Terry Urban is an American artist, DJ and producer best known for the

mixtapes In the modern music industry, a mixtape is a musical project, typically with looser constraints than that of an album or extended play. Unlike the traditional album or extended play, mixtapes are labeled as laid-back projects that allow artists mo ...

''Viva la Hova'', ''Southerngold'' and ''Biggie Stardust''.

Biography

Terry Urban was born in

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

, Ohio on May 23, 1977. After graduating school he moved to San Diego, California to pursue a career in

Skateboarding Skateboarding is an extreme sport, action sport that involves riding and Skateboarding trick, performing tricks using a skateboard, as well as a recreational activity, an art form, an entertainment industry Profession, job, and a method of tr ...

. It was in San Diego where Terry was first introduced to

Turntablism Turntablism is the art of manipulating sounds and creating new music, sound effects, mixes and other creative sounds and beats, typically by using two or more Phonograph, turntables and a cross fader-equipped DJ mixer. The mixer is plugged into ...

. Urban moved back to his hometown of Cleveland and began to DJ and also paint

graffiti Graffiti (singular ''graffiti'', or ''graffito'' only in graffiti archeology) is writing or drawings made on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from simple written "monikers" to elabor ...

. In 2004 he was hired to be a DJ on a local Cleveland radio station

WENZ WENZ (107.9 FM) is a commercial mainstream urban radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, serving Greater Cleveland and much of surrounding Northeast Ohio. The station is owned by Urban One since 1999, its studios are located on Oak Tree Blv ...

and then quickly after was hired as a DJ with his own show at

Sirius Satellite Radio Sirius Satellite Radio was a satellite radio ( SDARS) service that operated in the United States and Canada. Sirius launched in 2002, and primarily competed with XM Satellite Radio, until the two services merged in 2008 to form Sirius XM. Li ...

. Urban's career as a DJ began to flourish and he became less interested in graffiti. In 2006 Terry decided to pursue his career as DJ and moved to New York City. Terry began to work on music and started to produce his own remixes which have received accolades from such greats as

Coldplay Coldplay are a British Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer and percussionist Will Champion, and manager Phil Harvey (band m ...

Jay Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, businessman, and record executive. Rooted in East Coast hip-hop, he was named the greatest rapper of all time by ''Billboard'' and '' Vibe'' i ...

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...

and

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals and creatures * A male duck * Drake (mythology), a term related to and often synonymous with dragon People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family ...

. In 2015 looking for another creative outlet, Urban began to paint once again. Over the past years, Terry Urban has completely immersed himself into his work and has exhibited his paintings in many solo shows.

Music

Terry Urban has released mixtapes including "Unbelievable" (tribute to

The Notorious B.I.G. Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in the New York rap scene and gangsta rap tradi ...

, hosted by P. Diddy), "The Graduate (hosted by

) and ''Viva La Hova,

which mashed up

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American Rapping, rapper, businessman, and record executive. Rooted in East Coast hip-hop, he was named Billboard and Vibe's 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time, the ...

and

. He released "Southerngold

in 2009 which mixed

Santigold Santi White (born September 25, 1976), known professionally as Santigold (formerly Santogold), is an American singer and songwriter. Her debut studio album, '' Santogold'' (2008), was released by Atlantic Records and met with widespread critica ...

with music by contemporary southern rappers. The mixtape drew legal attention from Santigold's record label in the form of a cease and desist later. The mixtape album "Lady Stardust" put

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her image reinventions and versatility across the entertainment industry, she is an influ ...

songs together with

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

tracks.Keyes, J. Edward.
Single Minded: Lady Gaga Mashed With David Bowie, Full Rihanna Set
''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'', 20 November 2009

Art

Urban's style is most influenced by

Abstract expressionism Abstract expressionism in the United States emerged as a distinct art movement in the aftermath of World War II and gained mainstream acceptance in the 1950s, a shift from the American social realism of the 1930s influenced by the Great Depressi ...

and

Neo-expressionism Neo-expressionism is a style of Late modernism, late modernist or early-Postmodern art, postmodern painting and sculpture that emerged in the late 1970s. Neo-expressionists were sometimes called ''Transavantgarde'', ''Junge Wilde'' or ''Neue Wild ...

, where he is not interested in an accurate execution of his subjects, but rather in exploring the possibilities of abstraction. In his early years, Urban was interested in art and began to paint graffiti. However, his music career as a DJ began to flourish and his painting took a back seat. Musically, Urban's DJ career has spanned over a decade but he was looking for a more creative outlet in life. In 2015, with advice from a close friend, Urban began to paint once again. Over the past years, Urban has completely immersed himself into his work and has exhibited his paintings in many solo shows.

Exhibitions

-Solo Exhibition: Rhythmless, Dead Logic Gallery -Solo Exhibition: To Live and Die, Lake Affect Studios -Solo Exhibition: New York Wounds, Contra Gallery -Solo Exhibition: To Whom It May Concern, The Storefront Project

References

External links

Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Urban, Terry Living people American hip-hop DJs 1977 births