Gemstones (rapper)
| Demarco Castle | |
|---|---|
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| Born |
Demarco Lamonte Castle June 20, 1981 Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Other names | Gemstones Gemini |
| Spouse(s) | Annie E. Castle (m. 2009) |
| Musical career | |
| Origin | Freeport, Illinois, United States |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 2001–present |
| Labels |
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| Associated acts |
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Demarco Lamonte Castle (born June 20, 1981), also known as Gemstones, is an American singer, rapper and songwriter from Chicago, Illinois. He is most well known for his affiliation with fellow Chicago artist Lupe Fiasco.
Formerly under the stage name Gemini, Castle began his hip hop career through Lupe Fiasco’s Atlantic Records imprint, 1st and 15th Entertainment, where he was set to release his debut album, Troubles of the World, in early 2009. The album has since been delayed indefinitely due to his departure from mainstream hip hop and the discontinuation of 1st and 15th Entertainment. After a brief hiatus, Castle returned to the underground hip hop scene and has since signed to Xist Music as he pursues a career in Christian hip hop. Under his new label, Castle released his debut album, Blind Elephant, in 2015.
Castle was raised in Jeffrey Manor/ South C on Chicago’s tough South Side. Castle derives from a family where music was a heavy influence, sounds of R&B, Jazz and even Funk all influenced Castle’s musical development. As a student in Bowen High Schools’ visual and performing and arts program, Castle excelled and learned to develop his outstanding musical talents.
After graduation from Bowen, Castle met the then unknown rappers Lupe Fiasco and the late Stack Bundles. Fiasco who had his own record company, 1st and 15th Entertainment, was tremendously impressed by Castle’s rapping and singing abilities and in 2001 he decided to sign Castle to his label.
In 2001, Castle was signed to Lupe Fiasco's label imprint, 1st and 15th Entertainment, performing under the stage name of Gemini. Castle's first mainstream hip hop exposure came in September 2006 with the release of Lupe Fiasco's highly anticipated debut album Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor. Out of the sixteen tracks on the album Castle was featured on five of them, including standout tracks “He Say She Say” and “Pressure” also featuring Jay-Z. Later in 2006, Castle was given the opportunity of headlining the soundtrack for the MTV special “My Block: Chicago”, where he released a video for his debut single “Got What You Need”.
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