Eli to release album

Eli (www.onepopularguy.com ), a performer, songwriter, producer and musician best known for his risqué raps as urban artist Smoov-E, is set to release his iTunes exclusive rock debut, Baddest Bachelor on July 5. Eli is signed to Bay Area Hip-hop impresario Andre Nickatina’s I-Khan Distribution label.

The artist formerly known as Smoov-E continues his unconventional musical metamorphosis into Eli with Baddest Bachelor featuring tracks available from Eli’s forthcoming roots rock full-length, ONE POPULAR GUY to be released on September 20, 2011 on I-Khan. While this - Eli’s thirteenth studio album since 1999 - represents a seismic shift in his musical career, it is Eli’s confidence as a musician, which allows him to abandon the jokester for the roots rocker he always wanted to be. Tracks from the forthcoming single, Baddest Bachelor include:

1. Baddest Bachelor
2. Automobile
3. Faster You Fall
4. Automobile (Music Video)

Eli’s evolution has been in the works over the last few years. Finally embracing his Tennessee roots as a self-taught musician, Eli’s confidence in his growth as an artist was no longer tied exclusively to his being behind the mic, rapping over beats. Today, while most (but not all) of his humorous caricatures have yielded to more developed and introspective compositions, Eli has retained his innate ability to draw people in to his music. There was a lot of Gene Vincent and Carl Perkins’, girls’ cars and snakeskin boots inside Eli that needed to get out.

“My evolution from Smoov-E to Eli is essentially the product of growing up a bit and being comfortable enough to strap on a guitar or sit down on a piano stool rather then rapping behind the mic,” said Eli. “After thirteen studio albums, tons of live appearances and yes, a little maturity, I finally am at a point where I think my fans will follow me from hip-hop to rock or anything else I choose to play.”

In fact, it was Bay Area cohort and label boss Andre Nickatina who pushed Eli to make this change. After hearing Eli’s raw guitar, piano and vocal demos, Nickatina realized there was more to Smoov-E’s musical persona than just sex, drugs and rock and roll. Both Andre and Eli felt that rapping as Smoov-E was somewhat limiting considering Eli’s turn at the piano and guitar. Performing as Eli garnered support from people of all ages and lifestyle, not just fans of hip-hop.

Eli’s stage magnetism was evident early on while touring with Andre Nickatina, but it too has developed over the course his career and along with the growth of the Internet. Eli’s social media websites regularly garner more than 30,000 to 100,000 views each. In fact, his Myspace page has more than 3 million hits, and on Google his name is searched more than 60,000 times a month.