M.C. Brainz (born James DeShannon Davis) was born in Cleveland, Ohio on May 24th. Born with a love for music and a talent for performing, Brainz grew up knowing he wanted to be an M.C. He performed anywhere and for anyone who wanted to listen to him; but Brainz had to face a few life struggles to get there. After the loss of his brother and stepfather; Brainz, by the age of 13, had found his comfort in the streets. He was gang banging, drug dealing, and losing friends left and right. He was saved just in the nick of time. One day as at the age of 16 everything changed overnight for Brainz. 

 

A friend who worked at the local Dennys called Brainz's mother to let her know that Michael Bivins (of New Edition fame) and his entourage were dining at the restaurant. At roughly about 2 a.m. Brainz mother woke him up and they were off to Denny's to take a leap of faith. After mama's quick introduction to Biv's security, Brainz was freestylin in the parking lot of the Denny's for Biv and the next month he was on airplane to L.A. As Brainz puts it; it was just like Trading Places. He was on the Sunset Strip donning new clothes, meeting beautiful women and riding in luxe cars. He is now part of Michael Bivin's Biv 10; and now James DeShannon Davis is MC Brains. MC Brains 1st major performance was at The Apollo in 1992. He was added to the roster with Boyz II Men and ABC at the very last minute. His single had not yet been released. He gets on the stage and performs "Oochie Coochie La La La" and gets a standing ovation. After that astounding performance, Motown Records calls and they want his album completed in 30 days. In 1992, MC Brains 1st CD release entitled Lovers Lane on Biv10/Motown went gold and his 1st single Oochie Coochie went platinum. This album also birth to billboard charting songs entitled "Everybody's Talkin About M.C. Brains" featuring Val Young of the Mary Jane girls and followed by "Brainstormin" featuring Boyz 2 Men. Now he is Ohio's 1st platinum rap artist. 

 

Brainz has also performed at the famous Dick Clarks New Years Rockin Eve event, then on to touring the United States, Canada, Japan, and Europe. He presented at the Soul Train Music Awards and hosted shows like Yo! MTV Raps. MC Brains graced the covers of many urban music publications; including Black Beat and Word Up! Magazines. The women fell in love with his ability to lyrically woo them with his hiphop/ranb style.

 

He released his second album on Ichiban Records; an Indie-label out of Atl. It was a new experience coming out independently for Brainz at that time, with pretty much no promotion. Still doing what he loves to do, he traveled and did shows to promote the album. Even though sales weren't like the first time around, he was able to generate significant revenue. A real M.C. stay sharp in his craft and that's just what he did. While still working in the studio and performing spot dates, he decided to focus more on DeShannon, family, and life as a man at whatever cost. Now a grown man that has been though a lot more than the average man his age, he understands his role and purpose in life. Juggling normal life and life as an entertainer, this gave him a sense of reality as a writer. Releasing a few underground albums and mixtapes during this time to feed his hunger for writing and recording. Also during this time he landed a few leading roles in some major stages plays and a couple supporting roles in some independent films.

 

Now Brainz is not only focused on being a recording artist anymore but embracing his full brand. He has transformed into a great producer, engineer, actor, philanthropists, and mentor to up and coming artists. Brainz is also very proactive in the communiy and the betterment of our future leaders. His latest HUGE accomplishment is his now famous Chuck Taylors being placed into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame and crowed “Cleveland’s First Platinum Rap Artist” at the end of 2019! In all actuality he’s the whole state of Ohio’s first. Yep, this means Brainz is the first rap artist to sell a million plus copies in his home state! His new album will be ready for release spring/summer 2024. This means back on the road lighting up the stage then transforming it into a smooth romantic mood at the same time. Brainz has and can coexists on a hip hop or randb ticket… even pop!

 

When you look up the word "resilience" in the dictionary you should see this man's picture next to the definition. So much more to come from this legend.