so just wanted to get this up, this is the official press release that is going around with some background info about Maitreya.  He is an interesting guy and I am very much looking forward to working with him :)

NZ HIP-HOP ARTIST MAITREYA. LIVE AT CLUB CIXI, HONG KONG

Dig Deep Entertainment is excited to announce the LIVE music video shoot and album promotion by acclaimed New York based, Kiwi Hip Hop artist MAITREYA, supported by DJ Tee at the recently refurbished, Club Cixi in Central on Saturday, 30th August.

MAITREYA has always wowed audiences and caused a stir in the Hip-Hop World, be it working for Jay-Z's Roc-a-Fella R ecords in New York, performing to sold-out audiences in New Zealand or making history by becoming the first artist and New Zealander to earn USD50k to cut a record via www.sellaband.com.

MAITREYA joins us on the final leg of his tour after rocking clubs in Europe & the US promoting his stunning debut album 'CLOSE TO HOME' (produced by UK's The Silence and mastered by Vlado Meller - Universal Studios, New York) which has received critical acclaim around the world.

Whilst here, Digger T Mesch from Dig Deep Entertainment will be directing 2 music videos for MAITREYA, one of which will be during his live performance at Club Cixi on Saturday, August 30th. So, if you haven't been in a music video before, now's your chance to get downright Drum and Bass dirty and let this contemporary hero soothe your soul and shake your shoes as he hijack's the boogie and plays an eclectic set that will force another refurbishment of the establishment. MAITREYA IS IN THE HOUSE!!

MAITREYA - Hip Hop Artist

Hailing from Christchurch, New Zealand, and now based in New York, Maitreya is an MC with a passion to renew the faith of Hip Hop.

He began his career as a founding member of Hip Hop band, NILSTATE, which gained a cult-like following around Christchurch, New Zealand, with a reputation for unpredictable and explosive performances.

In 1996, he moved to Auckland and joined DARK TOWER who took the nation by storm in the summer of 2000, touring to sold out venues across New Zealand.

In 2003, Maitreya took his skills to New York, where he secured an internship at Jay-Z's Roc-a-Fella Records. For the next two years, he worked for Roc-a-Fella and immersed himself in New York's Open Mic scene, eventually getting his own show "Illegal" in and around the Lower East Side.

In 2006, Maitreya hit SellaBand.com with a fresh repertoire of songs, and in only seven months crowd-sourced US$50,000 to make his debut album; the first hip hop artist to raise funds this way. SellaBand.com is a revolutionary music site that links unsigned artists with top notch recording facilities.

The result is "Close To Home", a stunning debut album. Maitreya brings back the art of honest and beautiful storytelling and takes you on a journey into the life and times of a kid from Christchurch, New Zealand, who never gave up chasing the dream.

"Close To Home" was mastered at Universal Mastering Studios New York by the skillful The Silence, and produced by legendary Vlado Meller (Kanye West, Public Enemy, and Run DMC). The result is an impressively eclectic body of work delivered by an artist with a rare and unmistakable honesty. Maitreya hijacks the boogie, soothes the soul and at times gets downright Drum n Bass dirty, with his soulful melodies punctuated by tight, head nodding beats and rhymes.

"Close To Home" takes you on a journey through sound into the tragedies and victories of an everyday hero who has taken his craft from Christchurch, New Zealand, to stages in New York, Hong Kong, London and Amsterdam.

The album is available for download from his website www.oneloveandlight.com.

Maitreya is currently in Hong Kong to film two music videos for international release.