Simmering deep in the middle of America is one of hip-hop’s best kept secrets. Poised and ready to dish and deliver is the 25-year-old Columbia, Missouri native nearly scientifically and all naturally composed of lyrical versatility, broad range, and diverse music. Liken him to hip-hop’s unprecedented bionic man, ready to leap through lyrics and bound through bass at any given moment. A hip-hop hero in the making, Stevie Stone is here to save the day. One spin around his aptly titled New Kid Comin’ album and you’ll understand why.

Before music became the center of his world, Stevie Stone was an enthusiastic baller, but not the type that immediately comes to mind. Instead of a preoccupation with “bling,” physical education ruled his world. As a child, his extracurricular time was usurped primarily by basketball and secondarily football. Stone was raised principally by his hard working mother along with his sisters but at the age of 13, he began spending time with his preacher father who resided in Iowa before passing some time ago. “I had my troubles for the most part, but my father really gave me balance and kept me doing productive stuff and going to church every Sunday,” Stone says about his early years. While Stone spent the majority of his free time active in athletics, music was always the underlying current in his life. “Music was really in my family. My mom plays the piano. My dad played the piano and all my siblings sing.” As Stone grew older and embarked on new paths, ripe with life altering decision making, hip-hop would become his sport of choice.

“Around high school, I was in between what I wanted to do. I had a scholarship to play basketball at a college in Iowa but music was pulling me,” Stone admits. It wasn’t until that fateful day in 2001 when Stone stepped on the stage and his future was ultimately determined for him. “It was the first time I performed at a live show,” Stone recollects, opening for several artists including fellow Missouri native Tech N9ne, with whom he would later establish a brotherhood bond.
“It was at the Fairgrounds in Fulton, Missouri and me and my clique got on because we knew the promoter of the show and had been making noise around town.” Stone felt the adrenaline of being on stage and everything else paled in comparison.
“Once we got done with the set, I knew it was what I wanted to do.” Days after the show, Stone and his friends paraded around their neighborhood like regional rap stars. Living off the rush, Stone was impatient for what was next. And then everything seemed to stand still.

“The next week had come along and nothing was moving and that’s when I realized I had to get out and do some more footwork,” Stone admits humbly. For the next two years, he would pound the pavement, performing at talent shows, booking small concerts at local venues like Columbia’s Blue Note where most big artists came when passing through the town, and strengthening relationships with area entertainment industry folks. Stone reunited with Tech9 along the way and opened for him as well as Snoop Dogg, and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. As his popularity began to inflate, Stone made the decision to expand out to St. Louis. While recording at Phat Buddha studios in the Lou’, Stone was eventually recruited as an artist on their Fly Moves Production company roster. He soon recorded the battle anthem for the St. Louis Rams that was played in video and audio format at all the home games throughout the 2005-2006 season. In 2006, Stone traveled to Atlanta, after being accepted to showcase as an up and coming artist at the Billboard Hip-Hop and R&B Conference. It was there that Stone met Tomica Woods-Wright, CEO of the legendary Ruthless Records.

The Gates Mixed Plate, Tech N9ne’s latest release, features the singles “O.G.” and “Jumpin’ Jax”. Tech’s third release in a series of collaborative studio projects coined “Collabos”, features Devin The Dude, Glasses Malone, Jay Rock, Yukmouth and many others. The Gates Mixed Plate is available in stores now.

Learn more about Stevie Stone at 1STEVIESTONE.COM and Myspace and follow him on Twitter.