Brian Acosta

get the music: brianacosta.bandcamp.com soundcloud.com/brianacostamusic youtube.com/brianacostamusic Follow me : @brianacostaarya Brian Acosta is a lyrical artisan whose precise and interlocked syllables float across a wave of transfixing beats. Edgy, energized and empowered, his musical union interjects literacy to lyrics as it connects heart to soul. “Born Ready” the title of one of his spoken word pieces, is the perfect metaphor for his life, his art and his destiny. He charact...

get the music: brianacosta.bandcamp.com soundcloud.com/brianacostamusic youtube.com/brianacostamusic Follow me : @brianacostaarya Brian Acosta is a lyrical artisan whose precise and interlocked syllables float across a wave of transfixing beats. Edgy, energized and empowered, his musical union interjects literacy to lyrics as it connects heart to soul. “Born Ready” the title of one of his spoken word pieces, is the perfect metaphor for his life, his art and his destiny. He characterizes his work as “…more semantic. I’m trying to be diverse, not to have 80 songs about my car or 300 songs about the chain around my neck. I don’t want to be that guy who sticks to that niche.” What he prefers to pinpoint is the drama of human relationships. “As a listener hearing about somebody else’s thing, you can’t commit to it 100%. I want to make music that has situations in it that are realistic.” As a kid growing up in the monochromatic suburban sprawl of New Jersey, brian_acosta epitomized a vivid cultural mix: his dad is from India and his mom is from the Philippines. “I witnessed the difference right there between myself and other people,” he recalls. “It made me more culturally out there.” Although his lack of interest in math and science defied stereotypes, his affinity for music and performance was realized through choir and classic Broadway musicals. Ska and punk from white skater culture influenced his initial popular musical tastes, but when his Latino friends turned him on the classic hip-hop of DMX, Eminem, Jay-Z and Biggie Smalls, these themes resonated even more deeply. “I focused on what they were saying and the rebel part of me came out. I ate it all up.” To amuse himself during snooze inducing classes, he began writing raps with a classmate. “Kids started catching on to what we were doing. I’d be in a big circle, with me rapping and poking fun at people, which got me in trouble. Then I started writing down thoughts and feelings.” A voracious reader, Brian consumes words on a broad spectrum of subjects: from horror to Christian fiction to comedy. He especially appreciates books that analyze the history of hip-hop. “I research the originators to make my music more original, not recycled.” As a songwriter, he creates from the impetus of a beat, and the vibe generally determines the subject matter of his lyrics. Not given to extensive rewrites, he creates in the moment with immediacy and inspiration, often completing a lyric within hours. He shares these words in a variety of venues, talent showcases and open mics around New York and New Jersey. The emergence of brian_acosta represents a new paradigm in the shifting cultural landscape that is 21st Century America. Equal parts modern kid absorbed in video games and a savvy poetic creator, his captivating rhymes orbit a culture both alienating and embracing. - Dan Kimpel