BIOGRAPHY

"Brilliance. Attracts. Millions."
B.A.M. arrived on the hip-hop scene in the mid-Nineties as SmoothG, a childhood name given to him by friends and family who constantly mimicked his suave demeanor. Offering an alternative to the prevailing gangsta fare of rappers like Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre, with old-school beats, jazz- and funk-influenced musical bedding and lyrics that often came off like spoken-word poetry, BAM helped kick off an underground hip-hop movement that would gain steam by the latter part of the decade. 
Born Gerald L.Whaley in the Bronx on November 19th 1979, the only child of a nurse and retired landscaper. It was during junior high school, where Whaley was mentored by legendary producer Prince Paul, who lived on the same block, and would notice BAM rhyming in front of his apartment building as Paul would walk by. He quickly took BAM under his wing and began to teach him the ins and outs of the business. “I would hear songs by Big Daddy Kane, Rakim and KRS-One before they even came out on records,” recalls BAM. When BAM turned 14 he relocated to Bedstuy Brooklyn, reluctant at first to leave his friends, and their weekly Bmx bike racing, however he had no choice but to welcome in his new borough along with the families 1st owned home. Determined to stay out of trouble BAM spent tireless days writing rhymes and practicing in front of his bedroom mirror, as if he was performing on stage in front of millions of fans. It was then he decided to change his name to B.A.M., stemming from the sound of the nighttime gunshots he would occasionally hear, however turning a negative into a positive, BAM decided his new name would be the acronym for Brilliance Attracts Millions.
In 1993 B.A.M. was featured on the song titled “Nowhere to Run” off of the Grave Diggaz “6 Feet Deep” album. After befriending Dave of legendary rap group “De La Soul,” BAM was introduced to Fran Spero of Rush Production Management, who shopped his music to various labels, which eventually led to BAM signing his 1st contract with Sony in 1995. BAM began recording his debut album entitled “The Coming…Coast II Coast” a lyrical attempt at bridging the gap and squashing the then East/West Coast beef. From performances with the late BIG L, Mobb Deep, Foxy Brown and more, the crowds welcomed him to the game. However being label mates with such huge acts like NAS, Jermaine Dupri and The Fugees proved to be a double edge sword; with artist fighting for release dates, BAM, being a new signee, had no seniority and therefore his album release continued to be pushed back. After a year and half of being signed BAM decided to leave Sony and go independent.
After graduating college with his Bachelors degree in 2007, BAM knew he had the skills and the credentials to bring back to the game what it has always been missing. Armed with industry alliances and the knowledge of how labels work, BAM took his career into his own hands. He formed his company War Machine Inc., and hired a no nonsense publicist, Viola-Nile of PushyPR Public Relations Inc., in an attempt to complete what a major label could not. So far so good, BAM’s mixtape “The Golden Era” was ITunes Indie album of the month on ITunes for September 2009. With such success and demand from fans, BAM is set to release “The Big BAM Theory” late this November. “If I could teach upcoming artist anything, I would tell them to get their education, so when they sign contracts they know what their getting into.” Says BAM, “Because at the end of the day…Brilliance Attracts Millions”