SC"S #1 Music Exec Heads His Own Imprint and Publishing Company

Matthew H. Leighton is the CEO and Owner of Community Records Inc. Where their mission is to bring the world great music while giving back to the community. Their goal is to bring the true essence of music back to the community. They strive for excellence in all they do. All according to their mission statement. Community Records also has a host of subsidiary companies under their umbrella. Companies such as Leighton Publishing, Corner Squad Entertainment, El3ktrix by Cee Jai, Avenue Sound, Kapon Empire,and Red City Entertainment. Making them a Full Independent Record Label. Matthew is also a publicist at Leighton Publishing.

His Artist 2Slik May Just Be Next Up!

Born in Charleston WV, 2SLiK is an upcoming hip hop artist with versatile skills and lyrics. Now living in Charleston SC, his popularity continues to grow as his music continues to expand across the states. He is the Vice President/COO of Community Records Inc as well an artist on the label. His song "Dont Bury Me" has 297K streams on spotify. He has been nominated for the Southern Plug Magazine 3x, for the SCUMA 2x and the SEA once. He has toured all over the country from LA to Miami and everywhere in between. He also has a Podcast coming out. So, stay tuned a more is to come from this artist in the future including interviews videos accolades etc.

His Artist Meek Bands Hits The Ground Running!

Meek Bandz is an emerging independent rapper based in Columbia, South Carolina, known for his contributions to the regional "New Wave" of Southern rap. His musical style is deeply rooted in South Carolina hip-hop, characterized by high-energy street anthems and trap-influenced production that highlights the "Carolina hustle." While he shares a similar moniker with the mainstream Philadelphia artist Meek Mill, Meek Bandz has built his own distinct brand within the SC scene, actively promoting his work through regional tours and digital platforms such as SoundCloud and YouTube. He is frequently associated with other rising artists from the Palmetto State as they work to bring broader national attention to the Columbia area's music culture.

Columbia's Favorite DJ: DJ Surplus, The Best DJ In The Solar System (Autobiography)

Born October 10th, a real project baby in Lafayette, IN to an abusive father and a naive mother that was unaware of the ill will in the streets of Indiana and Kentucky!!! At the age of 13 I had to take responsibility for myself and my 2 younger sisters!!! THEREFORE, I CLEANED UP OUR APARTMENT WITH THE HELP OF MY AUNT ELAINE WHO WAS LATER TRAGICALLY KILLED IN ATLANTA GA BY HER NEW BOYFRIEND!!! Once we got organized I began to shine as a football player, which lead me to become an All-American running back and linebacker at Paducah Tilghman High School! I then earned a SCHOLARSHIP FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY TO CONTINUE MY ATHLETIC CAREER!!! The best thing about college at UK I WAS ABLE TO GRADUATE WITH MY MASTERS DEGREE IN SOCIAL WORK WITH A STUNNING 3.77 GPA!!! Once I completed my masters degree I was hired on at the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA AS AN ACADEMIC COACH AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR. WHICH LED ME TO THE MORTGAGE BUSINESS AND THE NEW CAR BUSINESS IN WHICH IM STILL ABLE TO HELP PEOPLE GET DISCOUNTED PRICES ON NEW HELLCATS AND DEAMONS!!! CURRENTLY I AM SOUTH CAROLINA'S #1 INDIE ARTIST DJ and CLUB DJ ACCORDING TO SCUMA THE SOUTH CAROLINA UNDERGROUND MUSIC AWARDS DIVISION and THE SOUTHERN PLUG MUSIC AWARDS!!! My future prospects are bright I’m looking to help artist get paid for their murzik and performances!!! I AM COMMITTED TO SC & KY INDIE ARTIST ON GOD!!! 

DJ SURPLUS AKA BILLY SWANSON 

$djsurplus cash app 

djsurplus1084@gmail.com

Winnsboro SC Gospel Group Winning Souls One Song At A Time

The Compound is a gospel hip hop group from Winnsboro, SC. Their members are James Seibles, Keon Watkins, Matthew Lyles (not pictured) , and Kelly Watkins. Their new single “God Is Good” has become a church anthem at youth and other church events. James Seibles recently released a track entitled “I Go Rilla”. Which is a parallel between the animal the gorilla and how real he goes for the kingdom as compared to other gospel rappers. The Compound is definitely the premier gospel rap group of South Carolina and we are vastly waiting to see what is next from them.

Artist Spotlite: AceTheRed

Johiah Collins (born February 13, 2000), better known by his stage name AceTheRed, is an American hip hop and R&B recording artist and music producer from Andrews,South Carolina. He is one third of the hip hop R&B trio Saga with his high school friends Avian and Atlas and is also signed to his own label Day3.ent along with Saga.Ace's first full-length project, a mixtape titled Flamerz, was self-released in May 2015,to generally positive reviews.Johiah Amon Collins was born on February 13, 2000 in Andrews, South Carolina. He grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina , a middle-class suburban area. Ace stayed with his and Mother "in the cut" from ages one to thirteen, but later moved to Columbia South Carolina to live with his Father.His mother worked as a Human Resource Representative, while his father ran his own business. Ace graduated from high school a year early to fully pursue his music career.At the age of 15, Ace embarked on his musical career as a recording artist.Not having the money to afford studio time he started off recording his music on a school computer with a low quality mic where at the same time he taught his self how to engineer his own music.In 2015 Ace released his self produced debut mixtape titled Flamerz and started pressing the mixtape onto CDs and began selling them in the streets where he made more than enough money for studio time.In 2016 Ace had his first big break when he released his first studio single titled "All Night" which accumulated over 30,000 plays on soundcloud and was showcased on Apple music.He continued releasing singles until he subsequently entered his first partnership with his longtime friend, Avian, forming the group Saga. In 2017, the then duo released their first song as and official duo titled "Above Me" on soundcloud which started to gain the duo a substantial buzz.During the success of Above Me Ace collaborated with 590471 Records DK Recording Artist Jayy Queezy where they then released their single "Crucial".With the success of his latest singles he followed it up with his first solo single since All Night titled "These Days".In September of 2017 it was announced that AceTheRed and Saga signed a distribution deal with major music platform companies such as Apple music,Spotify,Tidal,Pandora etc. in which Ace stated is just another testament of their success through hard work.During the fall of 2017 Ace announced that he is working on his first studio album titled "Nights on Shinobi Hill" along with projects affiliated with Saga.On October 31st,2017 Ace released his first single from his album "Nights on Shinobi Hill" on Apple Music titled "Hill Top" in which so far has been seen as an eye opener to listeners,show casing his amazing progression as an artist with its catchy tune and clever flow and wordplay showing that with his new album he's clearly in a different league all together from rappers hailing from his city.

Cover Story: Latasha Reeves

My name is La’Tasha Reaves, also known as Ladi Jon’Rea. I am a native of Columbia, SC and a recent graduate of Southeastern Institute where I was certified as massage therapist in addition to graduating Limestone College with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Administration and Management. I have a desire to venture into the business sector I also have a love of performing and the arts that still remain a part of my life. With her newly found career in modeling, I have had the opportunity to work with Mr. Charles Curtis in his premiere performance of “Nothing Happened” performing the role as the lead, Mrs. Trish Paul. I also was in webseries called Success Lies and Betrayal written by Toya Etheridge, Business and Pleasure written by Derrick Holley of Dusthouse films and currently working on another movie “Karma #3”. My first debut performance was a successful and an entertaining treat for those that came to view this compelling show. In addition to performing arts I have travelled to Maryland, DC to be a part of Madame Butterfly Fashion Show, DFE 4th Annual Fashion & Music Affair in North Charleston, SC. My first Model Battle was hosted by Mentality of a Millionaire held in Goose Creek, SC, Blessed Beyond the Runway located in Greenville, SC, Fashion Fair Extravaganza in Florence, SC, and Fashion on the Lawn with Urban Spice Magazine in Georgia. I debuted in more thatn 5 magazines, Hair, Fashion, Lifestyle Magazine HD Encore magazine volume 11 released January 2015 and Crush Photography Magazine All Red Affair Edition released December 2014. I was featured in the Valentine’s Edition part two of the Crush magazine edition for 2015 and recently GoldStar magazine Leather Lace Dec 2018. I showcased in the Beautiful Your Tour in Manhattan, New York during NCAA weekend and Ce Ce La B Fashion Show March 28, 2015 along with Columbia HairWalk at the Airport August 17, 2015 and will be featured in various other shows in the upcoming months. I was also a part of the Designer Competition scheduled for 4/22-25, 2015 in Atlanta, GA. I am scheduled to participate in the launch of N’Bodi Fashion Show on November 14, 2015 and was recently a participant of a model transformation project coming out in winter 2015. I am a brand ambassador for TrulyCharmedLife Fashion and owner of Uniquely U Jewels boutique. I also auditioned to be a model for Crush Model Magazine and was chosen to be one of their models. I’m also in a webseries entitles Success Lies and Betrayal (S.L.A.B) as the character Robin and pending another webseries along with being featured in the new episode for 1Love Tv in February 2018. I am presently on the radio show “The Breakdown Radio Show” as Ladi J. I have alsowritten two books. My first book was entitled "Empowered Defiance " and my very first self published book "Mirror Imperfections " are oout and available for purchase. I am currently cast in few other lovies and have a few other projects that are planned. I have aspirations of venturing into more genres of the fashion and modeling industry.

Q. It’s your boy Darren Southern Plug Brown here with Ladi Jon’Rea. So, to start things off, tell my readers who is Ladi Jon’rea. 

A. Well my name is La'Tasha Jones-Reaves. Ladi Jon'rea is the name I go by for modeling. 

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Q. So I see you mostly go by Ladi Jon’Rea but sometimes I see your name as LaTasha Reeves. Are those like 2 alter egos , 2 separate inenties, or what? Do tell. 

A. I came up with the Ladi Jon’rea name because people were always calling me miss lady or mispronouncing my name so I decided to brand my modeling career under Ladi Jon'rea. Which is jones & Reaves abbreviated. 

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Q. There is a new Dusthouse movie coming out that I believe that you are in. Tell me more about that. A. I am actually going to be in a few projects under Dusthouse. Karma 3, and a new spinoff movie to the Karma trilogy called ”Loyalty & Betrayal " which is coming soon. I am also in other movies with Geechee One Films such as Space Babes, Glory Mountain, Love Bomb and 2 others that haven’t been released yet & we can’t disclose the titles until approved. 

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Q. So you are a model and actor. Are there any other roles that you take on from time to time? 

A. Yes I am I have a few titles. I'm an actor, an author, model. I also have my own jewelry business and am a fashion coordinator . I will be venturing into other areas of fashion industry with a new clothing line coming out soon . Will also be working more in the filming industry and a few other projects coming out soon. Be on the look out for "Shediddy". I don’t want to spoil the fun but it’s gonna be a new title added once this drops. 

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Q. Yes, speaking of your book. Tell me all about that. 

A. I just released a new book "mirror Imperfections " that I self published and have another book that's coming out next week that I co authored called "daughters of a king" and journal that goes with my new book entitled "owning your flaws " just released Tuesday. All will be on Amazon and soon in barnes and noble amd books a million along with kindle and ebooks in the upcoming weeks. So many things are going to be coming up soon. 

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Q. Well there it is Ladi Jon’Rea ladies and gentlemen. But before we wrap, tell my readers where they can connect with you on social media and also give them all of your booking info. 

A. I can be reached on social media Instagram, Twitter and Facebook at @modeljonre or @ladi_jon_rea I'm on snapchat and tiktok at Ladi Jon'rea. Website coming soon. Author information on Facebook at Author L.C.Jones-Reaves and Instagram at @lcjonesreaves To book me email bookingladijonrea@gmail.com

Get To Know Grays Court, South Carolina Rapper Lil Mexico

Grays Court, South Carolina native Lil Mexico is from a town with a population of fewer than 1,000 people. Now, the rapper makes songs that reach millions of people across the globe. “My environment definitely influenced my music. I’m always rapping about stuff that I’ve done, things I’ve seen, or what’s been goin’ on around me,” the 22-year-old notes. “It’s real street here, but it’s real country too. There are trailer parks and farms all around.” Although his world may seem atypical to many Rap videos, Mexico has resonated with an audience over the last couple of years. December 11’s Life Of An Outlaw, produced by JetsonMade (DaBaby, 21 Savage, Smokepurpp), retraces the story of how Mexico and his MMO crew banded together to make a way out of a small town with limited opportunity.Raised by his mother while his father was incarcerated over several bids, Mexico earned his name from his complexion. Although small, the trailer park in Grays Court that cultivated the rapper is racially diverse. The son of a Black father and white mother, the artist’s friends joked that he resembled the neighboring Latinos. Coined “Lil Mix-ican,” he used the teasing to his advantage when he released “Forever” just after graduating high school in 2017. While he’d dabbled in Rap since adolescence, this time, Mexico took a step beyond burning a CD-R for friends to play in the car. He shared it online for the mass public. The song’s subsequent visual showed the community of Grays Court and a collection of homeboys with a mentality not unlike the Wild West. “Our group goes by MMO. The meaning behind that is Money-Makin’ Outlaws,” he says of the notorious band of locals that he calls his brothers. Influenced by Lil Wayne, the rapper enjoys displaying his charisma in visuals and filling verses with punchlines. Within weeks, the song had gained traction on Facebook to achieve more than 100,000 views. More tracks followed. “I came with a song called ‘Fully Loaded,’ and it started going crazy—even more than ‘Forever.’ I thought that maybe if I take this seriously, I can become somebody.” Mexico began performing his songs at clubs for a few hundred dollars. The Trench Baby mixtape series was born soon after, spawning hits including video single “Trap Boys” (featuring Guap Da Menace and Muddy), which now has nearly 4 million video plays. On some of those tapes, Mexico purchased beats from JetsonMade. “I love his music; it’s got a spaceship vibe,” he notes of his hit-making partner behind DaBaby’s “Suge.” For his biggest MMO release to date, the two rising stars from the Carolinas partnered for a full-length body of work. On Life Of An Outlaw, Atlanta sensations Lil Gotit, Lil Keed, and Yung Mal each appear.Mexico’s music celebrates running around, living fast, and reflects for those not here to enjoy it with him, including a sizable prison following. Songs like album opener “Nobody Knows” tell stories over captivating beats. Meanwhile, “Act Up,” featuring Keed, warns haters not to try him. A Mal-assisted version of “Trap Baby” takes the viral hit even further with a newly-released video. “I’m not just rapping about anything and everything,” he boasts of the 10 songs with accompanying visuals. “I make music that you can leave on or just play every day as you ride around.” Lil Mexico is taking his real, raw small-town story on a journey to Rap stardom.