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“One of the great MCs of our time.” - Chuck D (Public Enemy)

[CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE TEXT & IMAGE] Prince George’s County, Maryland-born MC, producer, artist, and educator, Substantial, debuted in 2000 collaborating with the late Japanese producer Nujabes, who later worked on the popular show Samurai Champloo. Legendary rapper and activist, Chuck D of Public Enemy referred to Substantial as “One of the great MCs of our time.” His soulful and introspective brand of Hip Hop music has received critical acclaim from Ebony.com, The Source Magazine, HipHopDX, DJBooth.net, and Okayplayer.com. His music videos have appeared on MTV, VH1, and BET.

Substantial has performed in nearly 20 countries and has collaborated with artists such as Kool Herc, L Universe better known as Verbal (M-Flo), Oddisee, and more. Substantial has licensed music to major brands such as Ford Motor Company, Bentley Motors, and UBER and also had his music featured in films and television shows such as Kevin Hart’s Laugh at My Pain, Kill Me 3 Times starring Simon Pegg, Daytime Emmy nominated show Tough Love and it’s spin-off series Pillow Talk. Substantial has appeared in the documentaries, Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme and Give Back. He has also written and performed original songs for games such as PUBG Mobile, Mobile Legends Bang Bang, Arknights, Tree of Savior, and Renaine. Substantial is also a two-time Hollywood Music in Media Award nominee.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Booking & Media Inquiries: Rachelle Etienne-Robinson | info@subartandmusic.com

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[ALBUM] Substantial - Adultish

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7.25.2024 - Substantial TV Performance and Interview

7.22.2024 - Substantial is an Official EVO 2024 Musician

11.20.2023 - Substantial featured on Forbes.com

07.14.2023 - [REVIEW] Adultish featured on Bandcamp Daily

Substantial‘s fifth solo studio album grapples with the tricky question of how a hip-hop artist can grow old within the culture while both retaining their creative zest and avoiding succumbing to bitterness and resentment toward younger generations. It’s a take that the Virginia-based MC and producer delivers from atop a deep vault of releases dating back to 2001’s jazz-centric debut To This Union A Sun Was Born (which features beatwork by the sadly departed Nujabes)

02.24.2023 - Spotify Editorial: You’ve Grown featured on Orbit

07.30.2022 - Spotify Editorial: Morning Glory featured on Skate Shop

05.27.2022 - Substantial performs at Momocon 2022

On Friday, May 27, 2022, Bytes and Beats presented a showcase at Momocon 2022 featuring Mega Ran, Richie Branson, Kadesh Flow, Afrococoapuffs, Raisi K, Shinobi Stalin, Soy is Real and DJ R.O.C.K.M.A.N. Watch an edited version of Substantial set with DJ R.O.C.K.M.A.N. and brief cameos from Kadesh Flow on trombone and Soy is Real. Watch the full Bytes and Beats showcase on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1315179350

02.05.2022 - Okayplayer “Best Song of the Week” Feature

01.28.2022 - Your Greatest Weapon featured in Clash Magazine

08.30.2021 - Okayplayer “Mixtape Monday” Feature

06.23.2021 - Journalist, JL Barrow & Substantial discuss his 1st book

03.09.2021 - The Growth: PUBG Mobile's First Short film featuring new music by Substantial

UPDATE 7/21: The Growth officially has over 70 million views

Tencent released a new short film in the PUBG Mobile universe on March 10, 2020. The short film is called The Growth and can be seen on PUBG Mobile’s YouTube channel or through the in-game wiki. Currently, the short film has over 17.8 million views on YouTube in less than a week.

Music credit to:
Studio: Hexany Audio
Composer: Obadiah Brown-Beach
Lyrics and Vocals: Substantial

01.15.21 - Hollywood Music in Media Award Nominee (Variety.com)

In 2020, Substantial was featured on the song, Renegade from the video game Arknights which was also nominated for a Hollywood Music in Media Award for Original Song - Video Game in 2021.

12.18.20 - Winter Breaks 2 featured on The DMV Daily

Substantial and Marcus D better known as  Bop Alloy continue to take us on a journey they began many years ago, evolving Hip Hop music as we knew it with their new album “Winter Breaks 2”.

The dynamic duo produced a sound that came at a time before there was a subgenre to describe it. This mature, melodic, mood music offering transcends the boundaries of Hip Hop while staying true to its foundation based on dope lyrics and stellar production.

READ/LISTEN THE FULL REVIEW AND INTERVIEW HERE

12.09.20 - Hip-Hop Wired 2020 Creative Class Honoree

Substantial is both thoughtful and intentional with his words, two hallmarks of a champion rapper and wordsmith, and a credit to his name. What he says carries weight, and aligns with him being tapped as an instructor at Omega School, and business mentor in the company he owns with his wife, Substantial Art and Music. His journey in the music industry has largely been shaped from learning the inner workings of the business, valuing checks over clout and legacy building over instant gratification—evidenced by the fact that he owns over 90% of his catalog.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE

10.21.20 - Cowboy Bebop Charity Arrangement raises over $50K for the CDC and Doctors Without Borders

As of October 21, 2020, The Real Folk Blues charity arrangement has streamed over 250K times on Spotify, sold over 2.3K copies on vinyl, and raised and donated over $50K for the CDC and Doctors Without Borders.

08.07.2020 - [MUSIC VIDEO] A Charity Performance of “You Say Run” from “My Hero Academia” (feat. 80+ Musicians & Cast Members)

From the musicians that brought you the Real Folk Blues 2020 Charity vinyl comes a very new, very PLUS-ULTRA tribute to Yuki Hayashi’s iconic score for My Hero Academia. Music directed by composer Mason Lieberman and featuring over eighty-special guests (including Substantial) from across the gaming and anime industries including twenty-two members of the original English dub cast and series composer Yuki Hayashi himself, this new release comes to vinyl for a limited time only with an exclusive rhythm-game-inspired techcore remix from esteemed game and anime composer James Landino.

05.16.20 - The Real Folk Blues ft. Substantial & others hits #6 on Billboard

The Real Folk Blues hit #6 Billboard in "World Digital Song Sales" and spent two weeks on the charts. This is Substantial’s first top 10 Billboard hit!

05.15.20 - Substantial was selected by Next Level for Team Haiti

From February 6-20, 2021, five hip hop artists will travel to Haiti as part of the Next Level program. Hannah G-W, Substantial, Diamond D, and Agana will join team manager iLLspokinn to perform for audiences and collaborate with local artists to promote cross-cultural creative exchange and conflict transformation. Team Haiti is part of a larger Next Level cohort of American MCs, DJs, beatmakers, and hip hop dancers seeking to create a global community through hip hop culture.

05.09.20 - The Real Folk Blues hit #1 on Amazon Japan’s Rock Charts

05.01.20 - [MUSIC VIDEO] Cowboy Bebop's ‘The Real Folk Blues’ Charity Performance featuring Yoko Kanno, The Seatbelts, Steve Blum, Mason Lieberman, Substantial, Mega Ran, Shihori, and more.

Anime gives back! In collaboration with Funimation and Sunrise, we are thrilled to share this star-studded tribute to the gorgeous music of Yoko Kanno and Cowboy Bebop to benefit COVID-19 relief. Featuring over forty special guests including Yoko Kanno herself, The Seatbelts, original cast members and a veritable who's-who of the modern game and anime industries, ALL PROCEEDS from this track will be donated to the CDC Foundation and Doctors without Borders (MSF) in support of the fight against COVID-19. As of May 29, 2020 the song has raised over $50K for COVID RELIEF.

05.01.20 - [VIDEO GAME] Arknights (OST) - W Operator Theme Song - Renegade featuring Substantial & X. ARI

Arknights CN server has launched W as new limited playable operator and her own official theme song featuring Substantial and X. ARI in celebration of the game’s first anniversary.

04.28.20 - K-Pop star, J HOPE of BTS dances to Substantial & Nujabes’ song Eclipse live on YouTube

02.28.20 - Genius News | Nujabes Tribute featuring Substantial

In this video, Genius interviews close Nujabes collaborators Substantial and Shing02 to find out what it was like to work with the reclusive producer.

05.29.18 - The Garden listed as "New & Notable" on Bandcamp

04.27.18 - Chillhop Music Premiers Substantial's Latest Single

Chillhop, a breeding ground for the best and newest in Jazzy and Lofi Hip Hop with over 1.4 million subscribers on YouTube, premiered the 3rd single from Substantial's new album The Garden.

11.09.17 - Substantial featured in Bandcamp Daily

01.15.17 - Chuck D calls Substantial “one of the great MCs of our time.”

09.07.16 - FORD MUSIC CAMPAIGN FEATURING SUBSTANTIAL

CONTACT INFORMATION

Booking & Media Inquiries: Rachelle Etienne-Robinson | info@subartandmusic.com