Misolanius is an American rapper who grew up in the Bay Area during the golden age of Hip-Hop when artists such as 2Pac and Nas began their legacies and their influence on his dreams of being an emcee.
He started writing rhymes as an adolescent, as a way of therapy and escape, finding a mission and a purpose in his musical gifting. A troublesome childhood intermingled with the gangster rap era added gasoline to the fire. Getting into street fights, traveling between divorced parents, and running away from home with his first girlfriend, he felt the one true constant was his music.
Hip-Hop saved his life, which is expressed in his fledgling album, Assorted Elements, specifically the song, “Bigger Than Hip Hop”, an undiluted description of how hip-hop is “more than all that glitz and glamour you see on TV”. In this timeless track, the listener is introduced to Misolanius’s sour-punch style of lyricism that combines the bitter with the sweet, and the complex traumatized adult with the lost inner child.
Misolanius’s passion blossomed in Chico, California where he formed the group Monarch with fellow MC Wesley Wright. Together they put out an E.P. and L.P., The Beginning and The Transformation. Both albums were aggressive and revolutionary. They made history before history itself, with messages in their music notes on the sphere of prophetic. This project included Zumbi of Zion I, Gift of Gab of Blackalicious Marty James of One Block Radius and Elijah Grey, formerly known as Kristo from Drop City Yacht Club.
Soon thereafter, Misolanius completed his BA in Sound Arts at Expression College and that is when his skills as an artist and producer solidified his permanent stake in hip-hop.
He released his third solo album, Mr. Opus, in 2013, featuring LA based rapper R-Mean on the track, “My Orbit”. The Mr. Opus album circled back to his original style, but with the faithful boundary-pushing elements of the Monarch days, topped off with a more polished sound all around; a diamond forged through fire.
Spiritual Gangster, his fourth solo album, was deployed in 2020, featuring the song “Good Life”, which marked the beginning of his leap into Pop-Hip-Hop, though still maintaining poetic integrity and fundamental class to the highest standard. “Good Life” features melodic singer Kenny Realz and the beat is produced by Swoosh. This track is a feel good anthem with prominent west coast styled bass lines driven by eye-winking story telling.
Another highlight to the Spiritual Gangster album is “Magic Dance”, featuring Bay Area R&B singer Cash Campain. The artistic prowess of Misolanius and the collaborative brilliance of Cash Campain brings you on a journey to the heart of rap, a complementary blend of conscious hip-hop and contemporary R&B creating a musical experience that transcends time. Also a notable contribution is “Like a Boss.” This tyrannosaurus delivery personifies the confidence and “Never Stop Me” attitude that Misolanius unapologetically creates in his music to inspire the listener who is craving that super-dose of belief in themselves that they too might be a renegade for justice.
Currently, Misolanius is finishing his latest work on two of a three volume anthology, a singular accomplishment unlike any of the others he has created previously, with a stream-lined sound fully his own. This time, no collaborations, no other voices on the tracks, just his words, his vocal instruments, his raps, his pure essence.
Misolanius embodies the notion that if you can’t blend in, stand out and if you want to be heard then shout from the balcony. From the “Same Man” who wrote his first song when he was 9 years old, and will still be representing Hip Hop even when he’s 90.
Trust your dopeness. Welcome to the movement.
