Crossfade met Miramar's The Last at PPR101 music conference in downtown Miami where they were taking notes on the industry and performing in a showcase.
We shot a quick video clip of them performing acapella in the upstairs lobby of the Hilton (freeze frame at right), and their message was "Fuck the radio."
The Last have since continued their quest to smash through the "glass ceiling" that keeps independents from breaking through to the mainstream. As such, Dreezee and Toogaloo are performing in St. Louis on September 12 as part of the Harrah's Next iBar Star competition.
Here's the story of how that came about in the words of The Last themselves.
We represent the part of our community seldom seen in the typical rap video. We represent the everyday people, from the nine to fivers to the college kid struggling through school, or anyone for that matter who is strong enough to dare to be themselves. That's who we make music for and that's who we cater to. In truth our music is as varied in the spectrum as they are. Our upcoming LP reflects the struggles, joys, pain, determination, and heart often needed and experienced in traveling the road less traveled.
The South Florida music scene has always been kinder to the artist that knows how grind and do for self. So with that in mind we started searching popular websites for legitimate showcase opportunity's and contest. We found Nextibarstar.com, immediately put together a performance video and asked our friends and fans to vote. Our hard work payed off and we were selected to compete in St. Louis. In this second round of competition we are given 6 minutes to win over a crowd of strangers and convince them to vote for "The Last."
In addition to our usual regiment of studio time, showcases, and open mics, we've been rehearsing tirelessly with vocalist Marcel Ledoux IV and guitarist Bryant Del Toro in preparation. So as far as ready goes, we are. God gave us a talent and is known to bless hard work. We carry that with us everywhere we go.
We feel like the glass ceiling is a necessary evil. Necessary because with anything worth having there should be hard work to obtain it. Evil, because unfortunately the immediate powers that be in the Industry often are hesitant and reluctant to work with artist which are considered "outside the box". All the same though, we always look at success in this industry as a fight. We are not worried about the end result, we just fight like hell, the rest will fall in place.
We're influenced largely by our upbringing. Both of our parents are Jamaicans who came to this country and built a life with little to nothing. We've been exposed first hand to the joys and hardships of working everyday towards a better life and attribute this in part to the type of artist and people we are today. As far as musical influences go we've been inspired by such great artist as Jay-Z, Kanye West, Outkast, Trick Daddy, Biggie Smalls, and TI to name a few. We hope to help bring back to the game an era in which the music was less about making it rain and more about making an impact in the lives of our fans, whether it be by making them dance or making them cry we strive to impart truth in a time where that is rare commodity. We ask nothing from the game but hope God will bestow longevity and prosperity upon our friends, our families, and ourselves.
Everyone can follow us and or contact us at these different places. twitter.com/wethelast
www.myspace.com/thelast00 or [email protected].
