VIRTUOSO

There is more than one artist with this name:

  1. Virtuoso, rapper and hip-hopper from USA

  2. Virtuoso, operatic pop vocal group from Finland

  3. Virtuoso has been in the game since 1998 solidifying his reputation as a groundbreaking vocalist and a true renaissance man. He founded his own record label, Big Bang Records and is hard at work finishing his new album, WW3:The Final Conflict. But all this didn’t happen overnight, he has exhibited supreme dedication to living his dreams and despite resistance at every turn, Virutoso is rounding the corner and is poised to explode.

Born just outside of Boston, Massachusetts, Virtuoso was blessed with a strong heritage in the realm of thought & sound. Virtually growing up in recording studios, he regularly accompanied his father on the job as a top studio electronics specialist in MA in the early 1980’s. His early exposure to the Boston music scene had him hanging around Rock&Roll legends like Aerosmith, Boston & the Cars and prepared him for what would soon become a career path of his own.

In addition to his musical aspirations, young Virt was also a workhorse on the pitchers mound. He was a starting pitcher on the Cambridge Rindge& Latin Varsity team from his freshman year on, and by all accounts he had the stuff to make the big leagues. But apparently his destiny laid elsewhere because a tragic line drive struck his collarbone on the mound. Never one to go down easy Virt still picked up the ball and threw the batter out before the pain hit and he hit the ground. During the difficult recovery period Virt returned to his childhood passion of music with a vengeance, and a year later he was devastating street corner cyphers and rocking any stage he could get his feet on. After hearing a particularly vicious tounge lashing by Virt of some local MC’s on the corner of Mass Ave, Fakts One invited Virt to appear on his legendary “True School Thursdays” radio show. After he rocked it the phones lit up and Virt started connecting the dots, soon pairing with Madsol Desar for the now classic “Omnipotence”.

By age 17, Virtuoso was making his own vinyl records, appearing on international releases and touring across the globe. Virtuosos fiery, intellectual battle raps and honest, cutting-edge social commentary quickly caught the attention of the international underground hip-hop community. With a deep, powerful voice and assorted, dexterous flows, he debuted on wax in 1998 and was immediately recognized as a force to be reckoned with on the exploding Boston hip-hop scene.

After whetting appetites with devastating off the head freestyles and a string of show-stealing guest appearances, Virtuoso released his first single, “Incinerator,” b/w Orions Belt, featuring Mr. Lif and Esoteric. After dropping two more 12” he released his self-distributed debut album, “WW1: The Voice of Reason” acclaimed by fans and critics alike for its lyrical prowess and diverse soundscape. He followed up this succesfull debut with the Molemen produced 12” “God of Thunder” and appeared on many notable releases in the international music scene.

Virtuoso has performed extensively in the United States, opening for such popular acts as A Tribe Called Quest, Busta Rhymes, The Beatnuts, Eminem, Rakim, Bravehearts, Black Moon, Wu-Tang Clan, Deltron 3030 & M.O.P. He has toured Europe four times, including two stints with Oakland lyrical legends, Hieroglyphics. He has also collaborated on record with such musical luminaries as Del tha Funkee Homosapien, Casual, Jaz-O, Tatiana Ali, Bahamadia, Mr.Lif, Akrobatik, Jedi Mind Tricks, 7L & Esoteric, Torch and DJ Vadim. His trail-blazing lyrical genius, packaged in a unique blend of hard-edged hip-hop containing elements of rock, funk and dramatic orchestra has garnered significant notice. Virt has been featured in magazines such as URB, XXL, Mass Appeal and Insomniac and was awarded a Boston Music Award in 2002 for Outstanding Hip-Hop act. His dazzling freestyle skills also earned him an appearance on CBSs The Carson Daly Show and resulted in a final-four finish in the HBO Blaze magazine MC Battle.

Staying true to the ferocious energy that gained him recognition, he came back with a vengeance for his RYKO distributed sophmore LP, “WW2: Evolution of the Torturer.” Released in an election year, his former label Omnipotent Records partnered with the maverick NYC imprint Raptivism Records to unleash his fury. The album provides some of the most radical content in recent memory, including the controversial lead single Farenheit 9/11 b/w “Military Intelligence f/Akrobatik” that plays like a hip-hop soundtrack for the war in Iraq & Afghanistan. Now in 2006 Virtuoso is on fire, releasing his explosive new mix CD “Big Bangers” on his newly founded Big Bang Records, and getting ready to start a tour in support of his upcoming 2006 LP “The Final Conflict”.

  1. Virtuoso is a Finnish operatic pop vocal group - Finnish version of “Il Divo”. They have released 3 albums: “Virtuoso” (2005), “Suuren meren suolaa” (transl. “Salt of the big sea”) (2006) and “Yö enkelten - Kauneimmat joululaulut” (transl. “Night of angels - The most beautiful Christmas songs”) (2007). Group members are: Roope Pelo (tenor), Juhana Suninen (tenor), Jouko Uusipaasto (baritone, contratenor) and Riku Pelo (baritone). Webpages in Finnish: www.virtuoso.fi

VIRTUOSO