The Sire
With eyes on the prize, Tha SIRE has proudly watched Tha Empire Records rise. The ground floor label has come up and now proudly lifts the veil on his debut album, Tha ARRIVAL Built from the bottom up, the record label established by Ernie Jimenez is a fitting example of what hard work and a visionary dream can create. A bootstrap operation built by the son of Mexican immigrants, Tha Empire Records, Inc. is to independent, positive, hard-core, do-it-yourself hip-hop and rap what Jimenez AKA Tha SIRE is to a new movement that seeks to bridge communities while providing alternative role models for young people caught up in the endless cycle of gang violence and racial animosity. “I grew up in East LA and the Inland Empire,” says Jimenez, songwriter, producer and emerging record label mogul. “In the end, my parents moved me to Arizona because they wanted something better for me.”
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Jiménez, who performs as Tha SIRE as a way to express only the most dignified and truly noble aspects of fatherhood, is convinced that our young people need role models who are honorable and just and believe in the sanctity of life. Coming of age on the streets of East LA and the back alleys of San Bernardino, Jiménez was no stranger to gang life and admits that the lure of the streets was strong. As a rebellious adolescent, he knew jail from the inside as a result of his affiliations. He was, however, savvy enough to take heed when concerned educators found their way into the halls to offer knowledge and advice.
“Even if I was acting like I was hard, I listened,” says Jiménez. Meanwhile on the homefront, his parents were busy trying to cope with a son who appeared to be on the wrong track and head straight for the end of a dead end street. With a fresh start in the desert, Jiménez managed to beat the odds, finish high and earn a degree. And most importantly, after getting his paper straight and his life on track, he launched himself as an artist with a clear conscience and a vision as well as a mission to build an empire.
Influenced by the oldies as wells as the early hip-hop styles of Eazy E, N.W.A., LL Cool J, and Run DMC, Jiménez often found himself among, break dance crews while watching members of his family practice beat boxing.
“I always loved music. My dad always loved music, nothing professional, but he would pull out the guitar,” Jiménez says, explaining where it all began and riffing on his need to create a legacy of hip-hop based on truth instead of the usual bling-bling bluster.
“I don’t say I have a Cadillac Escalade just to rhyme. I tell the truth about what I know and at the same time, I want it relate to everybody, no matter what city they live in, whether it’s a love song or a song about the streets,” he adds, defining himself as a realist, a characteristic uncommon in the industry. “Every city has the same concrete, the same asphalt.”
With 18 songs collected on his first major release, Tha SIRE solidifies his emergence as the father of a new dynasty. Among the stand-out tracks are the true life tales embodied in: “Thug Rollin,””Gave My Life Away,” “Where we’re From,” “Soldier of tha Street,””Life and Death,” “Why Everytime,” “Gotta Get It,” “Street lessons and”It just goes on.” Executive produced by Tha SIRE, Tha ARRIVAL features vocal stylings by Kokane, Kurupt, KMG (Above the Law) and Goldie Loc and is available in stores now.