 Nestled in the wilds of Northeastern Florida between the Georgian golden isle
of Cumberland and the mouth of the St. Johns River lies Amelia Island, FL, home of
Fernandina Beach, land of the eight flags, and birthplace to southern hip-hop and
soul’s new phenoms, The Island Boyz - T-Rez and Ra Cleazy.
Tres ‘T-Rez’ Thomas and RaShawn ‘Ra Cleazy’ Clarke
grew up on this small, tourist island at the northern most tip of the Floridian eastern
coast, which often attracted major celebrities the likes of WTA stars Venus and Serena
Williams, NBA star David Robison, music legend Michael Jackson, and former US President
Bill Clinton. After meeting and becoming friends in grammar school, T-Rez, Ra, and former
member, Gary Roberts, formed the group, Triple Dose, and began rocking area parties and
concerts at age 13 in notable area club venues as Colors, Ten Acres and college campuses
such as Florida Community College of Jacksonville and the University of North Florida.
Triple Dose met Genius Productions producers Marc ‘DA MRK’
Wiggins* and Eric ‘Likwit’ Brown in 1991, which resulted in subsequent
production work with the group. In 1998 T-Rez and Ra, with help from Genius Productions
(Wiggins & Brown), went on to form the group, Freddie n’ J’Sin. Together
Wiggins, Brown, and Freddie n’ J’Sin became the major components in forming
HATKA ENTERTAINMENT MUSIC and Freddie & J’Sin released their debut EP, Resident
Evil.
As the new millennium approached, a new attitude and focus emerged and
Freddie n’ J’Sin became The Island Boyz - T-Rez and Ra Cleazy. Recording began
on their first full-length project, 2001’s Operation Pirate Country. An emotional and
heartfelt response to true, tragic, and unfortunate events within their community, OPC
brought forth the southern hip-hop and soul influences instilled within T-Rez and Ra via
their admiration of southern rap architects Scarface, The Geto Boys, Outkast, Goodie Mob
and their love of legendary soul stylist such as Al Green. The group’s soulful
southern hip-hop, base laden sound attracted, enthused, and inspired many and quickly
developed a cult following within the NE Florida area, garnering favorable reviews in The
Fernandina Beach Newsleader and Ya Heard Magazine. Fans began clamoring for more from the
upstart duo and T-Rez and Ra would not disappoint.
 On July 23, 2002, The Island Boyz will return with their third album
entitled, GETTIN IT ALL. This time around, The Island Boyz transcend their previous
recording, Operation Pirate Country, by showcasing their versatility and ability to reach
all audiences. Although rooted in traditional Floridian hip-hop, which most audiences
relate to as ‘bass’ music, The Island Boyz’ sound embraces and exudes
influences from all aspects of the rap industry today. Be it the southern, soul flavor
brought forth by groups such as Outkast, Goodie Mob, Ludacris or the west coast bounce
made famous worldwide by Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and the G Funk era, T-Rez and Ra display
these influences and more within their music. Thus, placing themselves a cut above most
groups currently originating from the sunny state of Florida. GETTIN IT ALL singles such
as the west coast induced ‘Morning After’, r&b/hip-hop laced ‘Got To
Give’, and southern testimonial of ‘Just A Man’ display these attributes
fully. As smooth and tasty as southern grits and catfish, GETTIN IT ALL, once again takes
Floridian based hip-hop to another level, providing feel good southern hospitality with a
defined message. With help from label mates SOUL FLO and C-LO DA HUSTLA aka MR. 456, T-Rez
and Ra once again invite you to 'ride and vibe'.
*Marc ‘Da MRK’ Wiggins has worked with such
notable artist as L.L. Cool (THE G.OA.T. LP), Kobe Bryant, John Otto & Fred Durst of
Limp Bizkit, and Eric ‘Vietnam’ Sadler (Public Enemy), producer for Lauryn
Hill’s debut, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill and Faith Evan’s Faithfully.
Contact T-Rez at:
Contact Ra Cleazy at:
Contact Island Boyz at:
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