POVERTY Hits America With Lyricist Lounge Tour

Business Wire, August 20, 2002

Entertainment Editors/Music Writers

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 20, 2002

ARTISTdirect Records much buzzed-about new hip-hop recording artist POVERTY will embark on his first-ever U.S. concert tour, joining Redman, Keith Murray, Onyx, Madd Skillz, and Words, for the 21-date, 2002 Lyricists' Lounge tour. The Lyricists' Lounge tour kicks off on September 12 in Orlando, Florida, and includes dates in Los Angeles at the House of Blues, and at Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. (See below for complete itinerary.)

Twenty-three year old rapper Poverty was personally signed by ARTISTdirect's CEO Ted Field, and his debut CD, "Rise From Ruin," will be released in late January 2003. Field, who as co-founder of Interscope Records launched the careers of multi-Platinum artists such as Dr. Dre, Snoop Doggy Dogg, and Eminem, said about Poverty, "Rarely have I come across an artist as special as Poverty. He is an extraordinary talent due not only to his uncanny gift as a storyteller, but for his ability to weave the adversity of his life experiences into his work. I don't think you can help but be affected by this young man's music."

Still putting the finishing touches on his debut, Poverty has said each and every track on "Rise From Ruin" is completely representative of who he is. "What my songs say about me, word for word, is how I feel. I'm keeping it real with myself, and there's nothing that I'm going to spit that isn't something I've lived, something I've seen, something that's real to me." Producers who worked on the album include the legendary Erick Sermon, underground phenom Alchemist, and other underground names such as Ty Coon and D.S.P.

At the time he was signed by ARTISTdirect Records, Poverty was homeless, living in shelters in Portland, ME. While in Portland, he would show up at open mic nights at the Stone Coast Brewing Co, and began performing and working with other Portland rappers and musicians. The Portland Press Telegram cites "his catchy rhymes, emotional lyrics, raspy voice and passionate stage presence" as his potential ticket to success.

As William S. Burroughs once said, creativity truly does come from a series of shocks. Poverty's electrifying rhymes are enormously evocative of his tragic family history and hardscrabble life, most of which has been spent on the streets. He chronicles his personal experiences with unflinching bluntness in new songs like "I'm Hatin'" -- an explosive diatribe aimed at those born into wealth -- and the stark, soul-baring "Symphony of Sorrow." But he also celebrates the virtues of loyalty, friendship, and trust with the inspiring title track, "Rise From Ruin," and is a champion for the "forgotten everyman" in the powerful track "For My People."

Those who make it their business to keep up with the hip-hop underground are well aware of Poverty and his self-released debut album, "Superhuman," co-produced by Dave Gutter and Navillus. Released in 2001, the disc spawned two local hits, "Welcome To The State of Maine" and "Hip-Hop These Days," both of which went to No. 1 on "The Top Five at Five" on WRED in Portland, Maine. Poverty could barely scrape together enough money for food, let alone finance the making and release of an album. Nevertheless, he was able to make up 300 discs by hand and bring them to local record stores. When "Welcome To The State of Maine" started getting airplay, all 300 CDs sold out almost immediately.

Asked to describe his musical style, Poverty -- who began writing at age nine -- says, "A lot of hip-hop artists try to write dope rhymes and then make their songs lyrically sick, but I don't care about any of that. I'm not trying to be the best. I just write what I feel, and I write all the time. If I don't, I'll go crazy."

Confirmed dates for the Lyricists' Lounge tour are as follows:

SEPTEMBER
12       House of Blues, Orlando, FL
13       University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
14       House of Blues, New Orleans, LA
17       Cajun House, Phoenix, AZ
18       4th & B, San Diego, CA
19       House of Blues, Anaheim, CA
20       House of Blues, Los Angeles, CA
21       The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA
22       Crystal Ballroom, Portland, OR
24       Fillmore, Denver, CO
26       Quest, Minneapolis, MN
27       Eagles Ballroom, Milwaukee, WI
28       St. Andrews, Detroit, MI
29       House of Blues, Chicago, IL

OCTOBER
 2       Agora Theatre, Cleveland, OH
 3       Laga, Pittsburgh, PA
 5       Electric Factory, Philadelphia, PA
 6       Avalon Ballroom, Boston, MA
 8       Lupo's Heartbreak, Providence, RI
 9       Nation, Washington, D.C.