Armanni Reign

Artist bio

In the beginning... Armanni Reign grew up rapping everywhere from elementary lunch room tables to high school hallways to college house parties as a hobby before realizing the worth of his gift. Back then you would prove your worth by progressing from cyphas to battles, which is what he did to make a name for himself. He started in small competitions and eventually worked his way on to radio spots. After spending three continuous months as Philly 103.9FM's 'Cypha' champion, MC Armanni decided he needed a change. Not seeing any longevity in the Battle Circuit had motivated Armanni to switch things up.

His introduction to drum and bass was an experience shared by many first timers- Sutpens' Jungle, February 2000. His first mixtape was "DJ SS live at Sutpen's Jungle" on which the vocal skills of MC Skibadee and MC Foxy gave Armanni insight to the lyrical potential of Drum and Bass. Citing MC Skibadee as one of his main influences at the time, Armanni developed a distinctly powerful and diverse style of lyrical delivery. It garnered respect amongst his peers as well as many of the top Drum and Bass MCs and DJs in the World. Staying true to his hip hop roots, Armanni delivers bounce, flavor and lyrical wizardry.

2003 was a fantastic year for MC Armanni Reign because not only was he nominated Best Breakthrough MC at the Knowledge Drum and Bass Awards, he also became the official Metalheadz Americas MC. He is undoubtedly one of the most well known lyricists in Drum and Bass amongst the respectable forces of Skibadee, GQ and Dynamite. With releases currently on Gasm, Freak, Intasound, Westbay Music Group and TekDbz, MC Armanni has set his sights on the grand realm.

As a part of the powerful collective known as Mental Sharp along with Sharpness MC, the duo has released five Hip Hop mixtapes: On n Poppin', Above the Beats Below the Bass Negative 1, 2 & 3 and Epiphany. They have rocked mics on stages and in the booth since 2003 dropping anthems like 'P.H.I.L.L.Y. VIP' (GASM) and 'Hit Em' Hard' (TekDbz). Whether it is just small clips for dancefloor bangers like 'Ruff Rugged N Raw' (Mason) and 'Violent Sound' (Hive) or full on verses for smashers like 'Take That' (Ewun) and 'Fahrenheit 215' (Photek) Armanni's presence is felt in every syllable.

His future sounds off in many different genres which he will give a taste of with his upcoming EP- 'Off the Grid' to be released late December of 2010 on Westbay. This will give listeners a sense of his new vibe while he works on his full length album (untitled). While the five track EP focuses mostly on Hip Hop and his take on Dubstep his full length will also showcase Electro, Breaks and other musical influences. Already testing the Dubstep waters with tunes like 'The Chase' (Down Jones), 'Activate' (CHI), 'Get Up' (CHI) and 'Follow Me Now' (Noah D), one can only guess what styles Armanni will use when stepping outside of the box. 'White X-mas' (Origin) and 'Dark Room' (BeasTmode) might be an indication "Of Things to Come"

Armanni performs with many of the top Drum and Bass as well as Dubstep artists at almost all the top shows. Residencies have included Bassrush (LA), Platinum (Philly), DJ Series (Philly), Metalheadz, Heavy Duty and Ultraworld at Sonar (Baltimore). He has amazed crowds at the World of Drum and Bass, Electric Daisy Carnival, Nocturnal, Together as One, Starscape, Buzz, Ultra and many other massives sprawling from New York to Japan and from London to Australia. Armanni has toured with the likes of Goldie, DJ Craze, Kenny Ken, DJ SS, Dieselboy, Andy C and is frequently requested to MC exclusively for many other top djs in the industry.

MC, Rapper, Producer, Artist, and Father... the self-proclaimed "Ghost MC" is not to be slept on. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.