James “Slick” Watts is a hip hop pioneer. Boldly making a name for himself as one of the first rappers to hail from the Ohio Valley, (Martins Ferry, Ohio specifically) Slick Watts is determined to win! In his own words he says, “Being from a small town in Ohio makes the journey that much more real, knowing that nothing was handed to us and we continued to work makes me proud of my team and I’m just excited to see what happens next.”
Although he has only been rapping for a few years whatever this talented, young man puts his mind too he emerges victorious. Unbelievably Slick didn’t become serious about pursuing a career as an MC until after he graduated high school. A star athlete, most of his time was occupied with playing basketball. Voted the Ohio Division 3 Player of the Year in 2000 he went on to attend Wheeling Jesuit University on a full scholarship and played basketball for four years. While he was in college he would entertain and impress everyone with his rhyming skills. Life got in the way and he had to sit out for a little while which put his athletic career on hold. During that time the rap game started to become more of a priority for Slick. Inspired by a range of poets and lyricist from Langston Hughes to 2 Pac, Slick considers himself a real MC and he knows that he has a lot to prove as a new artist. Slick explains, “As a new artist, there’s a lot of pressure to succeed. I think the steps we’ve taken over the past 4 years have prepared me for what lies ahead. Being a true artist is very important to me. I never want to pigeon hole myself into one box or one style of rapping. Being a universal artist is something that I pride myself on.”
Starting his hip hop career things off with a bang, the first time he ever performed in public was in the 2007 Ohio Hip Hop Awards Showcase. Slick won that competition and went on to become nominated for the Underground Music Awards, Best Midwest Artist, and won 2 years in a row. In 2009 he was voted Underground Music Awards Best Midwest Artist. Slick is also starting to make a name for himself with his hit song, “Danger” featuring Mike Jones. The video is currently being played on Music Choice, MTV.com, VH1.com and nationally in all Foot Lockers, Foot Action and Champs Sports stores.
Slick is constantly working hard to achieve his hip hop goals and put his area on the map. He has already been featured as a “Breeding Ground Artist” on AllHipHop.com, other artist that were named as break out stars on the site include multi-platinum recording artist such as B.O.B., Nicki Minaj and Wiz Khalifa. Slick knows that he has a long road ahead of him but he’s focused. Slick sums things up, “Right now we’re taking it one day at a time. I’m happy because of how far we have come but not satisfied. There’s a lot of work ahead but I think with the team we have in place the sky’s the limit! I want the whole world to know about the O.V.!” Contact info@wattsymusic.com for booking information.
