Fantasy A

Alexander Leroy Hubbard (born May 23, 1993), better known by his stage name Fantasy A, is an American rapper from Seattle, Washington working in the hip hop genre, as well as a songwriter, actor, and author. He is best known for his extensive guerrilla marketing and performance in the film Fantasy A Gets a Mattress.

Fantasy A
Fantasy A starring in Fantasy A Gets a Mattress
Born
Alexander Leroy Hubbard

(1993-05-23) May 23, 1993
Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • actor
  • songwriter
  • producer
  • author
Years active2014–present
Musical career
OriginSeattle, Washington, U.S.
Genres
Instrument(s)Vocals

Early life

Fantasy A was born in Seattle, Washington, where he was diagnosed with autism at the age of three.[1] He attended Thurgood Marshall Elementary as well as Cleveland High School (Seattle) before graduating from The Center School (Seattle, Washington) in 2011. While in high school he gained an interest in literature and wrote three books later published as School Rich (2012), Life in the Eyes of an Autistic Person (2012), and Life in the World of Gabe Fabens and Sage the Scholar (2013).

Career

In the mid-2010s Fantasy A began to gain notice in the Seattle area for his guerrilla promotional campaigns where he would cover every neighborhood in posters for his books and music. The campaigns were so extensive that it was covered by both The Stranger (newspaper) and the Seattle Weekly.[2][3][4] In 2017 Fantasy A starred in the short film Fantasy A Gets Jacked, which marked the start of his work in film.[5] In 2019 he became a reoccurring guest on KJR-FM's The Wake Up Show where he reviewed movies.

In 2023 Fantasy A starred in the feature film Fantasy A Gets a Mattress, based loosely on his life and sections of his memoir.[6][7] The film gained a cult following, winning Best Narrative Feature at the Seattle Black Film Festival before going on to a sell out a twenty-screening-long run at The Beacon Cinema. The film continued to sell out screenings at festivals and indie cinemas[8][9][10]—three times at Grand Illusion Cinema, three times at Central Cinema, at the Seattle International Film Festival Film Center during Northwest Folklife Festival, at the opening night screening at Northwest Film Forum's Local Sightings Film Festival, and at the opening night screenings at the Tacoma Film Festival.[11][12][13][14][15] The film also opened the Silent City Film Festival in Ithaca, New York and won Best Narrative Feature at Local Sightings Film Festival, as well as Best PNW Narrative Feature at the Tacoma Film Festival.

Discography
Albums
  • Fantasy A Has Gone Irish Green (2014)
  • Summer in Seattle (2014)
  • Fantasy A Has Come 2 Seatown (2014)
  • Enter Da World of Fantasyania (2016)
Singles
  • Be My Seattle Sweetheart (2015)
  • Loyal Fan Rick (2021)
  • Gotta Love Dick's (2021)

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes Ref(s)
2016 Fantasy A Gets Jacked Himself Short
2023 Fantasy A Gets a Mattress Himself [16]

External links[edit]

References
Citations
  1. Staff, MyNorthwest (2017-01-30). "Autistic Seattle musician explains how he remains optimistic". MyNorthwest.com. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
  2. Lewis, David (March 8, 2017). "Fantasy A's Strange Journey Through Seattle's Housing Crisis". The Seattle Weekly. Seattle, Washington. Archived from the original on September 24, 2023. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  3. Josephes, Jason (April 1, 2015). "Meet Fantasy A—the Rapper/Writer Whose Flyers Are All Over Town". The Stranger. Seattle, Washington. Archived from the original on September 24, 2023. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  4. Keimig, Jas (August 14, 2023). "'Fantasy A Gets a Mattress' Captures the Surreality of Being an Artist in Seattle". South Seattle Emerald. Seattle, Washington. Archived from the original on September 25, 2023. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
  5. Wing, Jennifer (November 30, 2019). "Fantasy A's fantasy is a stable home in Seattle: Sound Effect, Episode 159.5". KNKX-FM. Seattle, Washington. Archived from the original on September 24, 2023. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  6. Riggs, Keely (September 2, 2023). "Smokestack Goes Film Festing Looking At Your Town Thru Independent Film". Kitsap Smokestack. Bremerton, Washington. Archived from the original on September 29, 2023. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  7. Wickersham, Hailee (August 23, 2023). "The Tacoma Film Festival is Back". South Sound Magazine. Tacoma, Washington. Archived from the original on September 29, 2023. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  8. Janavel, A. J. (2023-07-13). "Film about local rapper with autism living in Seattle keeps selling out shows". FOX 13 Seattle. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
  9. Amenn, Joan (August 27, 2023). "Review: Fantasy A Gets a Mattress". In Their Own League. Seattle, Washington. Archived from the original on September 25, 2023. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
  10. Davis, Mike (June 30, 2023). "Mike's adventures in art: 'Solaris,' 'Formation,' 'Fantasy A'". KUOW-FM. Seattle, Washington. Archived from the original on September 25, 2023. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
  11. Davis, Mike; Denkmann, Libby (September 14, 2023). "'Fantasy A Gets a Mattress': Local low-budget movie gains momentum in Seattle". KUOW. Seattle, Washington. Archived from the original on September 24, 2023. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  12. Hutchinson, Chase (September 12, 2023). "A Seattle rapper takes center stage in 'Fantasy A Gets a Mattress'". Seattle Times. Seattle, Washington. Archived from the original on September 24, 2023. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  13. Walker, Meghan (August 23, 2023). "Ballard film producer releases feature-length movie about an autistic rapper in Seattle: 'Fantasy A Gets a Mattress'". My Ballard. Seattle, Washington. Archived from the original on September 25, 2023. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
  14. Yussuf, Mohamud (July 5, 2023). "Autistic Rapper, Six Days Sold Out Movie Screenings". Runta Somali News Magazine. Seattle, Washington. Archived from the original on September 25, 2023. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
  15. Mesa, Natalia (October 18, 2023). "A new film asks: how do you make art in a city you can't afford?". High Country Magazine. Denver, Colorado. Archived from the original on October 18, 2023. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
  16. "Seattle rapper's mattress search takes center stage in joyous film". The Seattle Times. 2023-09-12. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.