The man LA Weekly has referred to as "a born hustler" is no stranger to hard work in the face of adversity. Yet at first look you would never know the hardships and turmoil he’s had to face and overcome. And that’s the way he would have it. Growing up in Little Rock Arkansas, Hunter made a name for himself for all the wrong reasons, losing years of his life to bad decisions and what he calls trying to “fit in” with his surroundings. Only after accepting his uncanny ability to “stand out” was he able to find purpose and change his life through music. The following is just the beginning of a very real success story.

Hunter began recording his first album, Scars, in December 2006. Countless magazine articles and covers followed hailing his talent. In his first music review, Free Press writer Rachel Thompson wrote, “Imagine a fusion of the intelligence and realness of hip-hop with the proclaimed flashiness of rap. Hunter Beard is a lyrical mastermind who has a style that is refreshingly unique.” Within only two months after Hunter’s release, his first single, “Want It With Us,” was introduced to the radio by Power 92 Jams on their segment “Pump It Or Dump It”— receiving 100 percent votes to “Pump It” from station fans. This led to the song’s placement in rotation at Power 92 Jams and Hot 96.5, as well as stations in Oklahoma, Alabama and Louisiana (all Clear Channel Networks) reaching a total of 200 BDS spins in addition to “drops” and live radio interviews.

Since then Hunter has performed hundreds of shows from headlining spots at Hollywood's famed venues such as The Whisky A Go Go, Troubadour, The Viper Room and Key Club to festivals such as SXSW , Vivacity and even Sundance Film Festival. He has been featured on countless mixtapes, and his single, “Get Hypnotized,” is featured on, The Music Hustle 3, album along with artists Lil Wayne, Too Short, and Ying Yang Twins. A second song of his entitled “I Came For You” was recently introduced to the radio on Power 92 Jams making him the only hip-hop artist out of Arkansas to have had two songs on the radio. In 2014 Hunter started his own record label, Lion Pride Music Group, with fellow artist Keddy Mac and is set to release his first album on the label in 2015.

Hunter Beard has etched his place as one of America's successful independent musicians and has the talent, style, and marketability to be a worldwide platinum selling artist. It is safe to say he has come quite a long way since his humble beginnings, but that is to be expected from an artist who regards himself as a workaholic. As Thompson has proclaimed in the Free Press, “Hunter Beard is one of the most promising unsigned artists in the hip-hop scene and has the talent and potential to be the best thing that hip-hop has ever known.”