September 20 2017

Hailing from East Harlem, Billionaire Burke with “What I like”

In “What I Like”, the visual prologue to his epic narrative, Billionaire Burke acquaints us with some of ‘what he likes’ as a self-made boss in his ‘Rise To Greatness’, clandestinely navigating through a sketchy NYC landscape.

Hailing from East Harlem, Burke is the next New York rapper to make a name for himself on the scene. The 29-year old artist became interested in music around the age of 13 inspired by a variety of genres including Jazz and Soul music. Some of Burke’s musical inspirations are Mobb Deep and Biggie Smalls, which helps to portray his gritty traditional New York sound that many hip hop fans, yearn for.

Gearing up to debut his new project “Rise to Greatness”, Burke’s tracks have something for everyone. Appealing to the masses, the single “What I Like” is already in heavy rotation on Power 105 – WWPR in New York City and Hot 92.3 – WZMX in Hartford, CT. In addition to hot radio airplay, some of the funniest comedians on Instagram have made videos using “What I like” in their videos : Ken Starrrz (60k followers), Mr. Commodore (148k followers), Eboi Crazy (112k followers) and Joselito Dapuppet (86k followers).

Burke has been in the music industry behind the scenes for several years but realized his passion and talent for the artistry after being asked to write lyrics for other rappers. His eventual manager Enrique Colon encouraged him to take the pen for himself and start writing his own bars.

‘Rise to Greatness’ represents 17 years of up and downs while figuring out his journey. His stories on the album convey a lot of “feel good” memories, but also a lot of pain and tragedy as well. One of those “feel good” songs on his album is called “What I Like”. It’s a track about going out, drinking and enjoying yourself. He also shows versatility with a track called 2x, which highlights a mutual loving relationship between a man and a woman. However, Burke also has tracks that highlight the difficulties he has endured in his life.

When asked what separates himself from other artist Burke keeps his answer simple: “My story. My story is what separates me from everyone else. I have a story to tell that these kids can understand and relate to,” says the East Harlem based rapper.

At the age of 14, Burke had to fend for himself, which led to him making a name for himself in the streets. Burke aced his share of hardships but continued to persevere. After much turmoil, he decided enough was enough and made changes in his life that would only better him.

With so many artists faking their upbringing and how they grew up, he represents a breath of fresh air. His genuine approach to his music, which incorporates real life events have prepared him to be next up in the industry. Burke’s most important note about his debut project was more inspirational than anything else.

“I know that I can serve as a role model and show kids that there are other options than the streets. My influence goes beyond the music. I’m giving “game” to these young kids on the project as well.”

Billionaire Burke “What I Like” – Official Music Video