IN THE STREETS & ON THE WEB

Michael & The Influence Releases "Time To Ball" Video @UpTheWay Hov

Born David Michael Cheeks, Michael and The Influence grew up in Banbury, located in Warrensville Heights, a southeastern suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. Raised in a drug addiction and poverty stricken home, Michael was exposed to the streetlife at an early age and helplessly watched as crack cocaine ravaged his family. His role models were his older brother and uncle who introduced him to hustling and Hip-Hop. Michael quickly fell in love with the art of music, spouting out song lyrics at just five years old. After the tragic death of his uncle, Micheal decided to make music his career choice and became a student of hip-hop culture, developing his unique talent of storytelling influenced by Nas and Jay-Z.

As he got older, his reputation quickly grew in the streets, known for his cunning freestyles and the ability to rap about his real life experiences in the druggame. Eventually, life in the fast lane caught up to Micheal causing him to be arrested and charged for drug possession. He served a ten year prison sentence but used the time to educate himself, study politics and put a business plan into place determined never to lose his freedom again. In December of 2019, Michael was released from prison and established his company, Major Influence Media. From there he launched a podcast, YouTube channel and last but not least reignited his music career.

This time, Michael and The Influence approached his dream of music with a renewed outlook on life, using his music to retell the stories of his past life in the streets, cleverly piecing together lyrics in a series of double and triple entendres on top of contemporary hip hop beats.

“I want to draw people in with my music but teach them something while they listen to it,’ says Michael.

Fall of 2021, Michael and The Influence will release the much anticipated album entitled, “Do You Believe,” which will feature the singles, “Time to Ball” and “Be With Me,” featuring Piggy.

His future goals for Major Influence Media is to become a billion-dollar multimedia conglomerate. “I want to help people bring their creative vision to life through whatever platform they want to use,” says Michael.

And to anyone interested in the music industry, he has this to say, “Do it your way. If you are satisfied with what you’ve done and how you did it, you can always live with the results.”

Social Media
Twitter @UpTheWay Hov
Instagram @Influential_Michael

Spotify Link: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6XCbmYl9ICFXbNi1QVmnt4?si=icm8uStaR...

Video Link: https://youtu.be/1qGS-qZKF84