Champtown
| Champtown | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Brian Harmon |
| Origin | Detroit, Michigan, US |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Labels | Straight Jacket |
| Associated acts | |
Brian Harmon, better known by his stage name Champtown, is an American rapper, disc jockey, film director and teacher from Detroit, Michigan. Founder of the Straight Jacket independent record label, Champtown is known for helping establish the careers of a number of Detroit hip hop artists, including Kid Rock and Eminem. He has also worked with Ice-T, Rev Run, Public Enemy and Uncle Kracker. He is currently producing a documentary film, The Untold Story of Detroit Hip Hop, which will be narrated by Chuck D and feature interviews with notable Detroit rappers.
Harmon grew up in the Fairport neighborhood, and attended Detroit Boys and Girls Club with the drug dealers Best Friends. Attending the Boys and Girls Club, Harmon was the subject of much racism. Harmon's older half brother, John, took him to his first hip hop music concert, the Fresh Fest, at the age of 8, leading Harmon to become enamored with the genre. In the second grade, Harmon met future rapper Esham, and the two performed together at open mic events at Seafood Bay. In one occurrence, Harmon and Esham were forced to rap for a drug dealer at gunpoint. Although he was kicked out of high school, Harmon earned his GED at the age of 15, and began a professional music career. Through his manager, local DJ Blackman, Harmon became friends with a young Kid Rock, and was a member of the local hip hop group The Beast Crew, with Blackman, KDC, Chris "Doc Roun-Cee" Pouncy and Kid Rock. The Beast Crew split after Kid Rock signed with Jive Records, and Harmon formed the Straight Jacket independent record label in 1990. The label operates under a strong DIY ethic.
Harmon helped Eminem with his earliest recordings as part of Bassmint Productions, and Eminem made his music video debut in Harmon's 1992 video for "Do-Da-Dipity", but they later had a falling out, resulting in Soul Intent, Eminem's group that Champtown had been a part of, producing the record "Fuckin' Backstabber". A later Harmon video, "Bang Bang Boogie", featured appearances by Chuck D and Flavor Flav of Public Enemy. In 2001, Straight Jacket signed a national distribution deal with Sumthing Distribution. In 2005, Harmon wrote the song "I Used to Think I Was Run" for Rev Run's solo album Distortion.
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