He might have earned his name from a blunt paper pack donning the same name, but please don’t get it twisted, the Swiss man they call "Mello"  is far from mellow. As the founder of IRMG, his own independent label, Mello is a real creator.  He was the lead artist of the internationally renowned Grindin Entertainment, it was his insatiable hunger to succeed and vicious approach on the mic that caught the eye of industry insiders, but none more important to Mello’s career than the legendary celebrity DJ to the stars - D-LYFE - who was used to breaking artists such as Nicki Minaj, Ashanti, Waka Flocka, as well as working the deck for Biggie Smalls, Jay-Z, A Tribe Called Quest, Akon, and many more.

A true hustler by any standards, Mello might have been born and raised in Switzerland but endured far from a fairy-tale upbringing. Abandoned by his mother at a young age and ostracized by the community, he did everything a ‘lost’ teenager would do to survive, from creating mixtape covers to doing things he’d rather not disclose. “The only thing that got me through those times was music, it was the only thing that stayed true to me” says Mello today, in the confines of his self built studio. 

His label mate, Yung Crack followed a similar path before the two teamed up to head the crew Ice Runnerz.

Not content with staying within the boundaries of the Swiss market, Mello took to the social networks to broaden his horizons. Connecting with a vast array of artists from Soulja Boy’s SODMG to Young Sleep, Diego Dollars, Trill and Durty Kash, he quickly became a ‘feature favorite’ for State side rappers. Mello's Twitter page became an eye-catcher to Hip-Hop history's super stars. 

Mello is now ranked as one of the nation’s Top 20 rappers (reverbnation.com), is currently at 150,000 views on his Youtube channel - pushing out an unheard of 5 videos a week and has featured on the revolutionary, Record Industry Meltdown 11/11/11, mixtape. Already breaking records that had been set by all other Swiss rappers, Mello is fast on the way of becoming a world-wide sensation.

When asked about what the next steps are, Mello leans further in his leather director’s chair, displays the same cocky smile that sends females of all age groups swooning, and then says “It’s going to get real crazy, that I promise you”.

His confidence is justified with hits like his lead single “Mind” [lyrics: i hear the devil speakin to my mind, he be askin what you want ride or die, money and the fame or soul survive, its up to my mind]. 

D-LYFE says of his protege: "When I first came out to Switzerland, I didn’t expect to find Hip-Hop at this caliber but you can’t deny talent no matter where it comes from. Mello is the kind of artist record executives lose sleep at night to find. He’s grind is incomparable, I know a lot of rappers earning big money that could learn a thing or two from my rookie."

Mello’s long-term goals include extending his reach to establish a network encouraging kids to follow their musical passion; something he wishes would have been made available to him growing up. 

His last words before returning to the booth to kill the final record on his mixtape mark the focus that keeps him moving up the ladder of success

Enough said.

Alexander Niff is following