Pizon

Infobox musical artist
Name = Pizon


Img_capt =
Img_size =
Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Michael Scala
Alias =
Born = birth date and age|1982|12|2
Died =
Origin = Birthplace: flagicon|USA Queens, New York, United States Ethnicity: flagicon|Italy Italian-American
Instrument =
Genre = Hip hop / Rap
Occupation = Rapper, Record Producer
Years_active = 2000 – Present
Label = La Scala Entertainment Rawkus Records
Associated_acts =
URL = [http://www.pizonishiphop.com www.pizonishiphop.com]
Current_members =
Past_members =
Notable_instruments =

Michael Scala (born December 2, 1982), also known as Pizon, is an Italian-American rapper and record producer from New York City. He is the son of the late actor Michael Scala (aka Mikey "Shades" Scala), who played Sally Gaga in Martin Scorsese's first feature film "Who's That Knocking at My Door?". To distinguish himself from his father, Pizon often uses the nickname Mike Scala in instances where his full name is required. The Pizon alias is derived from the Italian word "paesano," which literally translates to "countryman."

Career

Born December 2, 1982, in Rosedale, Queens, Pizon initially broke into showbusiness acting in plays alongside his father. His interest in Hip hop peaked upon listening to rap music in the dollar van on his daily commute to Cardozo High School. By the time he graduated in 2000, his focus shifted to pursuing Hip Hop as a full time career. Though he went on to attend college and become the first member of his immediate family to earn a degree, music remained his top priority.

Eager to establish himself independently, Pizon founded his own record label La Scala Entertainment (named after the famous opera house in Milan) and signed himself as the flagship artist. In 2000, he recorded the single "Dozo Dawgs" with three of his high school classmates and used it as a springboard to release the first full-length project on his label, 2001's "Battle Mode" compilation. In 2002, the follow-up compilation "XIV:XIX" was released on La Scala Entertainment/Third Visional Records. Pizon executive-produced and appeared as a performer on both albums. His first solo project, "The Growing Pains EP" was released in 2002 and featured guest performers Timid and Killah, artists he met while producing the aforementioned compilations. Pizon, Timid, and Killah went on to release "The Lost EP" in 2003, a joint effort that included seven collaborations and one solo track from each artist. The trio decided to use the project as a promotional tool and made the entire album available as a free download. It included the now famous Pizon solo track "Angel Wings" (a remastered version of the song would later appear as a bonus track on his 2006 full-length solo debut) and an introduction from Hip Hop legend Jaz-O. That year also saw the release of "The Fam Mixtape," a project conceived by Pizon protégé EJ that featured previously released and exclusive new songs and freestyles from Pizon, Timid, Killah, EJ, Analyze, and Da 27th Element, who collectively called themselves The Fam. The success of these releases led to Pizon securing outside work as a producer, and the Pizon-produced "Funky Nassau" by Mr. Fayce received national airplay in his native Bahamas (Pizon also produced "Danesha" and "You Don't Know Me" on Mr. Fayce's 2003 release).

In 2004, Pizon and Timid began co-hosting "OneTwoOneTwo Radio" on the online network HipHopFundaMentalz (iHHF) after receiving on-air training by WNYU. In addition to playing a mix of mainstream and independent Hip Hop, the weekly show featured discussions on current events, commentary, interviews, and more, and included the controversial "Ticklish Thug" segment which poked fun at the vast amount of homophobia in Hip Hop. Guests on the show's initial run included Jin, Slim Thug, Brooke Valentine, Sir Mix-a-Lot, Chali 2na of Jurassic 5, Rob Swift, OC, Q-Unique, and others. Despite rumors that the show was making the jump to satellite radio, it went on indefinite hiatus in March 2006 as Pizon and Timid decided to focus on completing their solo albums. The show returned on August 28 of that year with a special edition called "The Masturbatory Hour" (in which Pizon and Timid welcomed special guests Pizon and Timid to the studio) on Psychopathic Radio. [ [http://www.onetwoonetwo.com/theshow OneTwoOneTwo.com ] ]

On December 2, 2006, Pizon held his album release party and birthday bash in his hometown of Queens, New York. His debut full-length solo album "I Am Hip Hop" was sold for the first time at that event and subsequently released internationally via his own La Scala Entertainment label. The album features production by Domingo (Big Pun, Fat Joe, Eminem, G-Unit, KRS-One, Rakim), Kno (CunninLynguists, Lil Scrappy, Jay-Z's "White Albulum"), Versatile Music Productions (Cam'Ron, Jim Jones, Fabolous, Young Jeezy), and Pizon himself, and boasts guest appearances by Deacon the Villain, Timid, EJ, Aday, and others. It is a concept album that tackles many subjects and details Pizon's personal progression, using karma as a recurring theme to tie the songs together. The song "Streets Never Change" was first leaked as an early buzz track off the album in 2005 and received notable play on college radio throughout the country. [ [http://lascala.proboards23.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=1117263184 La Scala Entertainment - Request Pizon on the radio ] ] Closer to the album's release, Pizon sent "Four Letters" to radio and it quickly picked up momentum despite limited circulation. "Drastic Measures" was later introduced as the third radio song for the album, however "Four Letters" continued to receive more spins. Due to its prolonged success, it was named the official single and a video for the song was announced. [ [http://www.hiphoppress.com/2007/11/rawkus-records-.html Hip Hop Press: Releases: Rawkus Records to re-release Pizon's debut album I Am Hip Hop on November 27 ] ] The "I Am Hip Hop" DVD, featuring concert footage from the album release party, is currently being offered for free with donations to Pizon's initiative to fight domestic violence, Hip Hop Is Not the Enemy. [ [http://www.hiphopisnottheenemy.org Hip Hop Is Not The Enemy ] ]

In March 2007, Pizon signed a deal with the legendary Rawkus Records, who recognized him as "one of the 50 next important Hip Hop artists," [ [http://www.rawkus.com/rawkus50 Rawkus Records // Rawkus 50 ] ] for their Rawkus 50 campaign. In September 2007, Pizon appeared in "XXL Magazine" for the first time as a result of this deal. On November 27, 2007, "I Am Hip Hop" was officially re-released worldwide by Rawkus and is now available from major retailers such as Amazon [ [http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000YJX20C Amazon.com: Rawkus 50 Presents I Am Hip Hop [Explicit: MP3 Downloads: Pizon ] ] and Virgin Megastore. [ [http://www.virginmega.fr/musique/album/pizon-rawkus-50-presents-i-am-hip-hop-103140513,page1.htm VirginMega ] ] The iTunes Store would later honor the Rawkus 50 as one of the best independent Hip Hop projects of 2007. [ [http://notherground.blogspot.com/2008/01/rawkus-50-best-of-2007-on-itunes.html Notherground Music Blog: Rawkus 50 Best of 2007 on iTunes ] ] Pizon also received accolades in 2007 for his appearance on Random's 20th anniversary Mega Man album "Mega Ran," which made waves in both the Hip Hop and video game worlds and was named one of the best underground Hip Hop albums of the year. [ [http://www.hiphoplinguistics.com/reviews/albums/2007/12/top-underground-hip-hop-albums-of-2007 Best Underground Hip-Hop Albums of 2007 ] ]

During October 2007, Pizon began co-hosting the syndicated "Pi and I" show which aired on cable television in the Washington, DC area. [ [http://www.mct-tv.org Montgomery Community Television ] ] According to the show's official site, the program was "formatted like a radio show, but structured like a TV show [which allowed it] to be syndicated on radio as well as television networks." [ [http://www.geocities.com/mysticalpoets/Piandi.html Piandi ] ] It was essentially an enhanced radio broadcast, using visuals such as photographs, scrolling text, and video footage to supplement the audio. Episodes of the show were also streamed online.

On December 1, 2007, at his Family Reunion 2007 concert featuring fellow Fam members Timid and EJ and other members of the Rawkus 50, Pizon announced his new project, "And Then There Was One". It is a digital-only release on his own label, La Scala Entertainment. According to Pizon, much of the project was recorded in complete isolation and focuses on his coping with the losses in his life detailed on his debut album. Originally made available via Snocap on December 11, its official release would come one month later, debuting on iTunes on January 11, 2008. It is also currently being offered via other key online retailers. [ [http://thehypemagazine.blogspot.com/2008_03_05_archive.html The Hype Magazine: 03/05/08 ] ] Lyrics from the song "Low Gravity" would later be referenced by Chris Brown on the Jordin Sparks hit "No Air."

In 2008, The Fam's debut studio album "Family Business" was announced for release later in the year. Starting in June, subscribers to The Fam's voicemail update service have been able to hear a song from the album featuring Mr. Porter in its entirety. [ [http://www.hiphoppress.com/2008/07/the-fam-get-off.html Hip Hop Press: Releases: The Fam "Get Off My Ass" featuring Mr. Porter ] ] On July 4, the album's lead single "Dreams Come True" was serviced to DJs. It was subsequently featured on various mainstream-geared mixtapes, podcasts, and playlists. The song's performance in clubs and on radio landed it on several record charts, making it Pizon's most successful song to date. [http://pizonishiphop.com/tag/dreams-come-true/] In September, the "Family Affair" mixtape was released as a free download. Hosted by the fans, it contains the "Dreams Come True" single and other new tracks, acting as a precursor to the album. [http://blog.saynow.com/2008/09/29/the-fam-includes-fan-msgs-in-new-mixtape/]

Pizon has performed in Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Staten Island, Long Island, Buffalo, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Florida, Michigan, and Maryland, and has appeared as a special guest on Internet, college, and mainstream radio stations. His music has received local and national airplay in the United States and overseas. He also rapped at the 2006 and 2007 New York City Marathon and made several cameo appearances in the second season of MTV's "Yo Momma". [ [http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/pizon CD Baby: PIZON: I Am Hip Hop ] ]

Releases

*"The Growing Pains EP" (2002)
*"The Lost EP" (with Timid and Killah) (2003)
*"The Fam Mixtape" (with The Fam) (2003)
*"I Am Hip Hop" LP (2006)
*"Rawkus 50 presents I Am Hip Hop" (re-release) (2007)
*"And Then There Was One" (2008)
*"Family Affair Mixtape" (with The Fam) (2008)

References

External links

* [http://www.pizonishiphop.com Official website]
*MySpace|pizon
* [http://my.rawkus.com/profile/PizonNING My.Rawkus]