Thad Reid

Thad Reid is the streets. Not only is he a grimy Richmond boulevard, he’s a cracked rural Amherst County road, a rustic Clifton Forge trail and a smoothly paved parkway in Fairfax. Aptly nicknamed, “The Voice of the Commonwealth,” Reid’s rap style exhibits the depth of Common, the clarity of Ludacris, and the passion and knowledge of Krs-One—abstractly packaged behind piercing eyes and a newly-slimmed physique. With his independently released album, “Memorial Day,”— inspired by a car accident, claiming the lives of two close friends after Reid’s tired eyes were shielded from the road ahead of him—four mixtapes, including the “No Beat is Safe" series, and a stage presence witnessed by patrons of various local venues, Reid is well on his way to building his personal brand in the music industry. Born and raised in Lynchburg, Virginia, a rural city about seventy miles south of Charlottesville, Reid contributes to the southern takeover evident in hip-hop music today by areas such as Atlanta and Houston. His interest in hip-hop and rhyming was peaked at 17, but it was during his undergraduate years at James Madison University when he started seriously writing, recording and performing. With a plethora of artists already in the long distance rap race and a mob of potentials waiting in the reigns to become the next big hit, what differentiates Reid from the rest? One, simply put, Reid is exactly who he is, Thad Reid. No bricks. No weight. No white girl. Just pure grind. Two, although Reid’s passion is to succeed in the music industry, it will be on his terms. Reid’s mixtapes are free of charge, doled out from his own hands and the hands of his street team. Adopting this grassroots marketing model gives him a chance to interact with potential fans and increase his brand recognition. Three, he exhibits a keen business savvy, focusing heavily on setting realistic long- and short-term music career goals. Although Reid hasn’t reached the superstar status that surely awaits him on the other side of the finish line, he does have a grasp of the kind of strategy it takes to break through the ceremonial ribbon. He’s figured out that winning this race doesn’t rest solely on the shoulders of talent, but it comes down to network and hustle. Notable Accolades: -"The Reason", (single) finished #3 on RapAttackLives College Radio Charts -"Top of the Heights" (single) finished #2 on RapAttackLives College Radio Charts -"They Don't Like Me" (single) finished #2 on RapAttackLives College Radio Charts -"The Reason" featured in Allhiphop.com's Media Zone -"The Reason" featured song on www.jango.com -"The Reason" featured as FM102x's "Track of the month" -"Payday" featured as "Track of the Day" by Citadel Radio Networks' nationally syndicated "Fame Games" -"Payday featured in Allhiphop.com's Media Zone -Featured as "Artist you should be listening to" by Flowink.com -Featured as "Next 2 Blow" by www.yoraps.com Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.