Who Is Pro Era?
You know Joey Bada$$. Now meet the rest of Pro Era.
Image via Complex Original
Who is Pro Era? The collective most often associated with Joey Bada$$ is on the come up as one of hip-hop's movements on the rise. Fusing New York’s gilded age of rap with fresh vigor, Pro Era brings nostalgia to millennials.
The crew traces its beginnings to Edward R. Murrow High School in Brooklyn, NY, founded by a group of friends, including Joey Bada$$, CJ Fly, Powers Pleasant, and the late Capital STEEZ. Now, with some 20 members, Pro Era features burgeoning rappers, producers, photographers, and designers. CJ Fly described it best on "Last Cypher": "Said we were just a bunch of kids, like the Brady Bunch/Style so miscellaneous, cats taking speed ain't in a lane with us/Favorite line of quotes/coats you can hang em up."
In 2013, the Pros were a part of the Under the Influence Tour with Wiz Khalifa, as well as the Beast Coast Tour with ascendants The Underachievers and Flatbush Zombies. Pro Era kicks off 2014 with their third mixtape, The Secc$ Tap.e 2.
Who is Pro Era?
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Junior B
Name: Junior B
What Do You Do?: Pro Era publicist and Joey's road and day-to-day manager.
Age: 24
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY.
How Did You Get With Pro Era?: I got down through Joey. He is my cousin.
In Pro Era, I Am The ____: One worried about the business getting handled.
What's Your Rap/Performance Style?: Business-wise, I am an opportunist. I understand numbers. I really see visions and think about ways to capitalize on them.
What's Your Secret Talent Or Something We Don't Know About You?: I love art, paintings, and sculptures.
Tru
Name: Tru (of The Whlgn Branch)
What Do You Do?: The strategist.
Age: 24.
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY.
How Did You Get With Pro Era?: We were introduced through Jonny Shipes, who I've been working closely with this year on some things. There were times we were just all around bouncing ideas and opinions off each other just trying be creative and I think a mutual respect was formed from that.
In Pro Era, I Am The ____: Freestyle fact provider.
What's Your Rap/performance Style?: Pac at The Tunnel (I'm not a rapper though).
What's Your Secret Talent Or Something We Don't Know About You?: I learned more from YouTube than I did at any school, ever.
Tony Whlgn
Name: Tony Whlgn (of The Whelgn Branch)
What Do You Do?: I'm the artist/designer that does the art direction for Pro Era.
Age: 22.
Hometown: East side of Detroit, MI.
How Did You Get With Pro Era?: The Pros adopted me and my creative group of friends,The Whlgns, into the family when I moved to New York in 2012.
In Pro Era, I Am The ____: Non-musically inclined one.
What's Your Rap/performance Style?: I'm just cool and do my art thing. I have a goal in mind.
What's Your Secret Talent Or Something We Don't Know About You?: My work (at Tonywhlgn.com).
Kwon Swank
Name: Kwon Swank
What Do You Do?: I entertain people and act.
Age: 19.
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY.
How Did You Get With Pro Era?: My junior year in high school, I used to hang out with [Pro Era] a lot because Joey is my first cousin. I would just tag along. But Joey didn't put me down with the team, Capital STEEZ did.
In Pro Era, I Am The ____: The entertainer. I play a lot, I spark the moment up when my Pros are feeling down. If you're bored, look my way.
What's Your Rap/performance Style?: I'm known for my comedy skits on YouTube and hosting Pro Era shows.
What's Your Secret Talent Or Something We Don't Know About You?: I'm a great dancer.
Jakk The Rhymer
Name: Jakk The Rhymer
What Do You Do?: I rap.
Age: 20.
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY.
How Did You Get With Pro Era?: I got down through my longtime friend Steelo.
In Pro Era, I Am The ____: Distant one (but it's always love).
What's Your Rap/performance Style?: Super lyrical. Vibrant, colorful and dope.
What's Your Secret Talent Or Something We Don't Know About You?: I learn a lot of the things from watching TV and movies. I love creative visuals. I'm gonna make both one day.
Ali
Name: Ali aka J.A.B.
What Do You Do?: I rap.
Age: 18.
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY.
How Did You Get With Pro Era?: I got down with Pro Era when Steezy told me to.
In Pro Era, I Am The ____: One in the cut.
What's Your Rap/performance Style?: Weird flows. Lil n*gga with attitude.
What's Your Secret Talent Or Something We Don't Know About You?: Numerology.
Chuck Strangers
Name: Chuck Strangers
What Do You Do?: I produce and rap.
Age: 22.
Hometown: G-Unit.
How Did You Get With Pro Era?: Met Steez and Joey and the rest is history.
In Pro Era, I Am The ____: One with sexy good looks and charismatic charm.
What's Your Rap/performance Style?: My rap style is like tasting Nutella for the first time.
What's Your Secret Talent Or Something We Don't Know About You?: My bread toasting skills are greater in value than the concept of life itself.
Sür Niles
Name: Sür Niles
What Do You Do?: I produce and design.
Age: 47.
Hometown: Crooxlyn.
How Did You Get With Pro Era?: I got down with Pro Era in early 2012 when CJ Fly introduced me to everyone and from there, it's all history!
In Pro Era, I Am The ____: Clown and the serious guy.
What's Your Rap/performance Style?: My production style has more of that 90s feel with some newer adjustments to it.
What's Your Secret Talent Or Something We Don't Know About You?: I'm low key thee best rapper ever and I also paint.
Dee Knows
Name: Dee Knows a.k.a. Dee Frosted
What Do You Do?: I am a photographer and director.
Age: 18.
Hometown: The Brooklyn Astral Planes.
How Did You Get With Pro Era?: I got down with Pro Era a few years ago.
In Pro Era, I Am The ____: Top shotta and the right brain.
What's Your Rap/performance Style?: I am known for taking the ill ass photographs of the PROtotypes.
What's Your Secret Talent Or Something We Don't Know About You?: I'm an ill ass A&R.
Powers Pleasant
Name: Powers Pleasant
What Do You Do?: I produce/DJ.
Age: 20.
Hometown: Brooklyn.
How Did You Get With Pro Era?: I am one of the founders.
In Pro Era, I Am The ____: Serious one.
What's Your Rap/performance Style?: My production style is very diverse.
What's Your Secret Talent Or Something We Don't Know About You?: I used to play drums in a rock band.
A La $ole
Name: A La $ole
What Do You Do?: I rap and design. Soon-to-be producer.
Age: 19.
Hometown: Flatbush, Brooklyn.
How Did You Get With Pro Era?: I met Joey at mutual friend's Sweet 16 party.
In Pro Era, I Am The ____: Hot head. If anyone got an issue on the mic, I'm the one to usually solve it. This is competition. We coming for the gold and no one will stop us as far as I'm concerned, word to brother Steelo.
What's Your Rap/performance Style?: Assertive and witty but with a Brooklyn swank. I take my influences from Big L, Jigga, Busta, Nasir and Tical.
What's Your Secret Talent Or Something We Don't Know About You?: I was the head choreographer of the hip-hop department for my high school. I also had my own graphic t-shirt line at the age of 16.
Dyemond Lewis and Rawle (Supa Slackas)
Name: Dyemond Lewis
What Do You Do?: I rap and sing.
Age: 20.
Hometown: Brooklyn.
How Did You Get With Pro Era?: When I was still in high school, Joey, Steez and a few other Pros told me about the genius idea in the auditorium while we were cutting classes. plotting together.
In Pro Era, I Am The ____: Most quiet. I like to be alone, I'm a thinker.
What's Your Rap/performance Style?: I'm impulsive when it comes to music. It has to hit me in that very moment.
What's Your Secret Talent Or Something We Don't Know About You?: I read minds.
Name: Rawle a.k.a. SwankMasterRAW
What Do You Do?: I rap and sing.
Age And Hometown: 18 years old/Brooklyn.
How Did You Get With Pro Era?: I got down through Joey and Dyemond. I was here since the beginning but wasn't a official member until I became hype man for Dye and the rest is history.
In Pro Era, I Am The ____: The quiet one.
What's Your Rap/performance Style?: My wild side come to life. It is a mash up of my emotions and my childhood rap superheros like Busta, ODB and Pac.
What's Your Secret Talent Or Something We Don't Know About You?: I can dance. Even though I do my crazy shit on stage, I am diverse in that part of art.
Nyck Caution
Name: Nyck Caution
What Do You Do?: I rap and shit.
Age: 20.
Hometown: Brooklyn.
How Did You Get With Pro Era?: My senior year of high school after years of already working with Steez. Everything just fell into place at perfect timing.
In Pro Era, I Am The ____: White guy.
What's Your Rap/performance Style?: Raw.
What's Your Secret Talent Or Something We Don't Know About You?: I eat a lot of chicken cutlets, B.
ROKAmouth Singh
Name: ROKAmouth Singh
What Do You Do?: I work with all sorts of material visually. Producing, writing and rapping my own material - seeing what I can form.
Age: 20.
Hometown: Midwood-Flatbush, Brooklyn.
How Did You Get With Pro Era?: I was turning 18 and getting more in touch with my musical side. I was tight with Jamal, Dirty, Joey, Powers and CJ in high school. We were all different in our own ways but each of us had confidence that we would progress in our skills and do something with ourselves other then stepping in to college and starting a 9 to 5.
In Pro Era, I Am The ____: Papa Roka to the ladies.
What's Your Rap/performance Style?: Versatile. I can and will flip it on you.
What's Your Secret Talent Or Something We Don't Know About You?: I can build bikes and draw on broken IKEA furniture.
Dessy Hinds
Name: Dessy Hinds (Ill MC)
What Do You Do?: I rap and song-write.
Age: 20.
Hometown: East Flatbush, Brooklyn, NY.
How Did You Get With Pro Era?: I was making music individually with Joey around 11th-12th grade and transitioned to working with Pro Era from recording sessions for our first project as a group.
In Pro Era, I Am The ____: Philosopher. I'm one of the straightforward and enlightened speakers of the group, whether it's about music, analyzing visual creativity or self-discipline. Even a conversation about women is one I can't deny [that] I know more than enough about.
What's Your Rap/performance Style?: NY State Of Mind: Built upon a profound usage of storytelling and a conscious art of rap form through poetry with an extremely passive-aggressive style. Conceptual yet cohesive and detrimental at any point in time.
What's Your Secret Talent Or Something We Don't Know About You?: I'm a published poet and a soon-to-be-published author and a future Grammy nominee.
Dirty Sanchez
Name: Dirty Sanchez a.k.a. Older Rey Sanchez a.k.a. Dirty
What Do You Do?: I rap, sing, and wanna start producing too pretty soon. But Dirty dont dance.
Age: 20-years-immortal.
Hometown: Black Lagoon.
How Did You Get With Pro Era?: I first wanted to manage Steezy and started talking about building Pro Era. Then, I spit some bars for him he told me to keep rhyming and BAM!
In Pro Era, I Am The ____: Cool, laid back, serious guy but don't rock a suit or tie.
What's Your Rap/performance Style?: 47 shit...Yahhmean?
What's Your Secret Talent Or Something We Don't Know About You?: Chill. That's a $ecret.
Kirk Knight
Name: Kirk Knight
What Do You Do?: I rap and produce.
Age: I don't believe in age.
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY.
How Did You Get With Pro Era?: I got down with Pro Era when I was 15. Joey brought me in, introduced me to Steez and it was solid from there.
In Pro Era, I Am The ____: Mysterious one.
What's Your Rap/performance Style?: Knight fights
What's Your Secret Talent Or Something We Don't Know About You?: I know how to step.
CJ Fly
Name: CJ Fly
What Do You Do?: I rap and am improving my other skills.
Age: 20.
Hometown: Bedstuy, Brooklyn, NY.
How Did You Get With Pro Era?: I'm one of the founding fathers of Pro Era.
In Pro Era, I Am The ____: Big brother and sargeant.
What's Your Rap/performance Style?: Universal
What's Your Secret Talent Or Something We Don't Know About You?: Cooking
Joey Bada$$
Name: Joey Bada$$ aka Jozif Badmon Tingz
What Do You Do?: I rap, produce and inspire.
Age: 19.
Hometown: East Flatbush, Brooklyn but raised in Bed Stuy.
How Did You Get With Pro Era?: I been down with Pro Era since day one. A founding father.
In Pro Era, I Am The ____: Head honcho. A leader amongst leaders.
What's Your Rap/performance Style?: One of the illest flows in hip-hop TODAY. See '1999'.
What's Your Secret Talent Or Something We Don't Know About You?: Gotta keep it sacred.