Music
Get the lowdown on singer-songwriter Jon Swaii, who appears in the first episode of the second season of The Cut in a collaboration with producer Ta$ha Catour.
Jon Swaii
Jon Swaii, artist and producer, was born and raised in the Bronx, New York. Due to instability at home from an early age, he relocated every couple of years, having to call a country as far away as Italy, home. Returning back to the States after two years abroad, Swaii lived in Florida, Albany, Long Island, Virginia and Pennsylvania.
Being the 'new kid' with every move, Swaii was an easy target for bullying. Writing to release his emotions, he put pen to paper and turned his fear into rage. He became obsessed with perfecting his craft, turning poetry into rap. Swaii's sound is real hip-hop: lyrical, genuine and versatile, not made for any one specific type of person.
Swaii’s main objective is to influence the growing minority to grab power, similar to his great-grandfather, the first Rasta, Leonard P Howell, founder of Rastafarianism. Howell preached the message of black power and anti-colonialism from Jamaica to Africa and the United States. Now carving his own musical path, Swaii's music and lyrics reflect the complexity of our world and his experiences in it.
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Ta$ha Catour
Born in Atlanta and raised in East Point, singer-songwriter and engineer Tasha Catour is creatively defining her own sound. Catour began penning lyrics as a teenager, recording her first song in her mid-teens. As an active student at Atlanta’s infamous Tri-Cities High School Performing Arts Magnet Program, whose famous alumni include Kandi Burress, LaTocha and Tamika Scott (R 'n'B group Xscape), OutKast and comedic actor Kenan Thompson, the foundation for her future in entertainment was laid.
A student and member of the Gospel choir at Alabama State University, Catour would travel between Montgomery and Atlanta every weekend attending studio sessions and forming solid relationships with local producers and artists, allowing her to craft hooks and bridges for them. In 2011, she received a BA degree in Communications with an emphasis in PR and immediately put it to use. She released and promoted her debut project Poetic Pen, an ambitious compilation of her collective work with underground Atlanta MCs, as well as mainstream heavyweights such as Rick Ross and Big K.R.I.T.
The pivotal moment early in Catour’s career came in 2012 when she appeared on the track Rider from Future’s classic Astronaut Status mixtape. Catour’s unique and melodic delivery assisted in making her an inescapable young presence in Atlanta’s hip-hop scene. The young hustler’s rich yet soulfully sweet vocals and slick lyrical catchphrases can be heard on records for rappers such as Future, Young Jeezy, Rocko, Trina, Ca$h Out, Diamond and Young Scooter.
Catour’s musical influences, which include Babyface, Brandy, Esther Dean, The Dream and Future reflect her creative versatility. This producer and songwriter is signed to Future’s publishing company and is also a proud member of the music fraternity Sigma Alpha Iota. Her musical diversity is further defined by the fact that as a young artist she cut her musical teeth in church, and she has a Grammy in the Best Gospel Album category to back it up.
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