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M-Dot
M-Dot, during the Jake LaDotta Euro-Tour (2014)
M-Dot, during the Jake LaDotta Euro-Tour (2014)
Background information
Birth nameMichael Januario
BornJanuary 13, 1983 (1983-01-13) (age 41)
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
GenresEast Coast hip hop, hardcore hip hop
Years active2001–present
LabelsSoulspazm Records, Own Lane Music, EMS Productions, Commonwealth Records, Str8 Up Entertainment

Michael Januario (born January 13, 1983) better known by his stage name M-Dot is an American rapper and producer. Before becoming a rap musician, Januario played college basketball at BHCC, MCLA and Fitchburg State.[1]

Career

Born in Revere, Massachusetts,[2] M-Dot initially gained expanded exposure when touring Switzerland as the opener [3] for Lawrence rapper Krumb Snatcha (Gang Starr Foundation) in the mid 2000s.[4] Frequent collaborations with respected rap groups,[5] and consistently touring overseas, have built M-Dot's audience.[6] M-Dot is known for a high level of productivity and his multi-syllable rhyme schemes, having attained a bachelor's degree in English.[7] On December 19, 2014 he dropped the single "Shine" featuring Dominique Larue, Katy Gunn and Wu Tang MC Method Man,[8] it later appeared on his touted debut album "egO anD The eneMy" (released on 1/27/17). On December 30, 2017, renowned Hip-Hop outlet UGHH announced ‘egO anD The eneMy’ as the top selling release for the calendar year of 2017. The album which received critical acclaim, boasts a noteworthy production lineup with Marley Marl, Large Professor, Hi Tek, Marco Polo (producer), Buckwild, DJ 7L among others. On December 22, 2015, M-Dot & his visual team released a music video titled "123 Flow", the minute and a half long clip is one of the first fully interactive 360° music videos showcasing a 6-person replicant effect and upon release almost immediately went viral.[9] On March 13, 2018 NBC crime drama The Blacklist used M-Dot’s audio single “True Lies” during episode 16 of season 5 titled “Capricorn Killer”. In February 2020 M-Dot released “The Atonement” produced by the legendary Pete Rock. On January 28, 2022, M-Dot released the album “Dining in Dystopia” featuring Elzhi, Kool G Rap, Conway The Machine, Large Professor, Esoteric (rapper), Big Shug & more. The album received high praise and glowing reviews from news outlets, blogs and radios including okay player, DigBoston & shade 45. On June 17, 2022 logic (rapper) released his album Vinyl Days on Def Jam, the lead single with DJ Premier, also titled Vinyl Days, featured vocal samples from M-Dot for the tracks chorus and outro. In 2023 ‘Beats-Rhymes-Lists’ named M-Dot in their Top Ten Boston Rappers of ALL TIME.[10]

In 2008 M-Dot was named to Stuff Magazines Hot 100.[11] Also in '08 M-Dot shared the honor of "2 Dope 2 Sleep On" with Casey Veggies presented by 2dopeboyz.com.[12] He went on to receive positive reviews for his mixtapes Money Doesn't Own Thought (2009) from DigBoston.com [13] and Making Doubters Over Think (2010) from the Boston Globe.[14] Continuing his European exposure, M-Dot performed at the 2010 Winter XGames [15] in Tignes, France. For years he has solidified a fan base through local shows [16] and mixtapes in New England.[17] M-Dot won both major Boston hip-hop music awards in 2010: at the 22nd annual Boston Phoenix awards, Best Hip Hop Act,[18] and at the 23rd annual Boston Music Awards, Hip Hop Artist of the Year.[19] He then went on to win Hip Hop Dependency "Artist of the Year 2011" [20]

M-Dot garnered more accolades for his first EP, a collaborative effort with DJ Jean Maron, Run MPC.[21] The Run MPC single "You Don't Know About It" Ft. Masta Ace reached number 2 on RapAttackLives.com [22] college radio charts and the 12 inch record finished fifth in vinyl sales in 2010 at undergroundhiphop.com.[23]

His third installment in his acronym series, More Doubters Over Thinking, was also well received.[24] In May 2012 in support of the release "Layer Cake," [25] M-Dot embarked [26] on a 33-day European tour [27] with the likes of Slaughterhouse (group), Saigon (rapper) & El Da Sensei. The Layer Cake cd was also considered another example of acute lyricism.[28] Layercake [29] finds M-Dot weaving a go-for-the-gold battle-rap narrative over beats from young producers [30]

The 2007 Cinematic feature "Street Team Massacre [31]" used songs M-Dot created for the score. M-Dot can also be seen acting in the comical sitcom "What it is",[32] which stars and is also produced by Makzilla & Krizz Kaliko. On October 11, 2012, M-Dot was featured on ABC's (New England WCVB) primetime TV show "Chronicle".[33] Hip Hop Kemp, which is statistically one of the largest music festivals in Europe, named M-Dot, amongst others, to be a headlining performer at the events 18th edition (taking the stage August 24, 2018, in Hradec Králové, Czech Republic).

Discography

Albums

Mixtapes

Appearances

References

  1. ^ Dashing M-Dot By Worcester Telegram", retrieved April 10, 2012
  2. ^ Leaving his mark on hip hop scene by Revere Journal", retrieved 2012-04-10
  3. ^ Daily Item Europe Sensation," retrieved July 30, 2012
  4. ^ Hot 100 by Stuff Mag", retrieved March 30, 2012
  5. ^ Boston Best Music by Time Out Magazine", retrieved 2012-04-10
  6. ^ Emerging Lynn Rap Star[permanent dead link]", retrieved April 10, 2012
  7. ^ Hustling Pays Off By Boston Herald", retrieved 2012-04-10
  8. ^ AllHipHop Heater of the Day", retrieved December 25, 2014
  9. ^ Creativity and Ingenuity By The Boston Herald", retrieved 2016-06-17
  10. ^ Top 10 Boston Rappers all time", retrieved August 23, 2023
  11. ^ Hot Local Rapper M-Dot by Stuff Boston", retrieved 2012-03-30
  12. ^ 2dopeboyz", retrieved March 30, 2012
  13. ^ DigBoston", retrieved 2012-03-30
  14. ^ Boston Globe Review", retrieved March 30, 2012
  15. ^ HipHopDX News," retrieved 2012-04-10
  16. ^ Get Sprung by The Boston Phoenix Archived 2012-10-24 at the Wayback Machine", retrieved April 18, 2012
  17. ^ XXL Mag News", retrieved April 10, 2012
  18. ^ Boston Phoenix Best Hip Hop Act Archived January 19, 2012, at the Wayback Machine", retrieved 2012-03-30
  19. ^ Boston Music Awards Hip Hop Artist of the Year", retrieved March 30, 2012
  20. ^ HipHopDependency", retrieved March 30, 2012
  21. ^ HipHopDX Review", retrieved March 30, 2012
  22. ^ RapAttackLives Archived September 2, 2010, at the Wayback Machine", retrieved 2012-03-30
  23. ^ UGHH Vinyl Sales", retrieved March 30, 2012
  24. ^ Pulse Magazine", retrieved 2012-04-10
  25. ^ HiphopDependency Review", retrieved July 3, 2012
  26. ^ Boston Herald, M-Dot making dash for success", retrieved 2012-08-31
  27. ^ HipHopDX News", retrieved July 3, 2012
  28. ^ Weekly Dig Layer Cake Review Archived May 22, 2013, at the Wayback Machine", retrieved 2012-07-13
  29. ^ Hip Hop Heavyweight by Pulse Magazine", retrieved November 9, 2012
  30. ^ The Phoenix Layer Cake Review Archived November 2, 2012, at the Wayback Machine", retrieved August 15, 2012
  31. ^ IMDB film index", retrieved 2012-10-24
  32. ^ youtube", retrieved 2012-04-10
  33. ^ "ABC appearance Archived 2013-12-13 at the Wayback Machine", retrieved October 18, 2012

External links

Authority control databases: Artists
Categories