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808 (Ocho Cero Ocho)
“The New Sound”
Cuban-born singer/songwriter/producer 808 is bursting onto the scene with a new sound—literally. Debut album The New Sound, dropping later this year on Cutting Records, is 16 tracks of new, different music combining elements of pop, dance, urban and Latin music.
The New Sound is a labor of love for 808—who wrote, recorded and mixed the entire album in his apartment in Houston, Texas—and it’s the culmination of the American dream he’s been chasing since reaching U.S. shores with his mother in 1999. “I came to the United States for a better future,” said 808, whose given name is Alejandro Terry. “It’s what every Cuban is looking for.”
808 worked hard to learn English and found his way to the Gary Job Corp Center in Texas, where he earned his GED and became an apprentice electrician for Alief Electro-Mechanical Inc. It was during his time in school that he also discovered his love for music. Friends introduced him to underground rap groups from Puerto Rico like Tempo and Lito y Polaco. Soon 808 was rapping in Spanish and, desiring to be a solo artist, taught himself to sing the hooks on his songs. “I got a good reaction from people with my music,” he said, “so I decided to keep doing it. Also, I felt good doing it.”
808 would create and sell mixtapes for $5, putting his original lyrics over other people’s beats, and spent one year as a member of local rap group LMC. He has performed both with LMC and as a solo artist in and around Houston, sharing the bill with artists like Bb Mendez and Maximo, but 808 felt it was finally time to reach the rest of the country, and the world, with his music.
“I would work from 8 in the morning until 1 the next morning. I never left my house until the album was done,” said 808, who uses Fruity Loops to make his beats. “The album was inspired by house music. It’s a new idea to do that type of music in Spanish because it’s not something you often hear.”
The collection of up-tempo songs is mostly sung in his native Spanish, with some English appearing on a few of the tracks. “Most of my songs are based on experiences I’ve had in the past,” explained 808, “because people can usually relate to that.” So far, he’s doing a good job reaching his new, wider audience. First single “No La Quierdo Perder” is currently available on iTunes and through Promo Only and a video for second single “No Te Puedo Borrar” will be released soon. When The New Sound hits people’s ears, there’s no telling what 808 can accomplish.
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808 (Ocho Cero Ocho) releases now on 
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