Neeko of #WARMusic is an aspiring hip-hop artist from Illinois. He is very passionate about music and his dreams as made evident from his very active presence on social media! He was discovered by our former Freelance Editor, 4x Chicago Oscar/Academy Award winner Calynn M Lawrence, Miss United States Universe Tourism 2021, when she came across an article published about him in his local newspaper online that impressed her. She then petitioned her contributing editor Johnathan Kindall to do an amazing write up in one of the publications owned by her firm, Calynn Communications & Creative, called "What's Good Weekly." After we saw the article, she gave him a highly favorable review personally and encouraged we share his story!
"After stumbling upon his social media and reading that article in his local paper about him, I thought three things. The first was that I was impressed with his generosity in donating his prize money to a good cause. As a 'micro-philanthropist' myself, I love to see people put their money where their mouth is and contribute to positive change. The second thing was that he was talented and I vibed with a few songs that I took a listen to. Nonetheless, like I say with many of the creatives I work with, I believe he'll go far."
She also hinted that he is on their radar to be an honoree at this year's annual Fresh Faces Project Awards and a cast member on Season 3 of their 5-star rated web series "Chicago Talent." With a "legacy for helping over 500 startup creatives and entrepreneurs" (Billboard HipHop, 2021) founding "one of the largest pro bono marketing agencies in the world" (The Washington Mail, 2021) and being known as "The Super Girl of Small Business PR" (New York Times Daily, 2021), gaining a gold-star approval from her goes a long way! So, we're sure that we won't be the only media outlet interested in publishing him after the accolades he has been given. But, we can say that we were the first!
Neeko's passion for rap is very apparent in how much he uses his platform to promote his music and uplift his artist associates. In an Instagram Live Q&A, he states “Rap chose me.” He tells a touching story of spending his first real paycheck on hardware and software used to make beats, and being encouraged by his friends and family to begin using his gift of gab to start writing music as well.
In 2019, he won the Ottawa’s Got Talent competition and donated half of his winnings to charity, gaining coverage from local media outlets in his town. As of now, he now has several hundred dedicated fans on social media and 200,000+ streams on Soundcloud!
With deeply rooted views that now is a better time than ever to live your dreams, he quotes “We’re in the internet age,” he said, “and we’re going on a decade and a half now of artists being able to upload their own content.” He emphasized that many of the restrictions and hurdles of old no longer exist, and that no one should allow a little anxiety over the unknown scare them away from doing what they love. As Calynn often says in her motivational speeches and interviews, "you should never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game."
In an Instagram story posted on April 5, 2021, a fan of Neeko’s fan asked him about his goals for the next 30, 60, and 90 days. He responded that his next musical project “I Told You” would be available on all platforms and that his energy would be focused on marketing all the songs for that project. His goals for the next sixty days included following through on that release as well as filming a new music video. This video would be a follow-up to Neeko’s most recent video, “I’m Alright,” which was released in early March.
Neeko of #WarMusic is a talented artist with an insatiable talent and admirable drive. We look forward to seeing his progress along his journey to make his impact on hip-hop.
All of Neeko of #WARMusic’s catalog is available to listen to on his SoundCloud or on Spotify.
