Devotion 420 - A History MONEY- The female lyrical phenom, known as Money, was born in 1979 in up state New York. Given the birth name of Lauren Morgan, the explosive artist inside this little woman could be seen at a very early age. Moneys' presence would radiate social deviance, which soon would become evident in her rhymes. From a 7- year-old poet grew a 17-year-old 'Femcee' (female MC) with an unparalleled raw hunger. By high school Money had acquired an insatiable desire to test the competition. This subsequently established Money an immaculate street reputation as the illest female MC to ever grace a mic. With the same name, and attending the same high school as Lauyrn Hill less than a decade later, the comparisons were almost instantaneous. Money graduated in '97 and left North Jersey highly touted as the first female underground street legend. With popular female rap sound overwhelming possessing the flavor of 'chicken'. Money found herself disgusted at the monotonous, ignorant state of female rap representation. Unable to focus in college, she put school on hold to accomplish 2 goals: - Bring the street back to the art. - Cut the heads off of these chickens. Money has since judged freestyle competitions with Eryka Badu, and preformed over 20 shows opening for artists such as Slick Rick, and Guru. She was a recurring on air personality on 89.3 "KNON", and has performed live shows with 97.9 "The Beats" on air DJ Headkrack. Money is in the process of completing her debut album, and is perhaps the strongest unsigned artist in many years. ...................................................................................................... RAPTURE - The Rapture is upon you. Not in the biblical sense, however, this particular embodiment is an explosive MC originating from the depths of Newark, NJ's unorthodox hip-hop underground. Recently re- locating to Dallas, he now emerges re-invented, re-energized, revamped, and ready to accept the challenge of opening the ears of the rap world to the sound of the horns of its own impending apocalypse. Formerly known as Knowmadic 7, The Rapture was once a fierce entity in the Brick City underground scene, reputed for a relentless flow, spectacular wordplay, innovative concepts, and a delivery compared in the past to legends such as Rakim, Black Thought, Common, and hometown hero, Redman. Madic, as he is still known to his elite family of spitters, Tha Outfit, began his journey in early 1996, when a colleague working on the score of a play had heard some loose bars that young David Pryor was discovered to be adept at writing. From there, the duo Verbatim was formed, a combination of the unique, no-holds-barred delivery of Haneef the Prolific Don, and Madic's searing blend of sarcasm, street wisdom and a dizzying mastery of cadence. Since then, and through the separation of his rap family, the Rapture has represented in countless variations. Featured in various live performances in NY's hip-hop club and open mic scene, mixtapes including a Fatman Scoop DVD, and a recurring feature on Public access show "ROOK'S CASTLE" in his native Newark, there is also a massive buzz being created within the industry by Madic's soulmate and life partner, a striking female MC known as Money, and celebrated character actor J.D. Williams (HBO'S OZ, The Wire, Snipes, Pootie Tang), whose connections have won an audience with luminaries such as Spike Lee, Fat Joe, Nelly, Method Man, and countless others. The arrival of the Rapture promises to be an unprecedented one, as it is highly improbable that a man who so thoroughly renounces hip-hop's rampant and over-bearing materialism will accepted as one of it's new stars. But true talent and creativity can never be silenced and with the impending release of his debut LP, "Great Expectations", the world will be forced to listen. With songs like "What's Happening", a nostalgic ride through the last 3 decades over the classic TV show's theme, "Whatchugondo" a thumping inquiry of his own place in the rap game, and "Knowmore" , Knowmadic 7's formal retirement from the debacle the industry has become, the Rapture is destined to be the catalyst of Rap's reformation. To rebuild we must first destroy. The time is now. The Rapture is upon us.