Joey Atilano, better known as 60 East, first got into hip-hop as a kid watching his big brother work on his own music. Since then, his reputation has grown steadily, thanks to a few high profile gigs and some legit tracks. One of those tracks is “Motivation,” which features the lyrics, “You can teach motivation, you can’t fake motivation, so please keep hatin’, ‘cause I could use the motivation.” That’s all well and good, but only issue is that not a lot of people appear to be hating.
Not every artist has a happy beginning but sometimes it’s the effect of a dark event that can shape and mold us into what we need most. Artist 60 East is fully aware of the connection between a friend’s and father’s death and his prominent succession as an up-and-coming hip-hop artist of the Inland Empire.
It all started innocently enough, 60 East was a young sibling attached to his older brother’s musical ambitions which included friends working on a label. “I was always around listening and watching them rap, record, write, perform, etc. and at 9 years old that’s when I first decided that’s what I wanted to do with my life. This phase continued until around 2006 when the main artist on my brother’s label ‘Spaceghost’ was murdered in Ontario.
”60 East fell into limbo for a while, dropping out of high school and working construction to make ends meet but eventually he was reunited with a few of his brother’s old friends. It was the kick he needed to jump back onto his destined musical path was losing his father to cancer in 2010. “That’s when I decided was going to put all my effort, strength, time and resources into making it in the music industry,” says 60 East.
Passion for 60 East’s loved ones fuels his lyrical creativity. If you’re not a fan of life stories put into song, you might not get the same desired effect as someone who has gone through similar events. “I am very personal and open with my life and my experiences. My goal at every show is to touch someone through my music whether it’s done by describing a scenario they have been through or sharing one of my own stories and having them be able to relate to it,” says 60 East.
60 East should be on your radar by now since him and his group FIRST DIRT were the opening act at this years 2013 PAID DUES FESTIVAL and also head lined the D.I.Y Fest ( Do It Yourself Festival) and the E.O.S Fest (End Of Summer Festival) so if you have’nt heard of him keep an eye out for 60East and FIRST DIRT!
http://ieweekly.com/2013/10/feature-stories/arts-entertainment-5/
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