Beedie (rapper)

Brian Benjamin Green (born January 19, 1988), better known by his stage name Beedie, is an American rapper based out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Since the beginning of his career, Beedie has increased his fan base in the underground music scene, through internet blogs and traveling.^[2] Born in New York City to a family of working entertainers, Beedie moved around as a youth, but eventually his family relocated to his mother's hometown of Pittsburgh in 2001.^[3] He began his career in 2007 with fellow Pittsburgh emcee Mac Miller as the duo The Ill Spoken.^[2] Beedie was named one of Pittsburgh's Top 10 Emcees in 2010.^[4] In 2012 JENESIS Magazine recognized Beedie as a Pittsburgh rapper ready to be successful on the national level.^[5]

Music career

Background

Describing his sound as "classic hip-hop with a new-school twist," it isn't hard to see that Beedie has been working to break into the hip-hop scene.^[3] He has been steadily making waves across the internet blogs,^[2] selling his cds in local Pittsburgh music shops,^[6] and has traveled across the country doing shows.^[7] He has cited J. Dilla, Kanye West, Jay-Z, and Eminem as musical influences.^[3] Beedie's grandmother is well-known opera singer Mildred Miller.

Career beginnings and early work

Since releasing his first official mixtape Most Slept On on October 30, 2009, Beedie has been a relevantly prominent name whenever mentioning Pittsburgh's booming hip-hop scene.^[8] He has since released an onslaught of creative visuals & music videos, the bulk of which were directed by Ian Wolfson, up-and-coming director and the brains behind Rex Arrow Films.

Most Slept On was nominated for "Mixtape of the Year" in the 2010 Pittsburgh Hip Hop Awards.^[9] A follow up mixtape titled Sleeping In was released March 15, 2010. It received praise from critics and fans alike.^[10]

The Beat Bully LP & Varsity Squad

On June 30, 2011, Beedie released his first album unofficially, it is title The Beat Bully LP.^[11] The album was well received by music critics.^[12] At this point of his career, it's clear that Beedie has been working to create a buzz in his own lane and is poised to be one of the next stars to rise out of Pittsburgh.^[11] According to Beedie, this album shows a lot of growth as artist and he considers it his official debut.^[13] Varsity Squad is a group/crew consisting of emcees Beedie and Jon Quest, and was formed in 2010 after years of grinding. "[Pittsburgh hip-hop] is on its way to the top of the hill and we wanted to make something new and refreshing for the masses," stated Beedie on the formation of the group.^[2] The idea of Varsity Squad was a secret at first, finally debuting the group while performing alongside Method Man & Redman during their stop in Pittsburgh in August 2010.^[14] After winning the award for Best New Artist/Group in the 2011 Pittsburgh Hip Hop Awards,^[2] Varsity Squad has had a take-off year in 2011, becoming one of the most popular acts in the Pittsburgh scene as well as the underground hip-hop scene globally, from gracing magazine covers^[15] to performing for thousands at the A3C Festival in Atlanta.^[16]

Discography

Mixtape

• Most Slept On hosted by DJ Rated R (October 30, 2009)
• Sleeping In (March 15, 2010)

Extended plays

• Above the Weather EP (June 4, 2012)

Solo albums

• The Beat Bully LP (June 30, 2011)
• NINE (2014)

With The Ill Spoken

• How High (2010)

References