Aleon Craft is performing on Thursday @ 1:25am on the SMKA Stargazing Showcase & Saturday @ 7:20pm on the 2Dopeboyz Showcase
Like many before him, Aleon Craft has traveled far and experienced a lot, both in the music and in life. Music has taken Craft across the US, Planet Earth and Galaxy. He has always been enchanted by music. As a child, Annie Clyde, a DJ at the Elks Lodge on Auburn Avenue, not too far from his house, exposed Craft to the wonders of music, and taught him to appreciate different genres and varieties of music. Nevertheless, Craft’s musical journey can be traced back to 1998 when he joined forces with his cousin, ShoNuff, to form the duo, Da Backwudz. At that time Craft was better known by his alias, “Big Marc.” Da Backwudz, being blood relatives, formed an instant musical bond and spent a majority of their time writing music and experimenting with different sounds.
(photo by chilly-o)
In the year 2005, after several years of hard work, Da Backwudz caught the eye of Atlanta super-producer Dallas Austin. Impressed with what he heard, Dallas signed Da Backwudz to a record deal with his label, Rowdy Records. While working on their debut album, Craft was able to work with some of the most talented hip-hop producers (ex. DJ Toomp, Rico Wade, Mr. DJ) and artists (Nas, Slim Thug, Bun B, Big Gipp, Killer Mike, Sleepy Brown, George Clinton…) known to man. Da Backwudz released their first album, “WoodWork,” approximately one year later, in 2006. Though the album achieved a certain level of success, and propelled Da Backwudz into the national spotlight, a second album has yet to follow. Eventually, Craft found himself, like many before him, abandon by the music industry machine and without a musical direction.
(photo by Lee Starnes)
The years that followed took Craft to a lot of places, and down many different roads. He began the search for a new direction and inspiration. His musical expedition took him from Decatur to the outer limits of the galaxy, and back. Craft experimented with other artists, but ultimately decided to navigate the journey as a solo artist, which allowed him to create his own style and genre of music…Solar-Hop.
Today, when Craft is not in traveling the galaxy looking for new inspiration or spending time with his family and loved ones, he is experimenting with music and chronicling his stories. “I just want to make a living making songs. Whatever doors open up from me doing music, I’ll most definitely walk through them proudly,” says Aleon Craft.
www.aleoncraft.com
www.twitter.com/aleoncraft
www.aleoncraft.bandcamp.com
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