Growing up in Ashtabula, Ohio, about 45 minutes east of Cleveland, Brody Merlot was introduced to music at an early age. Raised in the church, music was already a major part of his life before he ever considered becoming an artist. At just eight years old, he was playing drums and traveling with choirs, learning the importance of rhythm, performance and being part of something bigger than himself.
Basketball was another major part of Brody’s childhood. Like many young athletes, he had dreams of taking his game as far as it could go. A knee injury changed that path, but it also created room for another passion to take center stage. He played one year of Division III basketball before transferring to Xavier University in Cincinnati.
It was in Cincinnati where Brody truly began locking in on music.
Originally performing under the name Da 3rd Element, he started developing himself as an MC, performing regularly and becoming part of Cincinnati’s growing hip-hop community. But his relationship with music had started long before that.
Writing became an outlet for Brody during a difficult period in his life. He began writing poetry as a way to deal with depression and express things he didn’t always know how to say out loud. Growing up in Ashtabula, he saw firsthand how limited opportunities could be. For many people around him, the options seemed to come down to working in a factory or selling drugs.
For Brody, writing became another way out.
Those poems eventually evolved into hip-hop, bringing together the music he grew up around and the stories he carried with him.
His musical influences came from different corners. Slick Rick’s storytelling caught his attention early, while Zapp & Roger represented the Ohio funk tradition that was already part of his musical DNA. Cam’ron and Dipset also became major influences, especially when Cam began shouting out Ohio cities like Dayton, Youngstown, Cleveland and Cincinnati on records.
Hearing his own region represented in hip-hop meant something.
Those influences helped shape the artist Brody would eventually become—one rooted in storytelling, personality, soul, funk and pride in where he came from.
Cincinnati became more than just a place where Brody went to school. It became the city where he built himself as an artist.
One of the most important places during that time was Baba Budan’s, also known as Bearcat Cafe. For Brody and many other artists, it became a central meeting place for Cincinnati’s hip-hop community. He compares it to The Shelter from 8 Mile, with artists, poets and musicians coming through every Thursday to perform, compete and sharpen their craft.
The space was hosted by Skandal Da Ruckus Man and Rome and became an important part of Brody’s development. It was more than just a place to perform. It was a place to build relationships, gain experience and become part of a real creative community.
When Skandal eventually passed away, Brody felt the dynamic of the Cincinnati hip-hop scene begin to change.
By 2013, he knew it was time to bet on himself.
Brody packed up and moved to Los Angeles, landing in Leimert Park. The move marked another major chapter in his life and music career. It was also where Da 3rd Element became Brody Merlot.
The new name represented a new era.
His sound continued to carry the Midwest with him, while Los Angeles added another layer to his musical identity. Brody describes his sound as nostalgic Midwest hip-hop with a West Coast influence. To him, that connection is natural. The West Coast sound was heavily influenced by Ohio funk artists like Roger Troutman and Bootsy Collins, creating a musical bridge between the two regions.
“Bula raised me, the Nati made me a man, and LA turned me into a boss.”
That statement sums up Brody’s journey.
Each place gave him something different. Ashtabula gave him his foundation. Cincinnati helped develop him into a man and an artist. Los Angeles opened another chapter and gave him the space to continue building.
Now residing in Woodland Hills, California, Brody has taken another step forward with his latest project, VINO.
The project is especially meaningful because it marks his first fully self-produced project. Recorded at his home studio, VINO allowed Brody to approach the music from a different perspective. He wasn’t simply writing and performing. He was shaping the records from the ground up and creating the sound he heard in his head.
That level of control gave him another lane creatively.
That Boy Kilso handled the mixing and mastering on the singles, helping give the records their final polish, but the foundation of the project came directly from Brody.
VINO brings together everything that has influenced him along the way—the Midwest foundation, the West Coast experience and the perspective that comes with years of growth as an artist, writer and producer.
The project is available on all streaming platforms, with vinyl and VINO merchandise also available through Ivory H Publishing Co. LLC.
And Brody isn’t slowing down.
More visuals from VINO are on the way as he continues building a world around the project and giving the music another life visually. He also plans to put more energy into production and pursue additional sync opportunities. An instrumental album could even be on the horizon.
Outside of music, Brody continues building 9LIVES Apparel, adding fashion to the bigger creative picture he is putting together.
Music, production and clothing all represent different sides of the same journey.
Through it all, Brody remains grateful for the people who helped keep him moving. One of those people is his brother Sal Dali, with whom he created the Gift Of Determination album. Brody describes Sal as being like a brother to him and credits his work ethic and production as a major source of inspiration.
Watching Sal Dali continue putting in the work and eventually earn major placements with artists such as Joey Bada$$, Black Thought and Beyoncé has given Brody a firsthand reminder of what consistency can lead to.
