Atllas

Infobox musical artist

|
Name = Atllas
Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Lloyd Hopkins
Alias =
Born = birth date and age|1979|4|20
Died =
Origin = Phoenix, Arizona
Genre = Hip Hop
Years_active = 2003– present
Label = Fire Flock, Rawkus 50
URL = [http://atllasonline.com atllasonline.com]

Atllas (born Lloyd Hopkins, April 20 1979) is a rapper based in Phoenix, Arizona. The self-proclaimed "King of AZ", Atllas is one of the most successful independent recording artists in Arizona,Fact|date=March 2008 having sold tens of thousands of albums in the Southwest.Fact|date=March 2008

Biography

Born in Denver, Colorado, Atllas and his family moved to the Maryvale section of Phoenix, Arizona in the early 1990s. As a fan of Michael Jordan, Hopkins originally dreamt of being an NBA star. He began focusing on music while attending Maryvale High School. Atllas and a group of friends began booking shows around the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. Atllas used the money from the bookings to invest in studio time, and began recording with his new local crew named the Phoenix Sector, also including Lyracist and Capum C.

In 2003, Atllas started his own independent record company, Fire Flock Entertainment. His first independent album, "The King of AZ", was released that year. The single "Hood Famous" was played on Power 92, helping sell over 8,000 copies of the album.Fact|date=March 2008 Atllas followed up in 2004 with a mixtape titled "Let's Eat", which managed to sell over 7,000 copies.Fact|date=March 2008

By 2005, Atllas had become one of the most popular local artists in Arizona.Fact|date=March 2008 His second album, "Hunger and Starvation", released in the summer of 2005, sold over 40,000 copies.Fact|date=March 2008 The album's success led to wider exposure and Atllas began opening for a number of prominent rap acts, including The Roots, Obie Trice, DJ Quik, Boot Camp Clik, Paul Wall, Dem Franchize Boyz, Cappadonna, Ludacris, Xzibit and P. Diddy. More national exposure came in 2006, when, in January, Atllas was featured as a coach on an episode of MTV's "Made", in which a teenage girl from Sedona wished to become a rapper. Along with his TV appearance, Atllas' music began to receive more widespread attention. Due to his relationship with DJ Kayslay, the rapper's music received rotation on New York's Hot 97.Fact|date=March 2008 Kayslay also hosted a 2006 Atllas mixtape titled "The Birth of a Caesar". In return, the rapper made an appearance on Kayslay's 2006 mixtape "The Champions".

Following his MTV appearance, Atllas received attention from numerous media sources. In May 2006, Atllas was featured in issues of both The Source and XXL, appearing in the former's Independent Album Review section, and the latter's Show & Prove section. Atllas is currently recording material for his third album, titled "Say Hello to the Crook".Fact|date=March 2008 The album's lead single, "We Here to Party", received rotation in over 20 cities in late 2006.Fact|date=March 2008 He is also working on two separate film projects, a documentary titled "The Chronicles of a Hustler" and a film titled "Hood Famous", both of which will feature original soundtracks.

Discography

Albums

* "The King of AZ" (2003, Fire Flock)
* "Hunger and Starvation" (2005, Fire Flock)

Mixtapes

* "Let's Eat" (2004)
* "The Birth of a Caesar" (2006)
* "2 Kingz" (2006)
* "I'm Hood Famous (The Maryvale Story)" (2007)
* "Coach Atllas:As Seen On Tv (Hosted By DJ Ames)" (2008)
* "What's Good King?? (New mixtape series Hosted By DJ Ames)(Can be downloaded via www.myspace.com/djamesuk or www.myspace.com/atllas all mixtapes can also be found on www.datpiff.com)" (2008)

References

* [http://www.atllasonline.com/bio.html AtllasOnline.com]