Once again Monday morning is upon us Freaks. Our chosen #ManCrushMonday has been going strong for the last twelve years. American DJ and Producer Curt Cameruci has continuously brought us the best of Trap Music. From 2007 until 2016 he was partnered with Josh Young as the duo, Flosstradamus. However, in December 2016 they split and Cameruci carried the name as a solo artist while Young created Yehme2. Luckily both of these talented artists will be performing at Insomniac’s HARD Summer 2019. This time around Flosstradamus will be partnering with 4B for their new Blackout Tour which started in June at Elektricity in Pontiac, Michigan.
The Beginning of Curt Cameruci
Back in August of 1982, Curt was born just outside of Chicago in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Around the age of 10 or 11 years old, he asked his parents for a drum set, and that was a large introduction to his love for music. Years later he became apart of a band, Hyper Viper that was based in Chicago for a short period of time. Although no one in his family was a musician, and his parents did not really listen to music, his brother did. Curt’s brother was a huge influence on his growing music interests as he was constantly playing dope hip-hop and other genres of music. Coming from a smaller town, the focus was mainly on band music and radio stations filled with Classic Rock.
There was not much of a scene for the advancing “code cracker” to display his talents. What the hell is a code cracker you may be asking yourself? Back in the day, Flosstradamus spent a lot of time on his parent’s computer that was given to them by a coworker. They used it predominately for Word processing while he spent his time downloading software like Acid Music, and figuring out how to use it to his advantage to create mashup’s before they had that name.
Autowho?!
At one point in his early days, he was featured on a local access cable show called Flow Zone in his hometown. At this time he went by the name Autobot which has been retired since Flosstradamus begun. He started off playing as a turntablist, and hip-hop artist at raves. He was one of the only artists that was able to show up on time. Therefore, he was well-liked and became sought after. Frequently he would load his gear into the back of his little car without the trunk even closing and jet off miles for rappers to spit words over his beats.
As he grew his abilities he kept a job at Whole Foods in addition to a side gig fixing up vintage mopeds in the back of a garage in Chicago. Eventually, he realized that he needed to focus on his career if he wanted it to take off. He quit his jobs and took the chance. After the first couple shows he decided that whether he was being paid or not, it was an opportunity for him to travel. I personally find that extremely inspiring. You have to believe in yourself before others will.
The Early Days of Flosstradamus
Not only was he a growing artist he also obtained a degree in Interactive Multimedia from Columbia College in Chicago. With this degree, he had the knowledge to assist the early days of Flosstradamus with branding and merchandise. The duo started to kick off when they threw a party called ‘Get Out of the Hood.” After that, people wanted to start booking them but they had not yet created a name for themselves. That is when Curt’s friend Josh created the name Flosstradamus on a drunken afternoon while sitting on a porch in Chicago.
The two went strong with shows until 2010. Around that time they were not creating original music which resulted in a lack of followers. The two picked it up about two years later when they started to put out OG tracks. Once they regained the exposure they needed they decided to really focus on branding. A part of their brand became HYD BOYS and #HYDNATION, which has continued to hold strong to this day. The brand has become one of the most recognized in the dance community.
Catch Flosstradamus While You Can!
Most recently Flosstradamus has moved from Brooklyn, NY to Los Angeles, CA. He is settling in and working on becoming more of a Cali guy while surfing and changing up his diet. Being in Los Angeles provides him the opportunity to work on many more collaborations. Like previously mentioned, his most recent collab with 4B for The Blackout Tour comes with a tour across the US and Canada. Those of you who will be attending HARD Summer will have the opportunity to catch them going off. A little pro-insight… it will actually be Cameruci’s birthday August 3rd, and he is sharing his day with us! What a #BadassBadassBadass (If you know, you know)
Tickets are still available however, they are going quickly per the usual so jump on it now. If festivals are not your thing, you can still catch Flosstradamus at ExchangeLA on July 3rd. Tickets for the show are also still available but from personal experience with the venue, they will be gone quickly, and make sure to arrive early as the line can get long. This Summer will be my first time seeing Flosstradamus perform live. I hope to share the experience with all my fellow Freaks at one or both of these shows; they are sure to make us Blackout. *wink wink*
*Featured Image Via Insomniac*
