Josh Martinez

Josh Martinez has been serving up the scorching hot heat since his early days as an arsonist. Having given up crime, Josh turned to organized religion, and set out to convert the unwashed masses. Having found that the masses were in fact already washed, Josh turned to rap music as an excuse to kiss girls and get free beer. It seems to have worked, as the name Josh Martinez is now synonymous with both loose women and cheap beer. Josh Martinez has burst onto the scene with humor, wit and an infectious delivery that has his songs stuck in your head for weeks. Martinez' first release, the DJ Moves produced Maximum Wellbeing EP, blew the collective conscious with the epic track "Deny". A five beat, ten minute opus about a soldier forced to revisit the Holocaust, "Deny" won 1998's Independent Song of the Year from CBC's Brave NewWaves. His next release, Josh Martinez & the Hooded Fang, was awarded 5 mics by Source Online and showcased production and rhyme help from Halifax's finest. This self-released gem moved Vice Magazine to comment, "Josh takes on more subject matter in one song than most rappers do in their entire careers." As interest in his recordings grew, Josh decided to start his own record label, Low Pressure Records, a Vancouver based label co-owned by DJ Moves and Rhekone. In the spring of 2001, Low Pressure released the immensely popular Made in China, Josh's third album, which sold more than 5000 copies independently and spread Josh's words far and wide. In 2002, Low Pressure was dissolved and Josh reopened under the name Camobear Records. Following on the 2002 release of both the Rumble Pie EP and The Good Life EP, comes the release of the fourth full length album, Buck Up Princess, to a growing fanbase eager for new material. Buck Up Princess is serious business: next generation rap music, moving from banger to anthem and back again, leaving you with sweaty palms, a nervous tic, and the need to love and be loved. Its subject matter ranges from funny anecdotes to profound observations to heartfelt yearnings on love and life. Featuring Josh at his most polished yet, this album, released in North America through Revolver USA, will be supported by a twenty city US tour in the Fall of 2003. Recent shows at TransMusicales in France and a three week European tour in early 2003 have lead Josh to some considerable overseas acclaim. The Buck Up Princess album will be released throughout Europe on Bella Union (UK), and will be supported by a month long European Tour of the festival circuit throughout the Summer. Martinez has built a solid reputation around the world for his engaging wordplay, butter melodies and high-energy live performances. His live show has captivated audiences and spread his reputation as one of the best live performers out there. Over the last three years, Josh has performed in every major city in North America, several times over. Having twice headlined the huge music festival at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, showcasing at this year's NewMusicWest in Vancouver and dropping heat for thousands of screaming lunatics on the 2002 Vans Warped Tour, Josh has performed for them all, delivering the same high-energy lunacy each and every time he hits the stage. http://www.joshmartinez.ca