LINGO

The next big thing... rapper/producer/engineer. Lingo grew up in an unusually musically inclined family. The son of drummer David Fletcher and grandson of jazz saxophonist William Fletcher, Lingo was exposed to both classic rock and jazz at an early age. He soon began classical training in piano and would remain perfecting his play for seven years; until he gave it up to devote more of his time to sports. Although more well-rounded than most regarding his musical knowledge and taste, Lingos true love was always hip-hop. Lingo had been listening to and influenced by such artists as Rakim, Kool G Rap, KRS-One, Gangstarr, EPMD, and DITC for several years before he actually began to experiment with his own music. At 14, he began DJing with an old set of his fathers turntables, and was instantly hooked. He immediately began up-dating his equipment, as well as amassing an extraordinary collection of both old and new vinyl. Lingos interest in piano was rekindled around the age of 17, when he realized how invaluable such an instrument was to producing beats, and soon began re-teaching himself. It was also around this time when he started making his own beats. At 18, Lingos collection of instrumentals was finally put to good use, as he began playing them at parties and freestyling over them. During his senior year of high school, he started playing piano and emceeing with a jazz/hip-hop band. He wrote his 1 st verse after his graduation in 2000. After that, he was unstoppable.