Photo By Lance Cpl. Jacob Barber | Cpl. Floyd Brown Jr., a field artillery cannoneer with Headquarters Battalion, Marine...... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII — An uncomfortable silence fell over the massive crowd of teenagers as Floyd Brown Jr. stood center stage for his first ever rap performance. The talent show was packed. In the sea of faces, Brown could see his teachers, peers and bullies waiting for the music to bounce off the gymnasium walls of Redlands East Valley High School in Redlands, Calif., in 2008.
As the music started, he lifted the microphone and began to “spit” a catchy rhyme he had practiced endlessly. But as the beat dropped, so did his concentration. The song he knew so well suddenly became unknown and forgotten.
Embarrassed, the young junior stormed off the stage. He couldn’t lose. Minutes later, he returned with a new, unexpected game plan and a thirst for redemption.
Brown passed by the stage and made his way into the aisles of the crowd as the music started for a second time. With his voice synchronized to the thump of the bass, Brown started taking poetic jabs at every guest within sight.
The act wasn’t practiced and his words weren’t written down on paper. His “freestyling” display and quick thinking made the crowd cheer and roar in laughter. The moment was one he never forgot.
Five years later, Cpl. Brown serves as a field artillery cannoneer with Headquarters Battalion, Marine Corps Base Hawaii. Since then, he has written and produced more than 200 songs.
Many of the tracks were influenced by his past as a child, growing up in Los Angeles, Fontana and Redlands, Calif. Others reflect on his life as a Marine. Particularly losing a friend in Afghanistan.
“Throughout my life, I’ve had to balance strong emotions,” Brown said. “My cousin was killed when I was a teenager and it caused sadness, anger, and all different types of feelings I kept bottled up. I was suspended from different schools, grieved at the loss of a few close friends, and struggled to maintain a clean life in a harsh neighborhood. Through writing, I was able to put the emotions on paper as a means to vent. I would just write what I was feeling, and before I knew it, the paper would be full and I had a new song.”
During a deployment to Afghanistan in 2010, Brown released a mixtape called “Black Out.”
“The name of the mixtape says it all,” Brown said. “We lost a Marine brother in Afghanistan, and after that happened, there was a wave of uncertainty. Will I be alive tomorrow? What if I don’t make it home? It was these questions that were the foundation for the mixtape. The Marines loved it because I was connecting with them. I wasn’t talking about getting girls, buying cars or jewelry. I was in Afghanistan, missing my family and hoping to make it back home. That’s what I wrote about.”
A pen and a pad of paper is all Brown needs to connect with the world, whether he’s entertaining fellow Marines during a packed show at the barracks or performing for large crowds at events in Honolulu.
“He’s talented,” said Dewann Childress, Brown’s manager. “If you want to know who he is as a person, just listen to his music. Modern day hip-hop has forgotten the importance of spoken word and replaced that with a catchy beat you can dance to. That’s not hip-hop. When Brown raps, his lyrics carry the song. The beat could be the worst ever made and I feel he would still make some heads nod. People want to hear what he has to say.”
Bettye Shante Carr-Brown, Brown’s wife and biggest critic, said she believes her husband stands out when categorized with modern day rappers.
“Based off talent, we need more rappers like him,” Carr-Brown said. “We live in a world now where networking is everything and the stars we see in the limelight are not always the most talented. He continues to get better and has the support of everyone he is around, including the Marines with which he has served and currently serves.”
Though Brown recently reenlisted in the Marine Corps for a second term, he strives to bring his music to new places and continue building a strong fan-base of Marines and civilians.
“I passed up a deal with a representative of Def Jam Records so I could finish my first enlistment,” Brown said. “I had one more year left and they wouldn’t wait, which is understandable. I was down about that for a while and I wanted to blame the Marine Corps. But I realized that without the uniform I wear, or if I would’ve never enlisted, I wouldn’t have accomplished nearly as much as I have. I see that now and understand that opportunities come and go … it’s just about picking the best one for yourself.”
From the hard neighborhoods of Los Angeles to the uncertainty of Afghanistan, Brown has chronicled the challenges of his life on paper. He has spilled his heart through a microphone — all in the hope that someone, somewhere will listen.
As notebooks pile up and more songs are recorded, Brown comes closer to his dream of performing for a sold out crowd in Madison Square Garden. He wants to witness the blur, a mirage of faces blended together in a massive crowd, similar to the moment in which he first performed at Redlands East Valley High School.
“Brown is going to make it, no doubt about it,” said Master Gunnery Sgt. Lloyd West, a Marine who oversees Brown. “He’s got talent, but more than that, he works hard. As a Marine, he is one of the best I’ve ever had under me, and as a man, he continues to perfect his craft. Wherever he goes from here, whether it is a career in the Marine Corps or a million dollar record contract, he’ll flourish.”
| Date Taken: | 02.11.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 02.15.2013 16:06 |
| Story ID: | 102092 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, HAWAII, US |
| Hometown: | FONTANA, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Hometown: | LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Hometown: | REDLANDS, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Hometown: | SAN BERNARDINO, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 589 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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