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ON THE RISE
From the vibrant streets of New York to the creative currents of Charlotte, North Carolina, hip-hop artist ImSoTyRell makes a bold debut with his latest single and accompanying webisode, “Make Some Noise Episode 1: The Dream”. The track dives into themes of ambition, resilience, and unwavering passion in the face of adversity. Told through a fictionalized version of himself, ImSoTyRell invites fans to experience his world not just through music, but through a narrative that peels back the layers of the artist behind the name.
“My goal was to introduce the world to me. Even though this isn’t my exact story, you grow to love the Tyrell character and the music,” explained ImSoTyRell. “The version of Tyrell in the series is fictional—more dramatized—but it’s still rooted in my truth.”
In this debut episode, viewers follow Tyrell, an aspiring rapper caught between the pull of his passion and the pressures of reality. As financial instability looms large, he wrestles with the demands of a partner who urges him to pursue a more stable path, even as emotional tensions mount over unresolved questions surrounding his child and a strained relationship with the child’s mother.
The episode reaches a dramatic peak when a misunderstanding over child support leads to Tyrell’s arrest and the loss of his job, forcing him to confront the cost of his dreams. With raw storytelling and unflinching honesty, “Make Some Noise” captures a pivotal crossroads in Tyrell’s life, asking a familiar question faced by many young artists: Will he risk everything to chase the music or surrender to the weight of expectation?
“Make Some Noise,” a blend of music and cinematic storytelling, premiered on April 24th, marking the beginning of a compelling series. A second episode followed over Memorial Day weekend, continuing Tyrell’s journey, with a third installment set to drop this June.
The series is brought to life visually by The Fly Family, the creative team behind the camera who also helped shape ImSoTyRell’s visual identity and encouraged him to embrace content creation as a core element of his artistry. To date, he’s written over eight scripts, further expanding the Tyrell (ImSoTyRell) universe.
“We’re getting faster and faster with production, my goal now is to close the gap, releasing one single per month,” shared ImSoTyRell.
Alongside the episodic series, ImSoTyRell recently dropped “Big Plays,” a coming-of-age anthem, and is gearing up to release “Practice What You Preach,” a summer-ready club track featuring Boosie BadAzz, on May 28th.
“I’ve always loved storytelling—that’s what makes my sound unique,” added ImSoTyRell. “Artists like DMX, Biggie, and Missy Elliott inspired me because their songs told vivid stories. Whether it’s R&B, rap, or hip-hop, I want listeners to walk away with something meaningful. That’s what I think music should do.”
ImSoTyRell’s journey to this moment has been anything but linear. He’s been recording music off and on for over a decade, first falling in love with songwriting as a third grader in Queens. After attending a performing arts program at Newburgh Free Academy (NFA) in upstate New York, he moved to Charlotte for his senior year and began balancing warehouse shifts and a job at Citibank to make ends meet.
Determined to fund his music independently, he joined the military for the signing bonus and traveled the world, all to invest in his craft. Along the way, in 2009, he linked up with his longtime producer, who’s worked with the likes of Kanye West, Akon, and Anthony Hamilton. That connection helped shape his sound. Since then, he’s released a steady stream of singles, including a Panthers-inspired anthem titled “Keep Pounding,” and in recent years has built momentum with songs like “I Need More,” marking a turning point in both his visuals and creative vision.
“The name ImSoTyRell came from a place of self-discovery,” he explained. “People kept trying to compare me, saying I sounded like this artist or that one, but I’m not here to fit in a box. I’m an onion with layers. I can write a love ballad, make a club banger, or go bar for bar with a Kendrick or a Boosie. I’m just authentically me.”
Be sure to follow ImSoTyrell across all platforms to stay updated with the latest music, videos and social content.
ON THE RISE
Clinton Brand III – better known as CBIII – is a California-based rapper. His new single, titled “I Won’t Quit,” is a motivational and relatable message for everyone “going through it.”
The track, with a beat by Tunna Beats, has a Blurry Face vibe. It starts with a violin and the soft “ahh”s of featured singer Alex Brinkley. When the beat drops, piano, bass and drums enter along with CBIII’s lyrical meditations on “overthinking, contemplating, and debating” why he “won’t quit.”
As the final line makes clear, the song is a study in contradictory mindsets. There’s the fear of failure – what if I’m not good enough? – and then the contrast of relentlessness as stated in the title.
The lyrics of the song’s final quattrain are especially strong. Beginning with an example of CBIII’s wordplay (phenomenal and astronomical anomaly), the final message is one of inspiration: I’m tired of this, so I’m going to make it better.
This struggle with nagging self-doubt and overthinking makes “I Won’t Quit” very relatable. In the end, CBIII wants listeners to be inspired, to not give in when they find themselves in similar circumstances.
Brand’s inspiration for “I Won’t Quit” was intensely personal. Following the death of his parents at a young age, he was raised by his grandmother and then was placed in foster care. A recent visit found his grandmother’s memory fading; this was painful, considering that she had once been his biggest supporter.
This episode left him feeling abandoned, in a dark place.
He says, “I wrote the song ‘I Won’t Quit’ because at that time I was suicidal. I didn’t have nobody else to turn to because my grandma didn’t really care anymore.”
The vulnerability expressed in the lyrics made CBIII unsure if he wanted to release the song at all. He says, “I actually sat on the song for like five months before even thinking about releasing it because it’s so close to home that I wasn’t even sure if I was going to have the courage to share it.”
Now that the song is out, its vulnerability is its strength. Brand’s struggle is real, and the general contours – missing family support, doubting yourself, knowing you need to persevere – will be familiar to many.
In addition to his personal desire to live up his dream of greatness, Brand has another reason not to give up: his younger brother, who is currently in foster care. Knowing his brother looks up to him, he wants to remind him that giving in to doubt is the easy way out.
Brand says, “I want to encourage him, to show him that if you set your mind to it, bro, there’s nothing you can’t do.”
In the end, CBIII wants listeners to learn from his pain, to ask themselves, “What if I don’t give up?”
Stream “I Won’t Quit” now, wherever you listen to music.
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