The Brooklyn metal trio Unlocking The Truth have already played sets at Warped Tour and Coachella, opened up for Guns 'N' Roses in Vegas and are set to play a gig with Queens of the Stone Age this weekend. What's more -- these kids aren't even out of middle school yet!
On Saturday, Malcolm Brickhouse, 13, bassist Alec Atkins, 13, and drummer Jarad Dawkins, 12, hit another milestone, signing a record deal with Sony that's potentially worth $1.7 million, according to The New York Daily News.
They have been promised an advance of $60,000 for their first record and could net another $350,000 advance for their second record. If Sony stays with the group for all six albums, the kids could see as much as $1.7 million. The deal includes an extraordinary 16 to 17 percent in royalties; however, that will come only after 250,000 records are sold (for comparison, Beyoncé's latest album sold 600,000 units).
Because of the members' ages, the contract had to be approved in the Manhattan Supreme Court. The band's manager, Welcome Back, Kotter co-creator Alan Sacks, told the NY Post that the boys could become the new face of rock because of the lack of black artists excelling in heavy metal, a genre typically dominated by white musicians.
The group was discovered performing in Washington Square Park back in 2012 by Grammy award-winning drummer Steve Jordan (Stevie Wonder, Neil Young, Eric Clapton, and others). Last summer, the band performed on a Times Square street corner for spare change and the footage went viral on YouTube with 1.5 million views.
The band also has a book deal from Penguin in the works and will film a documentary about their rise.
"It's so exciting. We're jumping over the moon. What started out as play dates went to Times Square and now this," said Dawkins' mother, Tabatha. "It's been one great thing after another."
The boys will all be entering 8th grade at different schools in Brooklyn next year and will continue to focus on their education.
"School work comes first. If their school work is not done, they don't play," Dawkins clarified.
Check out footage from their set on Coachella's main stage below, and let us know what you think in the comments section!
