When your name is Press'd, (pronounced Pressed) it's easy to see why there's so much passion behind the things you do.   A sense of urgency and importance is exactly what started developing in Michael Hanna aka Press'd while growing up in (Chilltown) Jersey City, NJ.  A love for music and sports formed at an early age and no matter how hard he tried to suppress it, he kept being drawn to create music that was meant to be thought provoking.  He grew up listening to artists like Rakim, O.C., Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane, but his biggest musical influence came from fellow Jersey City native, producer/artist Chop Diesel of Dream Team Productions.

 

Press'd and his longtime friends started a rap group that generated enough of a buzz to win a talent showcase which awarded them with a single deal.  The deal eventually fell through and shortly after the group begin to separate.  Prior to the group breaking up, Press'd had already found himself at the crossroads of his life as he struggled with the decision of serving God or continue living for himself. 

 

Press'd decided to give his life over to the Lord and in the process of time a radical change took place causing him to totally disconnect from the hip-hop culture and rap music as a whole.   After about a four year hiatus he slowly started feeling inspired to create music again, except this time the content was about a message of hope and the motive was no longer driven by self gratification.  He had already begun writing songs as a solo artists when fellow artist and longtime friend Jerz approached him about forming their own label back in 2007.   In 2008,  Press'd grabbed hold of the vision and became Co-Founder of  L.O.W. Records, LLC.

 

While helping to execute the plans for the newly found label Press'd was hired for a full-time position at Warner Music Group.  He worked professionally at WMG and was able to establish relationships with music industry veterans while also being exposed to the organization and daily functions of a Major Label.  He left WMG after three years but the valuable experiences he gained was constantly being applied to help build a foundation for L.O.W. Records.

 

Press'd has released a variety of free and exclusive songs plus he has collaborated with other artists in the genre.  His songs have been featured on mixtapes, radio shows and some of the largest Christian Music websites like Rapzilla, DaSouth, NewH2O, etc.  He's taken the stage at various events up and down the Northeast.  In 2013, he won two awards at the Fire Fest Reloaded Music Festival in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.  Most recently, he released a new single titled "Heaven Hear Me" featuring his label mate  Aaron Coleman has received a great public response such as winning "Best Inspirational Song" at the Hip-Hop Junky Radio awards show.  Press'd released his newest song "Come & Go" in honor of his deceased mother on her birthday (July 22, 2014). Although his role is Co-Founder of L.O.W., he continues to write for various features and his own debut album.