User:Jimcclean/sandbox
Merkules
[edit]Jimcclean/sandbox | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Cole Stevenson |
| Also known as | Merkules |
| Born | September 27, 1992 Surrey, British Columbia |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Occupation | rapper |
| Website | merkulesmusic |
Cole Stevenson (born September 27, 1992), known professionally as Merkules, is a Canadian rapper, singer, and lyricist born in Surrey, British Columbia.[1][2]
Early life
[edit]Cole Stevenson's interest in hip-hop began when he was 10 years old, although he would not begin to make his own music until he was 16.[3] When he was 12 years old, his father would take him to see the rappers Swollen Members, Sweatshop Union, and Saukrates perform in his hometown of Surrey.[4] Inspired by these performances, Stevenson decided to pursue hip-hop as a career. He began to rap when he was 16 years old, using the moniker Merk Mitz.[3] As Merk Mitz, he began performing in hip-hop shows at the Olympia, a restaurant in his home town of Surrey.[5] He went on to enter the music tournament King of the Dot, and rapped over beats by Eminem, Big Pun and others.[4] His ability to rap over popular beats garnered him a wide following. When Stevenson was 16, after leaving a New Year’s Eve party he was attacked by a group of teenagers with a bat and a machete, which left him with scars over his face and under his eyes.[4] The incident caused him to experience anxiety, and he used his music as a means of coping with the aftermath of the attack. He would eventually reflect on the experience on his 2015 album Scars.[6] While on tour as Merk Mitz, Stevenson earned the nickname Merkules, and eventually began using this as his stage name.
Career
[edit]At age 20, Stevenson released Canadian Bacon, his first studio album under the moniker Merkules, which was followed shortly after with the EP Bacon Bits.[4] As of 2020 Merkules has released 2 EPs and 8 studio albums in total which include Hunger Pains, Scars, Trust Your Gut, Cole, Special Occasion, and Force of Habit.[4] His album Special Occasion debuted at #2 on the iTunes charts.[7] Merkules is well known for his remixes of popular songs which he uploads to his YouTube channel “Young Merkules”. His most popular remix, “Old Town Road”, reached #3 on YouTube trending worldwide and has received over 40 million views.[7] Merkules’ songs have received over 316 million views on YouTube, and his music has been streamed over 200 million times.[8] Merkules has been nominated three times for Western Canadian Music Awards, and has played more than 700 shows across North America, Europe, and Australia.[8] He has collaborated with many other musicians including Snak the Ripper, Kevin Gates, The Game, E-40, Chris Webby, Lil Windex, and Evil Ebenezer.[4] He has also collaborated with former basketball player Shaquille O’Neal, on the song “Want That Smoke Freestyle”.[9]
Influences
[edit]Stevenson has cited his musical influences as Eminem, Big L, Big Pun, and Busta Rhymes,[6] and described his own music as a cross between DMX, Jadakiss, and Everlast.[7]
Discography
[edit]Albums/EPs
[edit]- Bacon Bits (EP, 2012)
- Canadian Bacon (2012)
- Hunger Pains (2013)
- Scars (2015)
- Creepy From The Hood (EP, 2016)
- Trust Your Gut (2017)
- Cole (2018)
- Special Occasion (2019)
- Apply Pressure (2020)
- Force of Habit (2020)
Mixtapes
[edit]- Bad and Boujee Remix (2017)
- Black Beatles Remix (2017)
- Closer Remix (2017)
- Fuck Up the Commas Remix (2017)
- Mask Off Remix (2017)
- Panda Remix (2017)
- Shape of You Remix (2017)
- Sucker for Pain Remix (2017)
- Tunnel Vision Remix (2017)
- Betrayed Remix (2018)
- Havana Remix (2018)
- Him & I Remix (2018)
- Plug Walk Remix (2018)
- Taste Remix (2018)
- Old Town Road Remix (2019)
References
[edit]- ^ "Merkules". world-celebs. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Merkules | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b "Exclusive Q&A interview with Merkules & Prada West". Surrey Vibes. 2013-03-21. Retrieved 2020-11-25.
- ^ a b c d e f "Bio". Merkules. Retrieved 2020-11-25.
- ^ Zillich, Tom (2019-08-19). "Surrey-raised Merkules raps his way around the world". Surrey Now-Leader. Retrieved 2020-11-25.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b Burn, DJ (2016-04-08). "Merkules Bares Scars & Soul in Wild Set | Rum + Bass Magazine". web.archive.org. Retrieved 2020-11-25.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b c Adamakos, Tess (2019-05-06). "Merkules Talks "Old Town Remix," Upcoming Tour With Gucci Mane, and Bad Tattoos". Tattoo Ideas, Artists and Models. Retrieved 2020-11-25.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b "Merkules". Spotify. Retrieved 2020-11-25.
- ^ "Merkules drops out of Gucci Mane's Live In Canada Tour 2019". HipHopCanada. 2019-05-09. Retrieved 2020-11-25.