Soph moonlights as musicians' manager

Wharton sophomore Evan Reynolds believes he’s about to hit it big. And with his clients — two high-school hip-hop artists — performing in front of thousands of screaming fans every weekend, his prediction might not be far from the truth.

Reynolds is the manager for DeQuincy “Moosh” McRae and Oliver “Twist” Feighan, two high-school students from Philadelphia who have formed a hip-hop duo called Moosh & Twist: OCD.

In the past year, Moosh & Twist’s most popular music video received more than 200,000 views on YouTube. The pair also recorded in Philadelphia Recording Studio ­— “The Studio” ­— in Philadelphia, where clients include Justin Timberlake, Kanye West and Will Smith.

While many labels have reached out to the high-school seniors, contracts are still in the works, Reynolds said.

Reynolds, who came to Wharton expecting to put in hours at Huntsman Hall, is planning to take a leave of absence next year to manage the group.

“Right now, I’m only taking three courses,” he said. “This is an opportunity that only presents itself once.”

Part of the duo’s appeal is their youth. “It’s now or never,” he said.

“We’re going to push this thing 110 percent and see where it takes us,” Feighan said.

While Reynold’s Wharton classes have taught him about marketing and management, managing artists’ careers requires natural instinct and aggressiveness, he said.

He “does everything” for Moosh & Twist, from negotiating contracts to talking to the labels, he said.

Reynolds met McRae and Feighan in the fall of 2009, through his friend, College sophomore Brad Presant, who grew up with the artists.

“It started off with Evan just recognizing their talent and wanting to help them out,” Presant said.

Last September, “things blew up,” Reynolds said. “I realized that music would be a big part of my life, and now it’s a 24/7 job.”

Come October, Moosh & Twist produced their first offical music video “Live It Up.” The number of e-mails and messages from Facebook fans sky-rocketed, according to Reynolds. In December, they launched an even more successful video — “City Kids” — which garnered over 200,000 views on YouTube.

“We began having shows every weekend,” Reynolds said.

The duo’s popularity stems from its “unique product” and “unmatched energy,” he added, saying that the “OCD” part of their name represents the fact that they’re obsessed with music.

“Their lyrics are really smart, and their metaphors are unbelievable,” Presant said, adding that they appeal to wide range of fans.

Their verses include “life is movin’ fast so I’m rushin’ (Russian) like a Soviet” and “so I volunteer ball like Wayne Chism.”

Although they have been paid for their gigs, they are “not focused on money at all,” Reynolds said, adding that they have been saving their profits to pay for airfare for future shows.

Moosh & Twist: OCD will be launching a mixtape — Up Before the World — on March 7th.

“Fans can expect the sound we’ve been bringing,” McRae said. “But on steroids.”

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