INTENSE

"Intense comes with a solid flow and a deck of nice beats for his solo debut. The man has graduated from Philly group Schoolz of Thought to craft a promising initial album"
— Okayplayer.com

"Intense is a one man Black Star with bare-chested rhymes that sprint through tracks with depth and… charisma."
— Boston’s Weekly Digest

"This is the hot shit so many emcees lack nowadays, and Intense comes off strong with beats that are on point along with his ultra tough delivery"
— The Catalyst

INTENSE grew up in both, the Frankford and Feltonville sections of Philly. He was first introduced to music by his mother who was constantly playing all kinds of music, everything from Al Green to Led Zepplin (on the original wax). She often took her young son to concerts by these same artists and many others. INTENSE developed his own interests in hip-hop while still very young. By the age of 12, INTENSE had his own Casio Keyboard creating hip-hop songs with his friends; by 15 he recorded his first solo demo material.

INTENSE's first group project experience came when he joined 3 Nations in 1, a collective consisting of his life-long friends I.Q. and BRASIL. It was during this time INTENSE initially met and worked with SCRATCH, whom the trio had gotten to know through the local hip hop scene. Though "3N1" didn’t have any commercial releases, years later Ahmir ?UESTLOVE Thompson would mention them on the inside of The ROOTS "Illadelph Halflife" album cover. The group came to an unexpected end when one of the founding members, Brasil, was shot. Fortunately, Brasil survived, but something had changed and things weren’t the same for 3 Nations in 1 after it.

INTENSE loosely conceived SCHOOLZ OF THOUGHT in late 1994; by 1996, it consisted of himself and SCRATCH. Within the next year the two were recording material at Philly's now defunct Sonic Studios. During this time they were introduced to SYNTAX and SPEAQUE-EZIE, two talented emcees who were going by the name IllPros. Collaborative efforts were made and a definite vibe was created, leading to SYNTAX and SPEAQUE-EZIE joining the Schoolz of Thought and forming the central core of the group as it would be known worldwide. Schoolz gained popularity from releases such as INTENSE's successful first solo single "It Could Happen To You" (2002) as well as guest spots on records released by Scratch, Zap Mama, DJ Spinna, and The Waxolutionists, and LPs including 2003's "From Thought to Finish," a record entirely cut from INTENSE's home studio. Following the recording, INTENSE and Schoolz of Thought toured relentlessly with the likes of De La Soul, Talib Kweli, Pharoe, Slum Village, Scratch, Dice Raw, Les Nubian, Zap Mama, Kool Keith, Ceelo, Beatnuts, HeadFake, Doug Wimbush & Will Calhoun. INTENSE has also emceed several HeadFake and Handsome Boy Modeling School shows, among others.

 DEFEND RELEASES

Catalog Number:
DFN80006
Title:
The Bohemian Pimp Project
Release Date:
October 2005

Track List
01. Bohemian Renaissance
02. Force of Movement
03. Sunshine/Moonlight
04. That's Life
05. Like Fire
06. Club Drama
07. ConsecutiveSeconds
08. All My Life
09. The Mythology of a Pimp
10. Need
11. The Truth About Me...
12. Cold Fusion
13. Options
14. SureShotS#*t
15. DRUGS!!!
16. Music Therapy
17. A Healthy Obsession
18. A New Beginning

12” Single
Catalog Number:
DFN 80005
Title:
A Healthy Obsession
Release Date:
October 2005

Track List
Side A
Healthy Obsession
Main
Radio Edit
Instrumental
A cappella
Side B
The Truth About Me…
Main
Radio Edit
Instrumental