Alex Smith aka Ivry Tusk is not your typical Louisville rapper, so much so that he doesn’t even like being call a rapper. He thinks of himself as an artist, but after one conversation with him I realized that he is even more than just that. Ivry Tusk is an artist, a teacher, and a lover.
Born and raised in Louisville, Alex started performing music at 12. He said he always knew he would make it. He initiated his music career by making parodies to popular rap songs then later went into writing his own lyrics onto those beats which would allow him to grow as an artist. Around that same time he found his first love.
Though his romantic love dissipated after four years his love for music kept growing. He began to explore its different sides, learning about new genres and befriending other artists along the way. Going to a private Jewish elementary and middle school made him shy when he finally made the transition into public school but he held onto music, which in turn, introduced him to some of his closest friends. None of those friends, however, could compare to the friend he found in music. Alex said, “Music is my best friend. It’s the only friend I have that always listens, it don’t say nothin’, just listens to what I wanna say.”
After a while, Alex began honing his skills and was given the name Ivry Tusk by a close friend, who referenced it to the ivory in an elephant’s tusks. Little did he know that he would have to show the strength his name portrayed in years to come with some of the hardships he faced. He pushed through death of family members, failing out of college, and even being homeless for a period of time. Through everything, he kept speaking to the music.
Now at 20, he continues to speak, hoping to teach every generation life lessons that can, maybe, make the world a little better and to be remembered as one of the greatest. With his newest mix tape “This is for You” just released and his older music still spreading like wildfire all over the internet, Ivry continues to send positive subliminal messages into the airwaves. He is a prime example that greatness is a process, not an event, and that the love for music and save lives and makes an impact on the world.
More Ivry Tusk:
www.facebook.com/ivrytusk
www.youtube.com/ivry502
New Mixtape:
To Preview: http://www.datpiff.com/Ivry-This-Is-For-You-mixtape.195289.html
To purchase:
Sole Foundation
8026 New La Grange Road
Louisville, KY 40222
