There’s always another round or chance to succeed. That’s what the members of Cincinnati’s Round2Crew—19 year olds, JustinBrown and Chase Martin—realized in early 2013. Now, the boys enjoyed a friendship that began back in seventh grade, and they first started writing songs together in freshman year of high school, bonding over their common musical interest ranging from the likes of Mac Miller and Mike Posner to Lil Wayne and Jason Derulo. Their time stood split between sports (semi-professional hockey for Chase and wrestling for Justin) and music. However, fate stepped in and unexpectedly ushered them along on their creative path as they collectively turned a life-changing setback into inspiration.
“I got a concussion and couldn’t play hockey anymore,” Chase says. “That really pushed us to do music. Justin decided to stop wrestling, and together we chose to dedicate our lives to pursuing this dream.”
“In our heads, we always had both wanted to focus on music,” adds Justin. “We were the happiest we’d ever been when we finally got to put everything we had into that at the end of high school.”
Penning countless songs, the duo fashioned an undeniable style that equally drew from hip-hop and pop, blending laidback, confident raps and dynamic vocal hooks. They uploaded their first music video, “Last Night”, to YouTube as they performed high energy local shows and supported everybody from Midnight Red and Mike Stud to RiFF RAFF. 2014 saw Round2Crew serendipitously craft “Booty Had Me Like,” the single that would launch them to national prominence. While hanging out one day, Justin noticed #BootyHadMeLike trending across Twitter, Vine, Instagram, and Facebook. He suggested they build a song around the catchphrase and Chase immediately agreed.
Swaying from finger snaps and bouncy danceable production, Round2Crew volley between sly, slick bars on the verses and an immediately catchy chorus on “Booty Had Me Like”.
“We wanted to capture that energy in the music,” Justin explains. “It’s a fun song. A lot of people in the rap game make everything super serious. We honestly just want to have a good time, and we hope everybody else does when they hear this. It’s very versatile and it could be played anywhere from the club to the streets.”
Within weeks of its premiere, “Booty Had Me Like” incited its own ruckus online. Not only did it quickly surpass one million YouTube views, but countless Vines popped up featuring the song. Top influencers on the social media platform utilized it in videos of their own, while “Vining” and “Re-Vining” catapulted “Booty Had Me Like” into a global phenomenon. Now, their debut EP, Woah, set for a September 2014 release, stands primed to show that Round2Crew have a diverse musical range.
Justin goes on, “We want to surprise people with something different so they actually do go, ‘Woah, I didn’t expect that’. Everything we do has our stamp on it, and it’s personal but it’s meant to make you move.”
Woah hints at the diverse talent at the heart of the group. “Be Love” boasts a shimmering pop sensibility with effusive energy, while “Dip” rides forward on a hard beat and equally hard verse before dropping another unshakable anthem. However, everything comes back to one shared goal for Round2Crew.
“At our shows, I want people to walk away saying, ‘This is the best time of my life. That was a real party,” concludes Chase. “It’s always a party. We’re about good vibes and happy music, giving everybody another round to have a blast.”
7/2014
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