Gramatik

Denis Jašarević, known professionally as Gramatik, was born on October 19, 1984, in Portorož, SR Slovenia, then part of SFR Yugoslavia. His interest in music began at age three, listening to funk, jazz, soul, and blues. Later, he was influenced by hip hop artists such as DJ Premier and Dr. Dre. At 13, he started producing hip-hop music on a PC. His career trajectory accelerated when he began sharing his tracks through the online music store Beatport, which helped him gain recognition in the United States and Europe, ultimately leading to him securing his first US agent.

After signing with his agency, Jašarević relocated to New York City. He released his debut studio album, “Expedition 44,” in July 2008, followed by “Street Bangerz Vol. 1” in December 2008. “SB1” spent six months on Beatport’s Top 100 Chill Out chart, a significant achievement for a hip-hop album on the platform. A year later, he signed with Pretty Lights Music, becoming the label’s first new artist. This affiliation reinforced his belief in a fee-free music model, and he openly supported digital piracy as a beneficial factor in his career, citing his EP “#digitalfreedom” as a statement against internet censorship bills like ACTA, SOPA, and PIPA.

In 2013, Gramatik left Pretty Lights Music to establish his own record label, Lowtemp Recordings. The label, named to signify “cool” music, has since featured artists like Exmag, ILLUMNTR, Gibbz, BRANX, and Russ Liquid. In 2014, he reissued his initial seven albums, including the “Street Bangerz” series, under the Lowtemp label with updated artwork. A notable milestone occurred on November 9, 2017, when Gramatik launched his own cryptocurrency, GRMTK, raising $2.48 million (7500 ETH) in under 24 hours. This made him one of the first artists to tokenize intellectual property, using blockchain technology.