Tluir is More Than A Brand

It is a commitment to becoming the best version of yourself whenever you have it on. My hope is that these pieces will bring you all of the Level Up energy that you desire, for they are stitched with intention!

The Level Up Is Real!

#TLUIR

Flint, Michigan’s water crisis has plagued community’s residents since 2014.  Following the city’s water supply change from Detroit’s system to the Flint River to save cost, the distinctive town was immediately plagued with contaminated water.  Long before Flint gained notoriety from the life-threatening environmental catastrophe, the Vehicle City (located Northwest of Detroit) was largely known for Hip Hop legends such as MC Breed and The Dayton Family.  During the impressive run of the aforementioned hometown heroes, Lyric Da Queen, destined to reign and leave her own impactful legacy on Flint, was spawned onto the historical scene.

Who is Lyric Da Queen?  The world renown champion-battle rapper and female emcee’s career began in the elementary school days.  Like any other well-oiled machine from the Midwest, the current Los Angeles resident was manufactured with exceptional motor skills.  While most female rappers are birthed from their affinity for artists like MC Lyte, Roxanne Shanté, Lil’ Kim and Missy Elliot, Lyric Da Queen wholeheartedly embraced the ladies, while favorably leaning on the side of masculinity.  She routinely credits her main source of inspiration from and patterned her skills in the likes of an elite class of legendary male rappers (Jadakiss, Andre 3000 and Eminem).  Lyric Da Queen can be identified by the way she confidently body bags an assortment of genres with gritty rhymes, bits and pieces of story in lyrics to captivate large audiences from varied demographics.  Her well-crafted artistry and modern-day-ruthless-rap-Shakesperean pen-game raises the bar for proven emcees, obliterates one-dimensional redundancy and ruins stereotypes routinely placed on women.  

Lyric Da Queen’s first solo project, My Time Iz Now Vol 1., was released in 2011, and under the critically acclaimed Gangsta Grillz mixtape series, famously hosted by DJ Drama. The following year, she would blow judges away, earning a spot on Fox’s worldwide hit show, The X Factor.  During the season, Simon Cowell merged Lyric Da Queen and two New York natives from the duo One4Five to create Lyric145, in an effort to give the must-have-on-network-television rappers a better shot in a competition dominated by phenomenal singers.  Cowell mentored Lyric145, alongside mega group Fifth Harmony, against talents managed by L.A. Reid, Demi Lovato and Britney Spears, for the remainder of the season.  After her introduction to a global audience, countless fans would fall in love with her caring personality, whimsical style and of course, the eye patch and triumphant story surrounding it (overcoming [insert medical condition]).  Lyric145 made it all the way to the top 12 contestants (including the rounds before they were merged into a group), making Lyric Da Queen the first female rapper on a major network show, that was primarily a singing competition, to go such lengths successfully. Following the season of The X Factor, Lyric145 dropped The LOFF Tape and headlined their very first national tour.  

With an abundance of paid-appearances and shows, Lyric Da Queen could focus on what she loved to do with little to no distractions, allowing her to add layers to her character and business, and she would inadvertently acquire more accolades for her profile.  On December 7, 2013, Lyric Da Queen became the first female rapper to escort a fighter on Showtime Boxing, accompanying Anthony Direll (Flint icon and native) to the ring for his WBC super-middleweight title match against Sakio Bika.  Continuing her endeavors in sports-entertainment, Lyric Da Queen penned and recorded “Champion,” a song for Claressa Shields (two-time Olympic gold medalist and arguably the greatest boxer of all-time, male or female).  Newfound friendship between the Flint natives, centered around mutual respect for dominance in respective fields, would lead to another Showtime Boxing appearance for Lyric Da Queen, when she escorted Claressa Shields to the ring on August 4, 2017, for her fourth professional fight against Nikki Adler.  Less than two years later, she would walk Claressa Shields out again for her biggest fight at the time, a victorious undisputed-women’s-middleweight-world championship bout against Christina Hammer, which turned to a high spirited celebration for a city defiantly reclaiming glory.  

Throughout the same decade, Lyric Da Queen would appear and be featured on several radio and podcast shows.  Her noteworthy appearances include a scorching rap display on New York City’s Hot 97 and a series of grounded segments & gut worthy performances presented by legendary Hip Hop personality, Sway Calloway. The same magnetism would lead to Headkrack, rapper and host of DishNation, making a special appearance in her music video for her single, “The Next One,” solidifying her growing love and support from entertainment industry professionals, in addition to the countless Hip Hop legends who have embraced her throughout the journey.  While constructing upcoming projects, Lyric Da Queen has dropped hard-hitting singles to satisfy her growing fanbase.   Powerful anthems like “Litty in the City” and “Mama Was a Hustla” highlight the diversity of her artistic ability and brilliance for beat selection, whereas “Don’t,” hosted by Jadakiss, showcases elite skill and cleverness from a seasoned emcee.  On the song, she spits unproblematic bars to dismantle weak support systems assertively.

In 2015, Lyric Da Queen coined the phrase “level up.”  The catchphrase, which eventually evolved into “the level up is real” as popularity grew, was paraded by Lyric Da Queen and wholeheartedly embraced by her associates and supporters.  Lyric Da Queen has the utmost pride for instilling this message in herself and likeminded individuals (anyone determined to succeed in all aspects of life).  The powerful words inspired the development of tluir. clothing brand in 2020, and not just a typical clothing brand, an authentic lifestyle and reminder to live out the claim.  The mantra, whether stitched on a hoodie or composed in a text message as a daily affirmation, encourages individuals to level up daily.  The brand has already become a staple for her community and a culture that is latched upon from all walks of life.

Although Lyric Da Queen is known for rippin’ microphones, her reputation for giving back is just as impactful.  Whether Christmas toy drives or initiatives to alleviate Flint’s water crisis alongside hometown heroes like “Little Miss Flint” Mari Copeny, Lyric Da Queen’s charitable ventures have impacted people of Flint and all over the globe.  A match-made-in-Heaven partnership with Hip Hop Harry would help bring the mascot and brand back to pop culture relevancy.  Through the organic collaboration, Lyric Da Queen became a grassroots ambassador for the children’s television icon, provided Hip Hop Harry merchandise & DVDs for several kids, and later on, she would return the considerate charity, making an appearance on Hip Hop Harry’s Instagram live series to share advice, promote positivity and encourage Hip Hop Harry’s audience to “level up.” In addition to giving back to the community, Lyric Da Queen regularly shares wisdom, mentors people of various backgrounds and remains grounded to lend support to artists, ranging from aspiring talents to multi-platinum superstars.

Lyric Da Queen continues to shift the narrative of rap culture, leveling up in all ways, constructing her long-anticipated album and with that, one can only expect something similar to an audio Bible.  While ushering positive change and touching souls all over the world with her gifts uniquely, the only other thing that we can expect is the unexpected.  The level up is real. TLUIR