hillsongs interpretation of hip-hop would be. There is acoustic guitar, drums that build towards the hook, and Tragic Hero himself singing through a good part of the track. This song gives a different sound with an epic feel. If this is the type of music you like, if you’re a fan of the Collision sound, then “My Own Worst Enemy” is a record you will love.
Lyricism
One of (if not the biggest) reasons why Tragic Hero is one of the best-kept secrets in CHH is because of his lyricism. He is a wizard lyrically. He uses words in a way that is only matched by few. He’s shown throughout his career that he can go bar for bar with almost anyone. He has command of his flow and his tone. He can switch pace and feel to match different tracks. Most importantly he is comfortable. He knows who he is as an emcee and he knows what he’s capable of. So, every time you hear Tragic Hero he has a smooth confidence about him that draws listeners in.
All of those aforementioned qualities shine on “My Own Worst Enemy”. It is lyrical artwork from start to finish. He switches his tempo and tone throughout. His wordplay is impeccable. Lyrically it’s just a great record. His lyricism really stands out on tracks like “Determination” featuring John Givez, “1984” featuring Dre Murray and “Nothing You Can Do”. These are a few tracks were Tragic Hero shows that he’s as lyrically talented as anyone. He has great feel for what each track needs him to do vocally. He rides his production with great harmony, which makes for great songs and easy listens. Overall it is lyrically one of the best albums you’ll hear.
Conclusion
The overall conclusion of this record is that it is a great record. However great music and great lyricism are not the only things that makes this record great. The content and features also provide a great deal in making this record great. It’s not an overly “Christian” record but the content is still very rich. Tragic Hero is a very honest emcee, and throughout this record he is very honest. He gives and insight into his life and struggles and that provides great, soul-enriching content. It does also carry a Christian theme throughout. He makes biblical references several times and always keeps God as the main focus. It’s good positive “Christian” music, which all Christian music fans want and need, and that makes it great.
There are only 10 tracks on the record, and on albums this short it’s hard to enlist a strong support cast. Tragic Hero gets an amazing supporting cast. He had Christon Gray for the soulful and elegant sounding “Try Again”. Dre Murray enlisted his expertise for the gritty “1984”. And John Givez hopped on the smooth “Determination”. Taleor Gray and David James also lended their talents. Each of these features shows how important features can be. All of these features elevated the record and provided very memorable tracks that can be played for a long time to come.
There are so many great elements to this record. Tragic Hero was able to craft some of his best work yet and the type of record that his fans will remember and listen to for a long time. I don’t know if this will be the record that brings Tragic Hero to the forefront of the genre because it lacks that special hit song. Nonetheless this is still a great record that showcases just how special Tragic Hero really is. - Wadeoradio.com

Tragic Hero scored very well with readers upon the release of Winter back in March, and the Jersey artist hopes to continue the trend with Nothing You Can Do, the personal story of an addict attempting to escape those addictions. Produced by Wit and Daniel Steele, this effort will be included on Tragic’s upcoming debut album, My Own Worst Enemy. - DJ Booth

Tragic Hero had announced that he would release his first retail project since his and Wes Pendleton's EP, The Resistance, in 2013. Tragic's album My Own Worst Enemy has been pushed back to this summer, though. - Rapzilla.com

While it looks (and feels) like we might finally be able to place Winter in our rearview, journey back to the cold at least one more time with Tragic Hero for his first-time Booth feature. On a newly-released single, TH links up with GRAMMY award-winning producer Wit, who provides a slow-building backdrop for the New Jersey artist’s sincere and introspective rhymes. Winter is set for inclusion on Tragic Hero’s forthcoming, still-untitled project, so look to the Booth for any upcoming details from the unsigned buzzmaker. - DJ Booth

You may have heard him featured on many tracks over the years and most recently on Stephen the Levite’s “Frienemies.” Tragic has also informed JTH that he’ll be dropping an album within the next 3-4 months. He has two singles ready to go with Wit and Wes Pendleton heavily involved with the production. He will also be working with Scouts Honor for the next video. Tragic Hero has already turned down some label offers but is in talks with a distribution company at the moment. Look for 2015 to be a break out year for this Camden, New Jersey MC. - Jam The Hype

Music, Message & Missteps

Trends are hard to avoid. From snapbacks to skinny jeans, every change in the wind seems to bring a new trend. Whether you think trends are good or bad, they’re inevitable. Trends are so common and unpredictable that even avoiding trends, has been a trend. The music industry hasn’t been immune from it. We have seen idea’s of what’s popular change often throughout time.

Generally, whatever the music industry says is “hot” figures to be the next trend. That has been true with everything from boy bands, to the grungy rock band, to now even hip-hop. Hip-hop has seen its fair share of trends throughout it’s history. There has been the “gangsta” rap/west coast trend, the St. Louis/Midwest trend, and the dirty south trend. I’m sure just after reading this you, have thought of a trend in hip-hop that you have loved and participated in. The point is that trends happen often, and Christian Hip-Hop is seeing a couple of trends really take off right now.

We are starting to see more rappers and producers collaborate for entire projects, and there is a serious premium on lyricism (and even political raps to an extent). Wes Pendleton and Tragic Hero give us both on their new project The Resistance. Tragic Hero is still a relatively new name to CHH fans, but he is a strong lyricist that is not afraid to speak up on political issues. His partner on this record, Wes Pendleton, is a highly talented producer that has made some noise in the genre over the past few years. Together they have made a project that is sure to please hip-hop fans.

Music

Both of these talented artists have been able to make good music separately. The task now rests in their ability to come together and make good music as a duo. The Resistance is definitely good music. Tragic Hero was really able to shine on this record. His first record Going Home was a solid effort and CHH was able to see the stunning talent this kid has. The Resistance was another shinning example of how much talent Tragic Hero really has as an MC.

The first thing that will jump out at you when listening to Tragic Hero is his voice. It is different than anything else in CHH. It will definitely grab your attention, but it is his talent that will keep it. His flow is among the best in the game. He is able to rap with a smooth pace that makes each verse sound beautiful and effortless. Not only that, but the kid is insane lyrically! He showed off his lyricism and flow throughout the record. Tragic Hero puts on a show that any fan of hip-hop would enjoy.

Tragic Hero is only one part of this album though. Wes Pendleton‘s production was on point for this record. He switched sounds throughout the record, so it didn’t sound repetitive. Even though the sound was different, it always complimented Tragic Hero beautifully. The Resistance didn’t sound like two different artists making music. But instead, it sounded like they had the same idea and direction in mind. A great artist is only a great artist if the production allows him to be. As much as Tragic Hero shined on this record, without Wes Pendleton’s beautiful melodies and strong production this album would have just been average.

Message

Any fan of Tragic Hero knows what to expect from him. He is a highly intelligent MC, and he is not afraid of political or social topics. Couple that with the title of the record (The Resistance) and you can deduce the message that is in this record. If all of those factors didn’t tip you off then some of Tragic Hero’s first bars of the entire record definitely will:

“Livin’ in America I’ll never trust/where they tradin’ freedom for a pair of cuffs

Sooner or later we gon’ be the terrorists/kill me to find out there’s only more of us”

That lays it out pretty plain on what the direction of the album will be.

The Resistance is a political record, to an extent. Songs like “Against the World” and “The Resistance” (featuring Alex Faith and Dre Murray) give it that political feel. Tragic Hero has other political moments throughout the record. If you are a fan of that type of hip-hop then you will appreciate this record. The political/social aspect of the album isn’t overwhelming though. So even if that type of hip-hop isn’t your thing there is still something for you on this record.

Missteps

The Resistance is a very good record. It was solid throughout as Wes Pendleton and Tragic Hero had solid performances, but there were a couple of things that could have pushed this record past very good to great. The first was the length. This is one of the first things that you’ll notice about the record. It’s short. There are only seven tracks on The Resistance. Now I know it’s an EP so it’s not supposed to be long, but after listening to it I was begging for more. I don’t think I would classify this as a misstep, but I feel like with a few more tracks, Wes and Tragic Hero would have had a classic on their hands.

Another thing that would have made the record a little better would have been more direction with the concept. A great concept isn’t necessary for a great album, but a great concept will always take a record to the next level. I love the title, the cover art and the political/social aspect of the album. I just felt like there could have been a little more done with it all. I don’t know who ‘the resistance’ is and what they are resisting. The topics and lyricism is so heavy on this record, clearly stating some things about the concept would have drawn the listener in more, and made it easier to connect with the record.

These things may keep the record from being great, but they don’t stop it from being an enjoyable listening experience. Overall, the missteps on the album are small. The Resistance is an album any fan of hip-hop is sure to love. If this is the trend in CHH, to make good music that will challenge the listener as well as entertain them, then I hope that this trend continues. - DJ Wade-O

While Tragic Hero may currently be independent, he is far from an industry unknown. This unique emcee has dropped singles since 2011 leading up to his debut free album ‘Going Home’, a blend of booming speaker-beats and thought-provoking lyrical couplets. His impact reverberated to features on numerous projects, most recently on the song Venetian Blinds from the free ‘Misfits’ album by the rising Florida group Social Club. Earlier this year, he released 'The Resistance', an EP created solely with the production talents of Wes Pendleton. Using the producer-rapper duo formula made famous by the classic Hell’s Paradise album, Tragic showed the musical dexterity to morph into different styles seamlessly without losing his distinctiveness. The project even peaked in the top 40 of the hip hop charts on iTunes, showing the growing fanbase that exists for his quality music. - Rapzilla.com

Christian Hip Hop's Best of awards are back again! If we would’ve told you that Reach, Humble Beast and Lamp Mode would only release a combined six albums in 2015, you probably would’ve thought it’d be a slow year for Christian hip hop.

It wasn’t — at all.

The aforementioned labels have been invaluable to the subgenre for years, and they still are, but Christian hip hop’s population of dope artists continued to grow in 2015.

NF and Capitol CMG put up numbers that no one outside of Reach has done in this era. Andy Mineo, John Givez and JGivens, among others, turned heads on mainstream hip-hop outlets. And several artists — like Kaleb Mitchell and Aha Gazelle — became fan favorites almost overnight.

This brief rundown obviously left out many key players and memorable moments, but that’s what Rapzilla’s Best Of nominations are for.

To qualify to be nominated, the artist must have released an official full length album, or EP available at retail outlets (with the exception of the New Artist and Free Album categories) with a release date between December 2014 and December 2015.

Rapzilla combed through those memories for its annual Best-of Awards. After days of heated debates, our staff nominated artists and art for nine different categories — Best Artist, Album, Free Album, EP, Single, Group, New Artist, Producer, Music Video and Album Cover.

Fan vote decides the victors. Voting ends on 2/29/15. - Rapzilla