About the Artist
Infinite
Infinite definitely knows the art of storytelling. Once quoted by Kwame, on-air personality of the new KISS 92 FM as being, "the underground ghetto brother that just pushes it on a commercial level" his knowledge comes from the heart, which is his reality.
Infinite a.k.a. Desmond Francis, grew up in Rexdale, a low income area in Toronto by a single mother and two older brothers, one of whom was murdered in 1995. Shortly after this tragic event, he left his 1995/ 1996 Juno Award winning group Ghetto Concept. Starting at a young age, Infinite was continually exposed to the negative street environment. But now he strives to educate the new breed of youth by turning negative into positive.
Artistic ability and new flavour are the rules that Infinite and brother Cain, C.E.O. of his label Lockdown Entertainment Inc. abide by to create rap music on a new level. They are constantly striving to lead the independent record market to major record label status, i.e. video "Gotta Get Mine" which raised the standards of urban video quality and recognition by commercial radio stations.
The Beatfactory/EMI RapEssentials: Volume 2 wisely chose "Gotta Get Mine" as the first single off the compilation, catapulting Infinite into the North American spotlight. "Gotta Get Mine" rang in at an incredible number 17 on Energy 108 top 108 of 1997. Infinite has been selected as the spokesperson for "Chill Out", a clothing drive for the homeless, in which the Toronto Blue Jays and Toronto Raptors are sponsors. He has also made a host appearance on MuchMusic's Rap City as well as performing along side Bob Marley's band, The Wailers on MuchMusic's Da Mix, Black History Month discussion panel.
Infinite has most certainly been a consistent and outstanding artist in the Canadian music scene. Although "360 degrees" was chosen as the lead off single from the EP, Lockdown produced a video for every original track on the album. All five videos received substantial rotation on MuchMusic. Infinite toured with LL Cool J during the summer of 1998 which was sponsored by Fubu. Infinite also makes an appearance in LL Cool J's upcoming film "In Too Deep"(starring Omar Epps, scheduled for release August 25, 1999).
Infinite was chosen by CapCom Japan which is the guru of video game makers to record voice-overs as well as the game soundtrack for the Street Fighter, "3rd Strike" game. The game was released in Japanese arcades May 1999. On June 30, 1999 he performed on the new KISS 92 FM CN Towers lauch "Da Vibe in da Sky" live to air event.
"Take a Look" accomplished the feat of being the first single off the BMG distributed album RapEssentials: The Rebirth, helping the compilation sell more than 5, 000 copies in its first week. The four minute fully animated video for "Take a Look" was well embraced by the MuchMusic staff. The video was immediately placed in heavy rotation, once again setting new standards for urban music. "Take a Look" was charted on MuchMusic's Rap City Top 5 for 6 weeks during June and July 1999, holding down the number one position for three consecutive weeks. Infinite's performance at the 1999 NXNE showcase helped to highlight Canada's urban independent music scene. On June 11, 1999, Infinite was one of the featured acts in the Toronto Sun (circulation 1 million) coverage of NXNE.
All of the songs from the album "360 degrees" contain clean and clear themes that are globally understandable. This EP has sold more than 5, 000 copies in less than 12 months without the help of a major distribution company, and it is still selling. With the album "360 degrees" Infinite has developed a Canadian wide fan base which we know will find the new album (due out late 1999) even more "Sicc" which will be the first single from the album "Critical Path".
Twice within the week of August 8, 1999, Infinite graced the cover of the Life-Entertainment section of the Toronto Star (circulation 1.6 million) in a fully explored four page article. Check out the September edition of Rap Pages (a L.A. based urban magazine which has international distribution) where you will find a great article in the About 2 Blow section (page 168), depicting more of Infinite's upcoming endeavors.
Infinite's solo artistic endeavors have been rewarded with numerous awards an nominations including; winner of MuchMusic's Best Hip Hop Video 1997, Canadian Urban Music Awards Best Hip Hop Video and Best Director 1997, Mic Check Magazines Best Rap Video 1997 and a nomination for 1997 Juno award for Best Rap Recording. In 1999, "Take a Look" was nominated for the Canadian Urban Music Award for Best Music Video.
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