Crossover Music Collaborations Fuel Tomorrow's Fandom

American rapper, singer and songwriter Gaon turned a health injury into a booming career in the music industry. In 2011, the Chicago artist suffered a debilitating brain injury that permanently impaired cognitive function. Gaon had to drop out of high school to recuperate at home, but also suffered from severe visual impairments, unable to read or look at a screen.

Gawne says she wrote music as therapy while dealing with her grief and got an unexpected surprise. NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal (often referred to as Shaq) sent him an Instagram DM asking for the collaboration, and the pair released the single and video for "Chaos" together late last year. O'Neill surprised Gawn with a customized Rolls Royce.

Dubbed "hip-hop's next hottest rapper" by O'Neal, Gawne inspired "Chaos" to be a motivational track to work hard against all odds. These crossover collaborations are a great opportunity for emerging and established artists to embrace new creativity and connect with fans.

“I never expected to get into music, let alone rap,” said Gaon, who graduated from high school and majored in accounting and marketing at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. "I stayed with music and it took me about eight years to get something out of it."

A few days after the couple met, Gaon flew to Miami with his team to conceptualize and shoot a music video under the direction of Collective Films. The Rolls Royce that O'Neal gave him was inspired by someone who played a certain role in the film.

Known for his fast, technical style and cinematic storytelling, Gawne has earned over 350 million streams of his music. The rapper has also collaborated with artist Tech N9ne and appeared on NPR, NBC and ABC. In 2020, he joined Grammy-nominated rapper D. for Paramount's Infinite . Wrote Smoke's lead single, "I'm Alive" featuring Mark Wahlberg.

"Me and Shaq have a good friendship, we talk every day and it looks like we're going to make more music together," says Gawn. "He said he opened his Instagram and I was at the top of his research page and he had to contact me. I'm proud to be the first one to bring him back to being a rapper."

Destined to be the best rapper possible, Gawne has already surpassed doctors' expectations. She said she sees her victories as an inspiration to others living with similar treatments. And he uses every musical moment and opportunity to inspire others to persevere through obstacles and challenges in their lives.

"When I discovered Gawne's music, it was too good to pass up," says O'Neill. "I love to see real artists shine, so I sent him an album and the rest is history. Trust me, I know a star when I see one and this kid will win a Grammy one day."

The rise of cross-collaboration supports streaming platforms like Spotify, which connect artists from different genres, regions and career paths to create new songs and ultimately capture the attention of fans. Cross-collaboration combines old beats and creates new audiences by connecting different music genres and fan bases.

According to Spotify, 75% of artists involved in Top 40 crossovers over the past 12 years saw at least a 10% increase in their catalog's total streams six months after releasing a collaboration compared to six months earlier . A few months ago. More than half of artists grew at least 50% over the same period, while 30% grew 100% or more.

AMPYRE - Ampyre EP