The LyonHart
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The LyonHart is a Rapper from New Brunswick, NJ. He is most known for his songs heralding his home city and home state, like "Brunswick" off the 1998 Album "In the Shadows" and "Jersey Fresh" off the 2004 Album "New Jersey Original". Beyond the surface, however, he is a well regarded underground MC, a producer for both rap acts, and a number of Folk and Instrumental Acts.
[edit] Early years
The LyonHart, whose real name is Aslan Vincent Grealis, was born on September 26, 1980 at Robert Wood Johnson Hospital in New Brunswick, NJ. He grew up in a very musical family. His father was a talented keyboardist and composer, as well as a member of the KGBeats - one of New Brunswick's legendary local bands. His older sister Sky Grealis would eventually become one of the most talented and highly regarded flutists of her era. He immediately fell in love with music, but rather than pursue it himself, he branched off and used the music to inspire other art forms.
As a youth he was very involved in the visual arts, such as drawing in various mediums, and photography. He was also very active, and still is to this day, in video and film. The involvement of music in his life and his pursuit of the visual arts, however all lead a path toward what would ultimately become his main creative outlet, writing. In the 80's in New Jersey, Hip-Hop was exploding, and The LyonHart was born right into the middle of it. His parents, unlike most, embraced hip-hop music, and that allowed him at a very young age to become engrossed in the core of the music, the poetry.
He started Writing raps at the age of 9, just for the amusement of his friends, and he hasn't stopped yet. However at this point, because of his age the raps weren't all that memorable, and no one paid much attention to them beyond saying they were "cute". Still he rapped and listened to Run DMC, The beastie Boys, and the Fresh Prince, among others. Into his teenage years, these acts would turn from the non threatening, almost cartoonist acts of the 80's to the darker, more adult and alternative acts of the 90's. The LyonHart doesn't cite much of the early 90's west coast rap as an influence, as some rappers do, because at the time the music of NWA and others were dealing with the corruption and violence on the streets of Los Angeles in a very vivid and adult way, while he was just a 12 year old boy from New Brunswick. The first real influence that led to the maturation of his lyrical style was the release of "Enter the 36th Chamber" by the Wu-Tang Clan.
From here on out his raps got deeper and more complex, and all that was needed was an outlet for them to be heard. That catalyst was right around the corner.
[edit] The Ill Trybe
The LyonHart attended Franklin Township Public High School, and it was here that a chance gym class scheduling led to him meeting the man that would spark his Rap career, Jay Shah. As two students who didn't change for gym class all that regularly, Jay and The LyonHart got to talking, and inevitably the subject turned to rap music. Jay, as it turns out, was a rapper himself, and he had a connection on the west coast with a group called BTP productions. If he could get a demo made, and send it out to them, then he could really get moving. It was then for the first time that the LyonHart ever thought of recording Rap music. He remembered that his father had an old four track recorder in his home studio, and when Jay heard this, all the gears were set in motion. Over a crudely produced beat looping from his home computer, The LyonHart, who was rapping at this time under the name 7th Joker, made his first recording. Jay, rapping as The Bad Seed, headlined the track and The LyonHart made a short guest appearance. Jay saw The LyonHart's ability and the two decided to form a group, called the Ill Trybe. Shortly after, they added a third member to the Trybe, Big Mike, but they only recorded two more tracks, the enigmatically titled "SS" and the High Energy "School of Hard Knocks"
[edit] The Wall of Sound
The Ill Trybe dissipated in early 1998 as The LyonHart approached his high school graduation. It was at this time, however, that a very important chance meeting occurred. The LyonHart's Sister had a friend visiting one night, and this friend had a boyfriend with her and this frien's boyfriend had another friend with him. This friend turned out to be Jeremiah Clancy, soon to be known as Ghost. Ghost became friends with The LyonHart and got him a job at the Franklin Township Public Library. They started hanging out after work, until all hours of the morning at the house of a friend on Louis Street in New Brunswick, it was here that LyonHart first played Ghost the Ill Trybe Tape. Obviously not the best recorded demo, Ghost was still impressed by the vibe of it, and commented to LyonHart that he knew a sample he should use. The Sample ended up being the ending score piece from a Kung-Fu Movie called "Deadly Melody" and when Ghost played it for LyonHart, they both knew they needed to use it. LyonHart asked if Ghost wanted to Rhyme on it and, even though he had never recorded a rap before, he agreed, and went to work writing his verse for the song. His Verse ended up becoming two verses to LyonHart's, clearly not a supporting role, so the two of them decided to become and official duo. In addition to this track, dubbed "The Magic Lyre", they Recorded another track, a more calm and cool song called "Belmar" and Released the "Magic Lyre" Single under the name "Ghost and the 7th Joker". As an afterthought, they came up with a name for their crew, "Jugga-Wu Productions" which at this time included not only Ghost and LyonHart, but Also DyeRekShun and Troublesome, two other local MC's.
Jugga-Wu was short lived, however, and soon "Wall of Sound" was born, named for the massive stack of speakers in the LyonHart's Home Studio. This is also when The LyonHart first started going by that name, with the first full length release, "In the Shadows of the Bullshit". 
