BigStat has accomplished a lot in his twenty five years, and all of it - the tours with Method Man and Redman, the write ups in national magazines, the major radio airplay - can be attributed to his steadfast refusal to give up. Since 2007 BigStat's had a film crew following him, documenting this refusal to give up, because both in music and in life he's had numerous opportunities to throw in the towel, starting with when he was just 12 years old and his mother was murdered.

For a lot of kids the loss of a parent can send them spiraling down a negative path in life. BigStat, however, took a look at the situation, saw his father having to take care of three children on his own, and decided that as soon as he was able to he'd start making his own way. His first opportunity came at 14 when he was offered a job at a tobacco farm. It was grueling labor, but he did it, and by the end of the summer of 1998 he had saved up enough money to purchase a used car, a set of turntables and recording equipment. It was time to get to work as an emcee and producer, where once again his refusal to give up would be tested numerous times.
BigStat's career started as a member of The Akolytes, a group based out of his hometown of Enfield, CT. They broke up due to differences in work ethic, but out of that breakup he and another member of the group, Diadem, formed Hushh, which stood for Help Us Save Hip-Hop. As a duo they created a huge buzz thanks to a combination of unparalleled talent and relentless networking. Hushh was written up in XXL and on Billboard.com. They were featured on major radio stations up and down the east coast from New York to Miami, and on satellite radio on both Shade 45 and Hip-Hop Nation. Local TV affiliates for NBC and FOX interviewed them as did ABC's national news. The duo was getting love from everyone from Rakim to Talib Kweli to Akon. Even Howard Stern had them on his show.
It was during this time that BigStat also developed a close friendship with Wu-Tang legend Method Man. A tireless networker, BigStat first approached Meth at a local fast food restaurant, but at the time the renowned emcee wasn't interested in hearing him. As the month's passed, and Meth started seeing BigStat politicking at more and more concerts, the two started to connect and now BigStat, who ended up touring with Method Man and Redman in 2008, refers to Meth as a "mentor."

Despite all the success Hushh was having, five years and three albums into BigStat and Diadem's partnership the duo began to grow apart musically. Once again BigStat, who'd already accomplished more than any other emcee from his area, was presented with an opportunity to give up. "Quit," however, wasn't about to make its way into BigStat's vocabulary. Instead, he decided to go another route, and for the first time since he started rhyming in 1997 he became a solo artist.

With everything on him now, BigStat's work ethic is shining brighter than ever. He already has a mixtape released titled Don't Quit Your Day Job that's hosted by Redman and he's currently recording an official album, as well. Documenters Mark Covino and John Kane are still busy at work following him and plan to continue to up through when he signs his first major label deal, which is something everyone involved with BigStat's career is confident will happen because giving up is something he simply doesn't do.
BigStat didn't give up when his mother was killed. He didn't give up when Method Man walked away from him the first time they met. He didn't give up when it became necessary to disband Hushh. Now on his own, one can be sure BigStat isn't going to quit until he reaches the solo success he's working for. At this point he only has a few obstacles left to hurdle. Obstacles he anticipates seeing in the rear view mirror sooner rather than later. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.