Drew Parks Explained

Drew Parks
Birth Name:Andrew Michael Parks
Birth Date:3 December 1991
Birth Place:Royal Oak, Michigan, U.S.
Genre:Hip hop
Years Active:2001–2016
Label:Quarter to Infinity Entertainment

Andrew Michael Parks (born December 3, 1991) is a former American rapper, record producer, and songwriter from Metro Detroit, Michigan.[1] [2] Parks first gained national recognition for his music career in the early 2010s, when his music was featured on networks and music publications such as MTV,[3] [4] ESPN, Freeform, BBC 1Xtra,[5] XXL Mag,[6] Shade 45, Billboard Magazine,[7] and Vibe Magazine.[8] [9]

Early life and education

Parks was born on December 3, 1991, in Royal Oak, Michigan and grew up living in Troy, Michigan. He attended Avondale School District and graduated from Avondale High School in Auburn Hills, Michigan.[1] [10] After high school, Parks attended Oakland University, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in marketing.[11] In 2019, he enrolled at University of Michigan Law School and is currently studying to get a Juris Doctor degree.[12]

Parks' parents are both of Greek descent, and he is a member of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Troy, Michigan.

Music career

Parks began his musical career at age 10, under the moniker Drew32.[13] He later released music under the name Drew Parks. He writes, produces, and records nearly all of his songs himself. His music began to gain recognition in 2011, when he performed in the Fender Lodge at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah,[14] [15] [16] and in Austin, Texas at the 2011 SXSW Music Conference.

In October 2011, Parks performed as the opening act on J. Cole's Cole World Tour at the Royal Oak Music Theatre,[17] and in March 2012, Parks was one of 18 US artists selected by Billboard magazine to compete in the 2012 Billboard Music Awards Battle of the Bands competition.

In April 2012, Parks performed as the opening act at Grizzlypalooza, the spring concert event at Oakland University, which also featured performances by Gym Class Heroes, Kirko Bangz, and New Boyz.[18] He released a mixtape in April 2012 entitled Label Me (hosted by DJ Skee), which featured collaborations with Jon Connor, Royce Da 5'9", Shorty da Prince, and Slim the Mobster. The lead single from Label Me, "I Am King," received airplay on Sirius XM station Shade 45, and its music video aired on MTVU.[19] [20] Television network ESPN included several of Parks' songs on its sports debate TV show, First Take throughout 2012 and 2013.[21] [22]

In August 2013, Parks performed as an opening act for Kendrick Lamar at The Fillmore Detroit as a part of Bud Light's 50|50|1 concert series.[23] [24]

In June 2014, BBC Radio 1Xtra selected 32 hip-hop artists worldwide to represent each of their relative countries by performing a freestyle video for 1Xtra's coverage of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. Parks was chosen to represent Greece, and his World Cup Freestyle was featured on BBC Radio 1Xtra throughout June and July 2014.[25] [26] Later that year, Parks performed alongside DJ Head at the official Eminem and Rihanna Monster Tour After Party at The Fillmore Detroit.[27]

In August 2016, he performed alongside Fat Joe and Nelly at WSNX-FM's "Party in the Park" concert in Grand Rapids, Michigan[28]

Television network Freeform (formerly ABC Family) included Parks' song, "We Ain't Stoppin" in episodes of its shows Pretty Little Liars, Famous in Love, and The Fosters[29] [30]

In 2017, Detroit Pistons Center Andre Drummond collaborated with Drew Parks on two songs, "Lit," and "Nu Vibe," which were later released on Andre Drummond's 2018 debut music album entitled Fyi.[31] [32]

Parks is no longer actively making music. His last official release was his 2016 album, Away We Go, which featured the single "We Love Them," a collaboration with Fatman Scoop.[33]

Selected discography

Albums

Mixtapes

External links

Notes and References

  1. Maria A. Pardalis, "Interview with DREW32", Neo Magazine, April 4, 2010
  2. Amy Allen, "Who is Drew32?", The Oakland Press, January 17, 2010
  3. D.L. Chandler, "Detroit Rapper and Producer Drew32 Is Up Next", MTV, August 4, 2011
  4. Rahman Dukes, "Mixtape Daily: Drew32 and DJ Skee Drop 'Label Me'", MTV, May 29, 2012
  5. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p020ycs4 "Greece – 1Xtra World Cup Freestyles"
  6. https://www.xxlmag.com/rap-music/the-break/2013/03/the-break-presents-drew32/ "The Break Presents: Drew32"
  7. https://media.gm.com/media/us/en/chevrolet/news.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2012/Mar/0308_cruze.html "Billboard.com and Chevrolet Host 'Cruze-ing to Vegas'"
  8. https://www.vibe.com/2013/04/drew32-talks-detroit-hip-hop-diversity-actually-gift "Drew32 Talks Detroit Hip-Hop: 'The Diversity Is Actually A Gift'"
  9. Leah Brungardt, "An Interview With Detroit Rap Phenomenon DREW PARKS!", All Access Music, November 3, 2019
  10. Amy Allen, "Who is Drew32?", The Oakland Press, January 17, 2010
  11. Nichole Seguin, "Rapper Drew32 focuses on rising carer, education at OU", The Oakland Press, April 6, 2016
  12. https://drewparks.com/about "Drew Parks – About"
  13. Elena Keras, "Drew32 to Headline Detroit River Days Festival", Malista.com, June 2007
  14. Sowmya Krishnamurthy, "Drew32 and DJ Skee drop 'Label Me'", MTV Rapfix, June 11, 2016
  15. Brandon Wernerd, "Drew32 Drops New Single ‘Spazz Out’ with Royce da 5′9″", Bro Bible, March 29, 2011
  16. Garrett Richie, "Conflict of interest: Drew32, rapper and best friend, comes to Mizzou", The Maneater, September 13, 2011
  17. Gary Graff, "Sound Check: Rapper J.Cole receives rewards for patience; Adrian Belew keeping busys with Power Trio", The Oakland Press, October 5, 2011
  18. Chris Lauritsen, "GrizzlyPalooza to feature Gym Class Heroes, Drew32", The Oakland Post, February 10, 2012
  19. Web site: Abro. Joseph. Rapper Drew32 in the spotlight. ounewsbureau.com. March 31, 2013 . OU News Bureau. August 24, 2015.
  20. https://hollywood.greekreporter.com/2013/01/08/introducing-greek-american-up-and-coming-detroit-rapper-drew32/ "Introducing Greek-American Up and Coming Rapper Drew32"
  21. https://www.espn.com/blog/music/post/_/id/4334/new-cassettes-solo-to-be-on-first-take "New Cassettes, Solo to be on 'First Take'"
  22. https://www.espn.com/blog/music/post/_/id/7338/music-featured-on-first-take "Music featured on 'First Take'"
  23. https://www.concertarchives.org/concerts/kendrick-lamar-with-ro-spit-and-drew32-at-the-fillmore-detroit-august-1-2013 "Kendrick Lamar / Ro Spit / Drew32"
  24. Web site: Styles. DJ Louie. On the Rise: Drew32. hip-hopvibe.com. April 11, 2014 . Hip Hop Vibe. August 24, 2015.
  25. Joanna Varikos, "Detroit Rapper Picked to Represent Greece in World Cup Freestyle Contest", Greek Reporter, July 1, 2014
  26. Nagsheen Nassif, "Detroit Rapper Drew32 Freestyles for Greece, World Cup on UK Radio", CBS62 Detroit, June 23, 2014
  27. http://detroit.iheartmedia.com/calendar/august-22-2014/official-eminem-and-rihanna-pre-post-399384/ "Official Eminem and Rihanna Pre & Post Party"
  28. https://www.bandsintown.com/e/15429176-fat-joe-at-fifth-third-ballpark "104.5 SNX – Party in the Park with Nelly, Fat Joe & more!"
  29. https://www.instagram.com/p/BT41_dBDnm5/ "Pretty Little Liars Instagram Post May 09, 2017"
  30. https://freeform.go.com/shows/the-fosters/news/the-fosters-official-season-5b-music-guide "The Fosters Official Season 5B Music Guide"
  31. Rod Beard, "Review: Andre Drummond's rap album 'FYI' is worth some attention", The Detroit News, August 13, 2018
  32. Riley Wallace, "Review: NBA All-Star Andre Drummond’s 'Fyi' EP Isn't A Playoff Contender", HipHopDx, August 15, 2018
  33. Jason Cott, "Drew Parks Sharpens His Sword With His New Album", Pop Dust, April 27, 2016

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