Kenshin Iryo (born June 1, 1981), better known by his stage name Million Stylez, is a

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

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.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The Rou ...

artist. Kenshin Iryo was born on June 1, 1981 in

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

, Sweden. He grew up in the Stockholm suburb of Sollentuna, and has been living there for 26 years. He is half

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

and half

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

and grew up mainly with people from around the world, which contributed to his respect for other

cultures Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups.Tyl ...

. Stylez started experimenting with hip hop at the young age of nine, writing and recording rap tunes in Swedish on his cassette-player. Million Stylez (featuring Famous and Michael Knight) released the song Without U in 2004, mixed by Soundism's

Vladi Vargas Vladi Vargas (born 11 August 1971) is a music producer and sound engineer in Västerås, Sweden. Starting out as a Dj, he was one of the pioneers in the Hip Hop culture in Sweden. During the 1980s he participated in several national DJ competitio ...

. In the summer of 2005, Stylez reached the finals in Big Break arranged by Irie FM and Red Stripe. It is an annual talent competition for up-and-coming artists in

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

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 ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

) won first place. On March 1, 2006 he released his first single "Miss Fatty" through

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

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 (Eminem's 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 ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

(

Santiago de Cuba Santiago de Cuba is the second-largest city in Cuba and the capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province. It lies in the southeastern area of the island, some southeast of the Cuban capital of Havana. The municipality extends over , and contains t ...

) and has over 35.000.000 views on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

so far. Million Stylez released his debut album ''From A Far'' (2007) on KBC Music and includes musical genres ranging from

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

, dancehall and hip hop to some R&B influenced songs, as well as a crunkhall remix of a hidden track (produced by Nordic Steel). Most of the tunes contain conscious lyrics about his gratitude to God, life struggles, celebration, love and hate, war and peace and other issues. Stylez has worked with many musical acts including

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

, Loon, Smif N Wessun,

Mr. Vegas Clifford Smith (born December 29th, 1974), better known as Mr. Vegas, is a Jamaican dancehall musician. Biography Clifford Smith was born in Kingston in 1974.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The Rough Guide to Reggae, 3rd edn.", Rough Gu ...

, Bunji Garlin, Lukie D, Loogaman, Alozade, J-Ro,

Gentleman A gentleman (Old French: ''gentilz hom'', gentle + man) is any man of good and courteous conduct. Originally, ''gentleman'' was the lowest rank of the landed gentry of England, ranking below an esquire and above a yeoman; by definition, the ra ...

, and two of Sweden's biggest and most respected rappers, Promoe and Ken Ring. He has also been the opening act for artists like

Sean Paul Sean Paul Ryan Francis Henriques OD (born 9 January 1973) is a Jamaican rapper and singer who is regarded as one of dancehall's most prolific artists. Paul's singles "Get Busy" and "Temperature" topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in the ...

Beenie Man Anthony Moses Davis (born 22 August 1973), better known by his stage name Beenie Man, is a Jamaican Dancehall deejay. Biography Davis was born in the Waterhouse district of Kingston in 1973.Moskowitz, David V. (2006) ''Caribbean Popular Mus ...

Elephant Man Joseph Carey Merrick (5 August 1862 – 11 April 1890), often erroneously called John Merrick, was an English man known for having severe deformities. He was first exhibited at a freak show under the stage name "the Elephant Man" and then wen ...

Ne-Yo Shaffer Chimere Smith (born October 18, 1979), known professionally as Ne-Yo, is an American singer, songwriter, actor, dancer, and record producer. He gained fame for his songwriting abilities when he penned Mario's 2004 hit " Let Me Love You ...

Fabolous John David Jackson (born November 18, 1977), better known by his stage name Fabolous, is an American rapper. Raised in Brooklyn, he first gained recognition while still a senior in high school, when he performed live on American music executive ...

Nina Sky Nina Sky is an American musical duo consisting of identical twins Nicole and Natalie Albino. Their debut single "Move Ya Body", released from their self-titled debut album in 2004, was a success, reaching number four on the ''Billboard'' Hot 10 ...

Ryan Leslie Anthony Ryan Leslie (born September 25, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and entrepreneur from Washington, D.C. He has produced singles for a number of prominent artists in a variety of genres, ranging from R&B, hip hop ...

Fatman Scoop Isaac Freeman III (born August 6, 1971), better known by his stage name Fatman Scoop, is an American rapper, promoter and radio personality famed for his on-stage rough, raw loud voice. He is known for the song "Be Faithful", which topped the ch ...

Wayne Wonder Von Wayne Charles (born 26 July 1972), better known by his stage name Wayne Wonder, is a Jamaican reggae artist. While his early recordings were dancehall and reggae, he later moved towards hip hop and rap. His most popular single is the 2003 ...

, Mr. Vegas,

T.O.K. T.O.K. were a dancehall reggae group from Kingston, Jamaica. The group consisted of Alistaire "Alex" McCalla, Roshaun "Bay-C" Clarke, Craig "Craigy T" Thompson, and Xavier "Flexx" Davidson.Kenner, Rob (2005)Boomshots, ''Vibe (magazine), Vibe' ...

, Anthony B, Ward 21, Alozade, Zumjay, among others. He has recorded dubplates for big soundsystems and selectors like

David Rodigan David Michael "Ram Jam" Rodigan MBE OD (born 24 June 1951) is a British radio DJ who also performs as a disc jockey. Known for his selections of reggae and dancehall music, he has played on stations including Radio London, Capital 95.8, Kiss ...

(the

U.K. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

's biggest and most known selector), Mighty Crown, Massive B, Sentinel, Robbo Ranx and Silver Star. Stylez has toured internationally to promote his most recent album ''Everyday'' with musical guests including Busy Signal, Gentleman, and Don Carlos.

Discography

Albums

Singles

;Charting ;Others * "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) * "Ya habibti" (Music produced By Maxime Emixam Sene) * "Revelation Time" featuring

Lutan Fyah Anthony Martin (born 4 December 1975), better known as Lutan Fyah, is a Jamaican musician, singer, and member of the Rastafari movement Bobo Shanti. Background Born in Spanish Town, Saint Catherine Parish, Jamaica, Martin studied Architecture ...

(Way Back Riddim, Dub Akom Records) ;Featured in

References

External links

Million Stylez on Last.fm

www.myspace.com/millionstylezonline

{{DEFAULTSORT:Million Stylez 1981 births Swedish male musicians Swedish people of Japanese descent Swedish people of French descent Dancehall musicians Living people Swedish reggae musicians

Discography

Albums

Singles

See also

References

External links