Melaine Morgan
Special to the Chronicle
The ‘Actor Turned Rapper’ is a route that many have taken, but successfully accomplished by few. Despite this, established actor Eli Massillon, is taking on the rap game.
Massillon has been involved with several acting projects including the portrayal of a murder victim on “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” and a young Kareem Biggs Burke (Co-Founder of Roc-A-Fella) in a Rocawear commercial with Jay-Z. He also served as Tracy Morgan’s stunt double in “30 Rock.”
Rapping was not the obvious career path for Massillon.
Before pursuing his own rap career, Massillon managed other music artists through his entertainment company, Molly High. Due to creative differences, Massillon ended his partnerships and decided to pursue a solo career.
His first solo track, produced in 2012, was called “Got Me in My Mood.” The track features Charlie Rock from French Montana’s Coke Boys. It generated a lot of buzz among the hip-hop community, giving Massillon’s rapping career validation.
“I knew rap was for me when Raekwon from Wu Tang Clan wanted to get on one of my records,” said Massillon.
Inspired by Jay-Z’s lyrical flow and the swag and energy of Harlem’s Own Cam’ron, Massillon strives to influence people to enjoy life and generate good moods through his music. He describes his style as “energy, fun, and fast-life.”
You can check out his latest single, “Loud,” below. His mixtape, “The Book of Eli,” will be released on December 1st. It will be available for download on DatPiff.com and yeahimfamous.com.
Eli Loud Clean Mix 2.mp3.download