Control Freak Music presents maitreya... 

On June 4th, '07, maitreya became the first ever Hip Hop artist to raise US $50,000 from Believers on SellaBand.com to record his debut solo album Close To Home.  SellaBand.com  is a revolutionary music site that links unsigned artists with top-notch recording facilities.  Close To Home was produced by maitreya & The Silence (UK) and mastered at Universal Mastering Studios New York by legendary Vlado Meller (Kanye West, Public Enemy, Run DMC...).  maitreya began his career as a founding member of live Hip Hop band, Nilstate, which gained a cult-like following around Christchurch, New Zealand, with a reputation for explosive performances.  He moved to Auckland, New Zealand in '96 and joined the crew Dark Tower who took the nation by storm in the summer of '00, touring to sold-out venues throughout the country. 

In '03, maitreya took his skills to the Mecca of Hip Hop, New York City, where he  secured an internship at Roc-a-Fella Records (Jay-Z).  For the next two years, he worked for Roc-a-Fella and immersed himself in New York's OpenMic scene, eventually getting his own show Illegal in and around the Lower East Side.  In '06 maitreya hit SellaBand.com with a fresh repertoire of songs, crowd-sourcing 50K in just 7 months.   The result is the stunning debut Close To Home, an album that takes you on a journey into the life and times of a kid from Christchurch, NZ, who never gave up chasing the dream. 

Set for release in New Zealand in April 2010, Close To Home’s single releases have garnered two Silver Scroll nominations and two Maori Music Awards nominations in ‘09.  Since his return to New Zealand, maitreya has toured extensively with King Kapisi, Teremoana Rapley, Tha Feelstyle and Scalper and is set to release his next single Sin City ft. Awa (Nesian Mysitik) in February 2010.