Well respected as a lyricist, Louisville native T-Razor has been in the hip-hop game for the last 10 years, and his years of experience are reflected in his maturity as an artist selling out venues since dropping The Savior mixtape in 2009. Music has been this 26-year-old’s savior, and he’s returning the favor.

He comes hard in songs like “Last Hope” where orchestral effects sing of the pain of life on the streets and the direction of rap. The beats in “Horrorfest” are heavy and dark as this “fiend for the microphone” shows his street cred, hardened by his years in the game. His lyrics are always fresh and flow smoothly with the harder beats or the softer, smoother but upbeat rhythms of songs like “Smoke for Free” and his collaboration with Johnny Spanish, “Roll Up.”

A poet at heart, T-Razor tells the truth when he says, “I’m genuine in what I do.” His rhymes are all about lyrical storytelling, and he draws on a variety of influences, from Sam Cooke to Jay-Z, Kurt Cobain to Nas, Lil’ Wayne, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley and the Temptations. With so many influences his sounds can be diverse, too, but always unified by melodic hooks and poetic, smart lyrics. He avoids being labeled or categorized, but says you could describe his sounds as “New York City 90’s rap with New South and Down-South Coast.” His music is a melting pot.

T-Razor started at 16 as part of the group The Empyre, and later, was selling out venues at age 19 and 20, but still had a hard time earning respect. Once he went out on his own, he met his “partner in rhyme” Johnny Spanish. Afterwards he dropped The Game is Mine Vol.2 and Razors Pain followed by The Savior and The Savior 2, which brought sold-out shows in venues around Louisville and some well-deserved respect. The Savior, The Savior 2 and his most recent album, The Chronic 2012, which came out in November of 2010 and is available for download, all dropped within a 13-month span. He’s currently working on a concept album in which he puts himself in the shoes of Bobby Kennedy, and putting that dedication Kennedy exhibited toward the world of hip-hop.

In the meantime side projects help T-Razor wow crowds and fill up clubs, like his collaboration with DJ Thru The Roof, DJ Drama and Dirty Yella, the Ice Breakers Celebrity Bash 2010 mixtape. He and his partner in rhyme have been getting love from the blogs for their video “Roll Up ft. Johnny Spanish” (www.t-razor.com). He’s been featured on blogs such as Defsounds, HipHopDX, DJ Booth, The Leo Weekly, rockthedub, Southern Hospitality (London, England), HoodHype, Traps N Trunks, Saving Our Style, Party In Da Ville, What’s in My Headphones, and more. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.