Bronx rapper continues lyrical climb

Fred The Godson keeps it real.

On his latest mixtape, “Welcome to the Bronx,” the borough born rapper brings the streets to the people.

Having advanced his career in recent years with the purchase of his first studio, Fred said his earliest memories of rap began after seeing the Hip-Hop icon MC Hammer.

As his interest in the genre continued to grow, the fifteen-year-old Fred found his aptitude for working with words.

His increased ability led him to the streets where he soon learned the language of street battles around his 156th Street home.

“I went through 200 of those,” he recalled of his days hitting the block, looking for the nearest current rap sensation to crush with his lyrical hits.

While he continued to hone his skills on the streets, it was when he took to the stage in 2007 that Fred got his first big break.

After performing to a crowd of about 600 in Times Square, a most unexpected guest approached the aspiring rapper.

“As soon as I came off the sage he just ran up to me and started going crazy,” Fred explained about the vice-president of A&R for Def Jam, also known as Lenny S.

Fred said the recording executive invited him to meet the lyrical legend Jay-Z for a more personal rap review.

“He went crazy and the rest is history,” Fred excitedly stated about the meeting that put him on the map to success.

As for the man behind the music, Fred spoke proudly of Lenny S. “Right now he’s like family,” he said. “Everything is tight.”

While mastering the art of verbal composition, Fred acquired an impressive list of honors including a Hip Hop Weekly feature on his mixtape “American Gangster,” the 2007 Underground Music Award for “Best Male Rapper” and appearances on programs such as BET’s Rap City.

Though his career continues to climb the lyrical ladder, having landed major meetings with Roc-a-fella, Def Jam, Shady, Sony, Bad Boy, Ruff Ryders and Loud (SRC), Fred said it was the tribulations of his past that continue to help him understand and succeed in the present.

While dealing with the personal dilemmas of living with kidney disease, asthma and diabetes, Fred said he now knows that life is what you bring to the table, no matter what card you were dealt.

“When I come out I have to talk about what we’re doing and where we’re at,” the rapper explained.

Understanding the negative societal image often imposed on the rap industry, Fred said he breaks beyond this mold to create unique metaphors and punch lines that create more of a meaningful message.

“I rap about death, but at the same time I rap about how it could be better,” he said. “I’m a narrator for these streets.”

Fred the Godson, Welcome to the Bronx, rapper, rap, Hip Hop, mixtape