Million Stylez
Encyclopedia
Kenshin Iryo better known by his stage name Million Stylez, is a Swedish
dancehall
artist.
Kenshin Iryo was born on June 1, 1981 in Stockholm
, Sweden. He grew up in the Stockholm suburb of Sollentuna, and has been living there for 26 years. He is half Japanese
and half French
and grew up mainly with immigrants from around the world, which contributed to his respect for other cultures. Stylez started experimenting with Hip Hop
at the young age of nine, writing and recording rap
tunes in Swedish on his cassette-player.
In the Summer
of 2005, Million Stylez went to the finals in "Big Break" arranged by Irie FM and Red Stripe. It is an annual talent competition for upcoming artists in Jamaica
with more than 1,200 talented applicants. After live shows (in St. Elizabeth, Montego Bay and Kingston), TV and radio-interviews he ended up winning fourth place. He was also the only non-Jamaican that ever had participated in the competition until the year after when Natasha (Denmark
) won first place.
On March 1, 2006 he released his first single "Miss Fatty" through German
distributor Soundquake, and was their number one selling song for several weeks. "Miss Fatty" was also received very well by radio stations like Hot97, Shade 45 (eminems satellite radio) BBC1Xtra, Kiss FM, NRJ, Voice etc. It has also been the number one track on Trace TV/radio that broadcasts to over 50 countries around the world. The video was shot in Cuba
(Santiago de Cuba
) and has over 11.000.000 views on YouTube
so far.
Million Stylez released his debut album "From A Far" (2007) on KBC Music and includes musical genres ranging from Reggae
, Dancehall and Hip Hop to some R&B influenced songs, as well as a "crunkhall" remix in a hidden track (produced by Nordic Steel
). Most of the tunes contain conscious lyrics about his gratitude to God, life struggle, celebration, love and hate, war and peace and other issues.
Million has worked with many musical acts including Beyoncé, Loon, Smif N Wessun, Mr Vegas, Bunji Garlin, Lukie D, Loogaman, Alozade, J-Ro, Gentleman
, and two of Sweden's biggest and most respected rappers such as Promoe and Ken Ring. He has also been the opening act for artists like Sean Paul
, Beenie Man, Elephant Man, Ne-Yo
, Fabolous, Nina Sky, Ryan Leslie, Fatman Scoop, Wayne Wonder, Mr Vegas, TOK, Anthony B, Ward 21, Alozade, Zumjay among others. He has recorded dubplates for big soundsystems and selectors like David Rodigan (the U.K.'s
biggest and most known selector), Mighty Crown, Massive B, Sentinel, Robbo Ranx and Silver Star.
Million is at the moment touring internationally to promote his new album "Everyday" with musical guests including Busy Signal, Gentleman, and Don Carlos. He just came back from his U.S. branch of the tour and is currently working on new songs.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
dancehall
Dancehall
Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s. In the mid-1980s, digital instrumentation became more prevalent, changing the sound considerably,...
artist.
Kenshin Iryo was born on June 1, 1981 in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden. He grew up in the Stockholm suburb of Sollentuna, and has been living there for 26 years. He is half Japanese
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
and half French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
and grew up mainly with immigrants from around the world, which contributed to his respect for other cultures. Stylez started experimenting with Hip Hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
at the young age of nine, writing and recording rap
Rap
Rap may refer to:*Rapping, performance in which rhyming lyrics are used, with or without musical accompaniment ; while an MC performs spoken verses in time to a beat/ melody**Hip hop subculture**Hip hop music...
tunes in Swedish on his cassette-player.
In the Summer
Summer
Summer is the warmest of the four temperate seasons, between spring and autumn. At the summer solstice, the days are longest and the nights are shortest, with day-length decreasing as the season progresses after the solstice...
of 2005, Million Stylez went to the finals in "Big Break" arranged by Irie FM and Red Stripe. It is an annual talent competition for upcoming artists in Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
with more than 1,200 talented applicants. After live shows (in St. Elizabeth, Montego Bay and Kingston), TV and radio-interviews he ended up winning fourth place. He was also the only non-Jamaican that ever had participated in the competition until the year after when Natasha (Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
) won first place.
On March 1, 2006 he released his first single "Miss Fatty" through German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
distributor Soundquake, and was their number one selling song for several weeks. "Miss Fatty" was also received very well by radio stations like Hot97, Shade 45 (eminems satellite radio) BBC1Xtra, Kiss FM, NRJ, Voice etc. It has also been the number one track on Trace TV/radio that broadcasts to over 50 countries around the world. The video was shot in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
(Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city of Cuba and capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province in the south-eastern area of the island, some south-east of the Cuban capital of Havana....
) and has over 11.000.000 views on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
so far.
Million Stylez released his debut album "From A Far" (2007) on KBC Music and includes musical genres ranging from Reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
, Dancehall and Hip Hop to some R&B influenced songs, as well as a "crunkhall" remix in a hidden track (produced by Nordic Steel
Nordic Steel
Nordic Steel Entertainment is a Swedish-based record label founded in 2006 by Spitfiyah, Iman Russ and Jatrix.-Artists and albums:*Lutan Fyah**Dip Him*Perfect**Nothing Matters Me*Million Stylez ft Jah Knight**Bun a Badmind...
). Most of the tunes contain conscious lyrics about his gratitude to God, life struggle, celebration, love and hate, war and peace and other issues.
Million has worked with many musical acts including Beyoncé, Loon, Smif N Wessun, Mr Vegas, Bunji Garlin, Lukie D, Loogaman, Alozade, J-Ro, Gentleman
Gentleman (musician)
Tilmann Otto , better known by his stage name Gentleman, is a German Reggae musician.- Personal life :...
, and two of Sweden's biggest and most respected rappers such as Promoe and Ken Ring. He has also been the opening act for artists like Sean Paul
Sean Paul
Sean Paul Ryan Francis Henriques , who performs under stage name Sean Paul, is a Jamaican pop rap and reggae singer.-1973–1996: Early life:...
, Beenie Man, Elephant Man, Ne-Yo
Ne-Yo
Shaffer Chimere Smith, Jr. , better known by his stage name Ne-Yo, is an American pop and R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer and actor. Beginning his career as a songwriter, Ne-Yo penned the hit "Let Me Love You" for singer Mario...
, Fabolous, Nina Sky, Ryan Leslie, Fatman Scoop, Wayne Wonder, Mr Vegas, TOK, Anthony B, Ward 21, Alozade, Zumjay among others. He has recorded dubplates for big soundsystems and selectors like David Rodigan (the U.K.'s
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
biggest and most known selector), Mighty Crown, Massive B, Sentinel, Robbo Ranx and Silver Star.
Million is at the moment touring internationally to promote his new album "Everyday" with musical guests including Busy Signal, Gentleman, and Don Carlos. He just came back from his U.S. branch of the tour and is currently working on new songs.
Discography
- Everyday (Album, Adonai Music 2010)produced By Maxime Emixam - ( Ya habibti )
- From A Far (Album, KBC Music 2007)
- Without U (Single, KBC Music)
- All Night (Single, KBC Music)
- Give me the strength (Single, KBC Music)
- This Is Da Style (Single)
- Miss Fatty (Single, Mumpy Ride)