What were you doing when you were two years old? Can't remember? Most people probably can't, but Andre Levins can: he was rapping. Well, assembling rhymes at the very least, but the creative seeds of wordplay and rhythm were innate in the toddler and were already beginning to show.
Born in 1983 in Hempstead, N.Y., Levins, better known as A+, started performing early. His mother entered him in his first talent show when he was nine. Already a veteran with seven years of experience behind him, Levins turned heads at the event. By 1995, Levins was skilled enough to win a Def Jam-sponsored rap competition. Soon after Kedar Massenburg, CEO of Kedar Entertainment, as the first artist on his new label, signed him.
In 1996, Levins released his debut album, The Latch-Key Child. Raised by a single parent, the rapping phenom addressed many weighty, social issues involving childhood and poverty on the record. Latch-Key Child also contained vocal contributions by hip-hop heavyweights Q-Tip, Mobb Deep and AZ. He was assigned a private tutor to continue his education while on the hectic schedule of being an entertainer.
He received some coverage for his album from Vibe, Rolling Stone, Black Beat and Right On magazines. He even appeared in one of Vibe’s Fashion photo shoots with Mary J Blige.
Levins returned in January 1999 with his second album, Hempstead High. The album will feature appearances by his label mates Chico DeBarge and Erykah Badu, the Lost Boyz and Canibus, among others. However the album was not as big of a hit as his first album. While Enjoy Yourself and The Price of Fame were urban hits, the album was a minor disappointment.
Levins’s whereabouts are unknown since Kedar Entertainment has vanished. It’s safe to assume that he will reappear when the time comes.
