Pizon

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Pizon

Background information
Birth name	Michael Scala
Born	December 2, 1982 (age 24)
Origin	Birthplace: Queens, New York, United States Ethnicity: Italian-American
Genre(s)	Hip Hop / Rap
Occupation(s)	Rapper, Record Producer
Years active	2000 – Present
Label(s)	La Scala Entertainment Rawkus Records
Website	www.pizonishiphop.com

Michael Scala (born December 2, 1982), also known as Pizon, is an Italian-American rapper and record producer from New York City. He is the son of the late actor Michael Scala (aka Mikey "Shades" Scala), who played Sally Gaga in Martin Scorsese's first feature film Who's That Knocking At My Door?. To distinguish himself from his father, Pizon often uses the nickname Mike Scala in instances where his full name is required. The Pizon alias is derived from the Italian word paesano, which literally translates to countryman. ^[1]

1 Career
2 Releases
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Career

Born December 2, 1982, in Rosedale, Queens, Pizon initially broke into showbusiness acting in plays alongside his father. His interest in Hip Hop was sparked upon hearing rap music in the dollar van on his daily commute to Cardozo High School. By the time he graduated in 2000, his focus shifted to pursuing Hip Hop as a full time career. Though he went on to attend college and become the first member of his immediate family to earn a degree, music remained his top priority.

Eager to establish himself independently, Pizon founded his own record label La Scala Entertainment (named after the famous opera house in Milan) and signed himself as the flagship artist. In 2000, he recorded the single "Dozo Dawgs" with three of his high school classmates and used it as a springboard to release the first full-length project on his label, 2001's Battle Mode compilation. In 2002, the follow-up compilation XIV:XIX was released on La Scala Entertainment/Third Visional Records. Pizon executive-produced and appeared as a performer on both albums. His first solo project, The Growing Pains EP was released in 2002 and featured guest performers Timid and Killah, artists he met while producing the aforementioned compilations. Pizon, Timid, and Killah went on to release The Lost EP in 2003, a joint effort that included seven collaborations and one solo track from each artist. The trio decided to use the project as a promotional tool and made the entire album available as a free download. It included the now famous Pizon solo track "Angel Wings" (a mastered version of the song would later appear as a bonus track on his 2006 full-length solo debut) and an introduction from Hip Hop legend Jaz-O. That year also saw the release of The Fam Mixtape, a project conceived by Pizon protégé EJ that featured previously released and exclusive new songs and freestyles from Pizon, Timid, Killah, EJ, Analyze, and Da 27th Element, who collectively called themselves The Fam. The success of these releases led to Pizon getting outside work as a producer, and the Pizon-produced "Funky Nassau" by Mr. Fayce received national airplay in his native Bahamas (Pizon also produced "Danesha" and "You Don't Know Me" on Mr. Fayce's 2003 release).

In 2004, Pizon and Timid began co-hosting OneTwoOneTwo Radio on the online network HipHopFundaMentalz (iHHF) after receiving on-air training by WNYU. In addition to playing a mix of mainstream and independent Hip Hop, the weekly show featured discussions on current events, commentary, interviews, and more, and included the controversial "Ticklish Thug" segment which poked fun at the vast amount of homophobia in Hip Hop. Guests on the show's initial run included Jin, Slim Thug, Brooke Valentine, Sir Mix-a-Lot, Chali 2na of Jurassic 5, Rob Swift, OC, Q-Unique, and others. Despite rumors that the show was making the jump to satellite radio, it went on indefinite hiatus in March 2006 as Pizon and Timid decided to focus on completing their solo albums. The show returned on August 28 of that year with a special edition called "The Masturbatory Hour" (in which Pizon and Timid welcomed special guests Pizon and Timid to the studio) on Psychopathic Radio. ^[2]

On December 2, 2006, Pizon held his album release party and birthday bash in his hometown of Queens, New York. His debut full-length solo album I Am Hip Hop was sold for the first time at that event and subsequently released internationally via his own La Scala Entertainment label. The album features production by Domingo (Big Pun, Fat Joe, Eminem, G-Unit, KRS-One, Rakim), Kno (CunninLynguists, Lil Scrappy, Jay-Z's White Albulum), Versatile Music Productions (Cam'Ron, Jim Jones, Fabolous, Young Jeezy), and Pizon himself, and boasts guest appearances by Deacon the Villain, Timid, EJ, Aday, and others. It is a concept album that tackles many subjects and details Pizon's personal progression, using karma as a recurring theme to tie the songs together. The I Am Hip Hop DVD, featuring concert footage from the album release party, is currently in the works and scheduled for a 2007 release.

In March 2007, Pizon signed a deal with Rawkus Records, who recognized him as "one of the 50 next important Hip Hop artists," ^[3] for their Rawkus 50 campaign. His initially self-released album is now scheduled to be promoted and marketed by Rawkus.

Pizon has performed in New York City, Long Island, Buffalo, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Florida, Michigan, and Maryland, and has appeared as a special guest on Internet, college, and mainstream radio stations. His music has received local and national airplay in the United States and overseas. He also rapped at the 2006 New York City Marathon and made several cameo appearances in the second season of MTV's Yo Momma. ^[4]