Published: Sunday - April 2, 2006
Words by Jorteh Senah
The Commission (Photo: B.Q.E Entertainment)
The Commission -- who consist of Bedstuy native Fame The Great and South Jamaica Queens representative Frankie Brazko a.k.a. Young Chizz -- met in Manhattan's notorious Louis D. Brandeis High School amidst gangs, drugs and of course hip-hop. There, infatuation for the art brought them together daily at lunchroom tables, which led to the formation of a group they deemed Dark Agez. The group gathered in Chizz's basement after school honing their skills and indulging in battles throughout Brooklyn and Queens, unfortunately they would be disbanded after high school, as Chizz headed to Virginia for a higher education and bank roll, while Fame did his solo thing throughout Brooklyn's highly competitive rap circuit.
Fame and Chizz maintained their friendship and would be truly reunited when Chizz found himself at the wrong end of the law on one of his many trips from Virginia to New York. The seven month trial kept Chizz in New York and inadvertently spawned their group, The Commission, as they turned limes into lemonade by grinding out mixtapes and forging a bond and chemistry on the mic that would spawn their hit "We Gone Ride." "Their hit" because even though the song didn't make an impact on radio or mixtapes, it made an impact in their lives and convinced them to leave the street life behind and concentrate on making good music.
"Our music truly represents us and our lifestyle," said the group. "Not everybody can relate to 50 Cent, but with us, we just speak about things we go through. We don't over exaggerate it."
"I done been standing in front of Hot 97 in the bleeding cold, trying to get these dudes to play our records," continued Fame. "But at the end of the day, it's like their pushing their own artist on the side. Coco Chanel got Shells and Kay Slay got Papoose, so they don't really be trying to bring in no one else."
Riding the creative high that produced "We Gone Ride," The Commission scored a bonafide hit with the Fat Boy sampled "Can You Feel It." Chizz used his southern connects to push the single onto the rotation of several radio stations throughout Virginia and North Carolina, garnering the group a strong Southern following. The Commission continues to take their music across the country, not settling for New York's highly fragmented and saturated market. On any given day, you can find them rocking a club in a hood near you, as these hands-on hustlers have politicked their travels into a sneaker sponsorship from LA's "Creative Recreation," as well as relationship with urban clothing line, Mecca.
The duo is currently working on their album, entitled Can You Feel It, with their business partner and CEO of The Label Music Group, G money. Armed with a multi-faceted business savvy, the duo is also plotting to infiltrate the street DVD market with a documentary that showcases their day-to-day grind in the rap world, entitled "Some How, Some Way," as well as a yet to be titled movie that is slated to begin production this year.
Scouting Report
The Commission's music embodies the swagger of the thorough boroughs they hail from -- nonchalant thorough talk, introspective street tales and egotistic stunting are implemented with lyrically sound wordplay and diverse flows. With a business first mentality, The Commission are destined to get their share of the hip-hop pie.
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