Meet Jared "MKZ" Bailey, The Hip Hop Trumpeter

NEW YORK - Nov. 14, 2015 - PRLog -- Jared "MKZ" Bailey is a 24-year-old newcomer to the scene. Don't be fooled though, for the DMV native has been rapping since the age of 11. Surprisingly, rapping was one of the later musical hobbies he picked up. A full fledged musician, Bailey grew up in a musical household, singing in church and eventually picking up the trumpet at the age of 10.

However, it wasn't until Jared was 15 that he began to take music seriously. Throughout his high school career, Bailey released multiple amateur mixtapes under the moniker "J.A.Y.", all while continuing to polish his skills as a trumpeter and vocalist. By senior year, Jared was already performing with local acts in the DMV. Upon graduation from high school, Bailey decided to pursue a college career in the arts to further perfect his talents. Jared would go on to attend the esteemed Howard University to study Music Business.

While at Howard, Jared released just one mixtape under his government name, but continued to perform as a trumpeter throughout the city, as well as taking part in five albums with the critically acclaimed Howard University Jazz Ensemble. Bailey's skills as a musician led him to perform with multiple artists of note in the industry, including Ginuwine and Edison Award-winning , Grammy award-nominated trumpeter Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah.

Directly after graduation from Howard University, Jared had the opportunity to travel to Senegal in West Africa with the Howard University Jazztet, touring the country giving master classes and headlining the St. Louis (Senegal) Jazz Festival.

After returning to the United States, Jared decided that it was time to put his focus once again on Hip-hop. With a new sense of musical self and many more experiences under his belt, Bailey chose to navigate the industry as MKZ. An acronym for "Moral Kombat of a Zulu (or child of heaven)", MKZ created his name as a culmination of names he was given while at Howard University. Bringing them together to make MKZ, Bailey sees his new moniker as a direct representation of his musical content. "My music is inspired by my every-day thoughts and struggles.

We all make mistakes and yet we all strive to do what we think is right in the moment". While starting a new journey at Rutgers University to receive a Master's Degree in Jazz Trumpet Performance, MKZ began writing his first full professional rap project ever. In the spring of 2014, he released "The War of Art" featuring production from Epik the Dawn, The Cratez, and DMV super producer/artist Chris Barz. The project was praised for its content

https://soundcloud.com/mkzulu