User:Sboonew/sandbox

BOON (Rapper)
Steven Lawrence Boone Williams (born March 31st, 1987), better known by his stage and social name BOON (Boo-N) is an American Rapper from Washington, D.C. His rise to popularity came in early 2013 with his song "BronJames", a song titled after LeBron James, a National Basketball Association player for the Miami Heat and referring to James's pre-game ritual of throwing white powder into the air. BOON metaphorically connected James's ritual to money being thrown in the air at a Strip club. The song was influenced by the nationally popular and locally residing Stadium Nightclub in Northeast DC. Because of his background and relationships in the local nightclub scene, BOON's song and musical movement became almost instantly accepted by both djs and promoters alike.

1987-2011: Early life and career beginnings

BOON, an African American, was born Steven Lawrence Boone Williams on March 31st, 1987 at Prince Georges Hospital in Prince George's County, Maryland to Littyce Boone, a Washington, DC school teacher, and Steven Williams, a US government worker. BOON grew up in Southeast, Washington, D.C. before frequently moving back and forth to his grandmother's house in neighboring Temple Hills, Maryland starting at age 17. BOON attended 5 schools in DC before attending Potomac High School (Oxon Hill, Maryland) for his junior and senior high school years. BOON was active in Football, Track and field,and Baseball winning a football state championship before graduating in June of 2005. His grandmother died a month later of Cancer. BOON went on to attend a string of colleges and universities including Delaware State University, Arizona Western College where he played Running back on the Football team, University of the District of Columbia, and North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University before graduating from Morgan State University with a Telecommunication Bachelor of Arts degree in the spring of 2011. While in college, BOON would regularly organize and host parties both on and off campus and promoted weekly nightclub events in DC while home on breaks from school. It was during this time that he became introduced to several major label artists, celebrities and other notable figures in music. These frequent encounters made BOON interested in becoming a recording artist himself.

BOON's first recordings "Baddest" and "We Here Now" in the fall of 2011 earned him the recognition from both regional mixtape djs and club promoters alike. He later caught the eye of a tour promoter that invited him to join a multi-city nightclub tour opening for national recording artist Maino and regionally known rap artist Mike Diggz.

2012 Hammertime

After a successful tour, BOON came home and took a full time job to help him pay his monthly bills and recording costs. In March, he recorded and released a single and video titled "Hammertime" which quickly gained the attention of a local cable show "Grind TV" that played the video in constant rotation for 8 weeks. He continued to promote his song and video while working full time and hosting a number of weekly parties in both Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, Maryland nightclubs. To date, the video has over 16,000 views on YouTube with only self promotion.

2013-Present BronJames

While working on his first official mixtape, BOON released the song and video "BronJames". With the help of club promoters and friends, he reached an agreement to have the video shot at Stadium Club in Northeast, Washington, D.C.. After its release, the video quickly spread around social media in the DC area. To date, the video has generated over 40,000 views on YouTube.