Today we’d like to introduce you to Erik Bothazy
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
P.R.E.A.C.H. “Peacefully Respect Everyone Amongst Continuous Hate”
is the acronym best used to describe this Romanian Born/American Raised International Recording Artist.
Diversity has never been a factor in terms of P.R.E.A.C.H’s fan base. His easy to love and charismatic persona is truly contagious.
P.R.E.A.C.H.’s natural talent of songwriting and performing have always been some of his most notable highlights, thus making him an asset in the world of music landing him on stage alongside world renowned artists such as:
Jelly Roll, Tech N9ne, Machine Gun Kelly, Bone Thugs N Harmony & many more.
His love for music keeps him grounded, yet his hunger keeps him fueled and ever evolving.
Challenging himself every step of the way, P.R.E.A.C.H. continues down his “journey road” reshaping, re-branding, and solidifying his sound as what he refers to as:
The three R’s…
“Resilience, Reinvention & Redirection.
His message is sure to touch the heart of his listeners as he breaks it down into a few simple words.
“Stay true to you” and remember “AF1FA” All For One, One For All – P.R.E.A.C.H.
Early on:
I cut my first recording on cassette tape at the age of 14 back in 1999. My biggest inspiration was a group from Cleveland Ohio by the name of Bone Thugs N Harmony.
My journey road led me to where I’m at today by getting out into my community and shaking hands with everyone that I came into contact with. Persistence was always the key and my passion was my driving force.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has not been a smooth road. From falling for the empty promises and dealing with “janky promoters” one begins to learn from his or her mistakes quickly. The biggest blow that i was dealt is that I lost my best friend and music mate on Jan. 6th 2019 which is coincidentally the same day as my Birthday.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am originally from Oradea, a city in western Romania about seven miles from the border of Hungary. P.R.E.A.C.H., along with his parents and sister, immigrated to south St. Louis in 1991.
After moving to St. Louis, P.R.E.A.C.H. quickly became interested in music — hip-hop especially. I started recording his own songs when he was fourteen and has since independently released over 12 albums. Summer of ’93 is really when I got introduced to the music realm around me. It was through a music channel called The Box. That’s when I really fell in love, especially with hip-hop. I’m a fan of everything, but hip-hop really took over in ’93.
I’ve had the pleasure to feature and perform along side artists as Tech N9ne, Bone Thugs N Harmony, Jelly Roll, Machine Gun Kelly, Afroman, E 40, Rittz, Gorilla Zoe, and a slur of others,
I am most proud of the positive impact that I have made through my music within my community, city, state and places around the globe.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Success to me is a feeling of being content, and living your life to it’s full potential, knowing that you have solidified your life and that your paving footsteps for generations to come.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.preachstl.com
- Instagram: @preachstl
- Facebook: @preachstl
- Twitter: @preachstl
- Youtube: PREACHSTL
Image Credits
Photo credit Christopher Wills
