Buzz Track: AON - Star Pham

With everyone who has produced or created a great song in the past year getting their dap on the Grammy's tonight, I feel like tonight is as good a night as any to post a track you haven't heard yet from the youngin' AON. Like any artist on the come up @aonmusik is doin' all he can to brand himself and blaze his own trail, determined that his talent and constant grind will someday make him a household name. And to be honest, with the consistently hot music he's been putting out of late, his time will come. Whether it be through high profile collaborations like his newest mixtape Young World Vol 1S hosted by @DJ_GREENLANTERN and featuring collaborations with @WALE (Hater Watch Me) and @iyazlive (My Girl, he's on the path to getting noticed, all he needs is a little exposure.

Shout outs to Steeze Records for puttin' him on too, behind every great new artist is a camp that believes in him and he's got that. Give it a listen y'all...

AON - Star Pham

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Feel free to stream his new mixtape off datpiff below...be sure to check his track Dolla From a Change, which is still in heavy circulation on my iPod playlists...

A.O.N. Freestyle on Chicago's Power 92 With Frankie Robinson

The voice of the youth, @aonmusik stopped by Power 92 in Chicago to drop a hot 16 and chat it up with Frankie Robinson...give it a look...

Buzz Track: A.O.N. - Dolla From A Change

In case you missed it, your favorite new artist A.O.N. just dropped a heavy mixtape a couple weeks back titled Young World Vol 1, hosted by the infamous @dj_greenlantern. Pretty big time for an artist you hadn't heard of until this year, but with all these high profile collaborations and high quality material, it's only a matter of time.

Off top, the electric keys lay the groundwork for success on my current favorite track off the mixtape below, Dolla For a Change. The song has a real come-up sorta feel, embodying the upbeat sound you'd expect to hear from a track that exemplifies the appreciation of something from nothing. Pay attention to how locked in dude sounds on the track, his delivery comes off effortless, going bar for bar with the swagger of a vet, but the vitality of a kid who loves the music he's creating. Pretty cool as you can tell most of his verses are delivered with a huge smile on his face, listen to him, he can't help himself, at times getting caught up in laughter on the track.

And the mixtape doesn't start or stop with this track, it also features plenty of other tracks I've posted by Ambitious or Nothing. In my eyes, the mixtape is an alarm clock, providing an in your face reminder to all the fans of Hip Hop who have been sleepin' on him for the past year while he's been on his come up. Sort of a best of @aonmusik all on one high profile tape, hosted by one of the more infamous mixtape DJs. Enough hype though, you be the judge, check out the video below and untagged, No DJ version his manager hit me up with. Speaking of which, Bigman, I like the new Aonmusik site too, looks like y'all put in some serious work, looks polished now...

A.O.N. - Dolla For a Change (No DJ)

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AON Mixtape/Video Release Party Chicago Sat, Oct 09

New AON Mixtape Young World Vol. 1 dropping 10/10/10 (hosted by DJ Green Lantern)

Below is an absolutely bangin' new single from ya boy AON who hooks up with DC's finest, Wale on Hater Watch Me. The track below is set to debut on AON's new Mixtape Young World Vol. 1 Hosted by @dj_greenlantern due out this Sunday. In case you've been sleepin' and not paying attention to all the tracks I've posted by this 16 year old phenom, he is a hip-hop artist who was born Hence Opoku in Ghana, but now resides in Chicago. His name is an acronym for ‘Ambitious or Nothing.’ His song My Girl with singer Iyaz now has 25,000 hits on YouTube, you remember way back in April when I was hyping that track? I maintain that track is still meant for mainstream consumption and hasn't reached it's full potential as a serious top 100 radio hit.

Important to note that tomorrow night Oct 9th it's on and poppin at CRC studios in Chicago, IL (see location via Google Maps), where AON is hosting an open party to celebrate the release of his mixtape Young World Vol. 1, hosted by @dj_greenlantern. He'll also be  premiering his much anticipated music video for his single Doin' it Big that I dropped on y'all back in June. This is an event for all ages and festivities are from 8pm-1am with food and beverages. Come out, enjoy the show and check out the message from AON about the show...

Some call him the "Voice of the Youth" because he's got tracks that range from Soul to D.C GoGo (hence the Wale track) to even Glam Rock. I'm reluctant to keyhole him into a genre or style of Hip Hop since he incorporates so many different sounds, but Indie Hip Hop based on an upbeat sound that banks on his solid lyrical delivery is the best I got as far as describing his style. According to @Wale when he heard @aonmusik for the first time he thought “the kid was at least 21”, which is true, he's got a mature swag about him that makes him sound older. All things considered, his sound is more polished than you'd expect from a dude that's only 16. With all this Indie music I've been posting of late, it's refreshing to see an artist fully embrace the description of his work as an "Indie twist to mainstream Hip Hop".

Tomorrow night A.O.N will be on stage with special guest @biggarankin00 of CTE and he will be performing the track below, Hater Watch Me along with his hit single My Girl which features Iyaz. This is AON’s biggest event in Chicago thus far and will be a catalyst as far as creating buzz momentum in his hometown. I'm serious go out and support him tomorrow night it's his damn birthday and you'll be glad you witnessed him perform for $10 up close and personal before he made it.

Luckily for all of you following out there, below is an exclusive straight for his manager at Steeze Records who was nice enough to drop this on you a month early before it hits radio stations November 6th. Consider yourself lucky to be ahead of the curve and definitely bang this heat rock out, lettin' everybody know @aonmusik has arrived and is about to start tearin' up the scene...

AON. feat Wale - Hater Watch Me (exclusive!)
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A.O.N. - Pull Ya Hair

Here's some more new A.O.N. that came across my way with more of a seductive, mid-tempo ballad. The track below is his newest single and it has a bouncy, heavy bassline that sets the table for a swagger dipped R&B track.

For all of you in the Chicago area in the Lincoln Park area, you may have seen @aonmusik shooting a video for his new track Limelight. To be honest, I'm more of a fan of the track below, give it a listen if you're in the mood for some R&B...

A.O.N. - Pull Ya Hair
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New A.O.N. feat Chris Echols - Like This

New slow jam from up and coming artist A.O.N. featuring the vocals of Chris Echols. Recently Myspace released a beta version of their site which allows for a lot more customization and @chrisechols88 is the first artist I've seen take advantage of the new features. Definitely has more of a styled, crispy sort of feel to it that is more asthetically pleasing in my opinion, so I'm hoping more artists take the new beta site and run with it like Chris did.

Recently I posted A.O.N.'s new bangin' track Doin' it Big, which is still on iTunes for y'all to support his grind if you're so inclined. I've got a feeling that as soon as radio catches wind of either Doin' it Big or My Girl, you may lose your opportunity to buy low on him. Check the YouTube video of his photo shoot for Doin' it Big, it's the first opportunity I've had to hear him talk about his music.

The track below is less upbeat than the tracks above and more of an R&B joint, taking on a mellower slow jam feel. On Like This we get to hear a different sound from @aonmusik, showing some versatility in conquering the slow jam. His methodical delivery works well over a slow snap beat like this one, adding to his growing collection of quality tracks that range from Pop, to Hip Hop and now R&B.

What do you guys think? Give it a listen and stay tuned for more A.O.N. in the upcoming weeks...

A.O.N. feat Chris Echols - Like This
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Buzz Track: A.O.N. - Story Book

I've been getting a lot of positive feedback about A.O.N. from people around the country who subscribe to my Monthly Song List. They've given an emphatic thumbs up to his first two tracks I've shared with them, the increasingly popular summertime jam My Girl with IYAZ and his new single Doin' It Big.

What strikes me about these new tracks I'm hearing from the 16 year old Ambitious or Nothing is the consistency of what he's been putting out of late. The past three tracks I've posted about don't sound like your half ass'd run of the mill mixtape tracks. These are the tracks and singles that sell albums and get you on the radio and introduces to pop culture. In my last Drake post I touched on just how long it usually takes to be "heard by the masses", with it taking Drake at least 3-4 years before his sound caught on. Rarely are there ever any overnight stars made in music, it really is a long term investment and grind in making it big, which is why anybody who has made it professionally in anything from sports to music, I have an immense respect for. Having played D1 collegiate baseball and having been on the doorstep of the next level with many friends at that level, I have a respect for those who made it.

How does this relate to A.O.N. you may wonder? For his age, he's ahead of the curve when it comes to being accustomed to making quality music. He's got a laid back flow that compliments his upbeat sound that blends well with the beats he's rhyming over. He tells stories and his verses are creative and engaging. Add to that a little edge in some of his lyrics and an easily understood delivery, it allows his music to be repeated by listeners, which is crucial for creating a radio/pop culture buzz.

Doin' it Big hasn't finished it's run as his current single (see photoshoot), but when it does, it will give way to a fun, easygoing, head nodding track called Story Book. The Lupe in his delivery comes out in this track, going bar for bar effortlessly until the verses give way to the hook that adds to the radio appeal...

I'm your good night dream,
No more nightmares
I'm a good night dreams

I dunno about you, but the three tracks I've posted by A.O.N. are now in heavy rotation this summer in my playlists. My Girl and Story Book are great choices for summer release singles, they play well at parties/windows down because of the upbeat, positive sound.

Give his upcoming single a listen...

A.O.N. - Story Book
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Buzz Track: A.O.N. - Doin' It Big

Another shot fired across the bow from up and coming artist A.O.N., this time on more of a bouncy, head nodding tip on Doin' It Big. He's already shown he's got the ability to light up radio stations with his catchy collabo with IYAZ on My Girl. On the real though, blogs catch up, that track is fire and I haven't seen it on more than one or two of the Hip Hop blogs I frequent...

Little different style from A.O.N. on Doin' It Big, taking more of a big beat, Hip Hop angle that blends well with the keys on the hook. Whole lotta love for the Windy City love on this one as the artist who is Nothing short of Ambitious does his best to carry the town on his back, yelling "Chi-Town where you at?!". A great exhibit of his limitless confidence and swagger on his verses, he's got a powerfully youthful vibe to his tracks that comes off a upbeat and surprisingly easy to nod your head to.

A big reason why I think he's got what it takes to make a splash with his music has to do with his versatility. No doubt he's got the flow to sound at home on any style of beat, but it's his appeal to to all sorts of audiences from Pop to R&B to Hip Hop that will end up getting his music heard. On the tracks I've listened to so far by him, he's sounded at times like Wale, other times like Lupe Fiasco with his delivery. He's showing flashes of catchy bars like

"And I stay strapped like bras on a woman"

"Cold like Chilli sick and soundin' like T-Boz and with the Left Eye peep chica"

...that blend well with Hip Hop pop culture references like G-Shock watches. It's about being accessible and Hip Hop nowadays caters to creativity because artist like Lil Wayne and Drake are setting the bar higher when it comes to intelligent creative verses. Whole lotta potential with in that respect with A.O.N. because some of his rhymes take a few listens for the average listener to get...which is a good thing and will gain him respect among peers when people start knowing his name.

Shout out to his manager Bigman at Bigsteeze Records for the exclusive tracks. Check it out y'all...

A.O.N. - Doin' It Big (prod by Bucknasty)
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Buzz Track: AON feat IYAZ - My Girl (prod by JR Rotem)

Welp...it's officially cool nowadays to go by an acronym rather than your real name. We have two examples of that here with IYAZ whom you've now heard a few different hits from. IYAZ's real name is Keidran Jones and I really have no idea how that loosely translates to his stage name. On the other hand we have new up and coming artist AON, out of all places Chicago (is it me or is Chicago gettin' it in of late with new artists?). His real name is Hence Opoku, while his stage name stands for Ambitious Or Nothing, which makes for a little more understandable and unique real name/nickname combo than IYAZ.

On top of that, dude is only 16! Pretty crazy, but my guess is captain radio hit himself (JR Rotem) snatched up this talented kid, put his new artist IYAZ (who has a undeniably radio friendly voice now) on the hook and said let's see if this catches fire?. My prediction is that once a few people get a listen of this track it will end up being a pretty sizeable, well-known top 25 hit and do some serious work on the charts. I don't know if it will be able to reach IYAZ's Replay status, but still this is a real feel good summertime feeling track. I'll be the first to admit, I slept on this track last month and didn't give it the proper credit...until I realized on my road trip to DC this weekend how much I actually liked the track.

I'm not about to discount this as a young cat jumping on a ready-made Rotem hit either. AON has some swag about his flow, he doesn't sound like he's 16 at all. While the hook is what will suck people in with IYAZ's addicting reggae flow, the verses aren't a let down at all in my opinion. Given it's easier to drive when you've got JR at the wheel, but still there's something more here than just a young kid making one radio hit. Take for instance the last verse of the track where AON shows a lil' lyrical creativity...

"It's a fact, I should have them bragging rights

cause my girl be the baddest and uh...she actin right

it's magic right how she keep me Glad-ys night

I gotta beat it, cause lil momma bad as Mike

Her body mean even when she actin nice

In fact I might, wife if she actin right

Give her bling so bright it will max the light

Can't be a playa no more, I have to wife"

And then when he finishes with a line like...

"You so bad...you can keep my first and my last name...HAHA!!"

...smh...but still a good line and an exhibit of the swag on deck. Lookin' forward for more to come from AON, but man no lie, every time I've listened to this track the past week it's done nothing by pour more gasoline on it's potential...somethin' tells me if you don't get to listenin' to this soon, you're gonna miss the bus and it's gonna be on everyone else's playlist before you...don't be typical, cop it and share it with your friends you greedy melon farmer...

AON feat IYAZ - My Girl (prod by JR Rotem) HOTTT SUMMER TRACK!!!