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You won’t hear up-and-coming rap star Flo Rida griping about fans pilfering his songs on P2P sites, or complain that technology is hurting the music industry. Don’t talk to him about so-called digital divides either.

As one of rap music’s fastest rising stars, Rida, 28, is new enough to music success that fans are still precious to him. This is a guy who used to shout out his cell number during performances.

This “personal touch” has helped, he says. His song “Low,” recently spent 13 weeks as the top-selling ringtone in the country, a new record for consecutive weeks, according to Nielsen RingScan chart. According to his music label, Poe Boy/Atlantic Records, Rida (a name he chose to honor his home state and his rap style) is also the first ever debut artist to have two Top 10 digital singles prior to an album release. His debut album, Mail On Sunday goes on sale March 18.

Rida is one of a growing number of young performers who are trying to break into a music business dominated by technology.

In an interview Tuesday with CNET News.com, Rida revealed himself to be a bit of a gadget geek (he’s got two MacBook Pros and four flat screens) and said he sees more computers and high-tech gadgetry in inner cities than ever. He also sent a message to Apple CEO Steve Jobs. He once accidentally dropped his iPod in the toilet and “if they can make them waterproof, that’d be great.”

Rida: If you’re really in touch with your fans on a personal level then you don’t have to worry about things like that. A lot of times I make sure I go onto MySpace and holler at my fans, looking at them on YouTube, showing love, making sure that I’m in tune more so on a personal level than just having a hot song…cause these are people who just might want to go to the store to get the album as well as download. These are people who might want to put your poster on the wall or see your (album) art.

Rida: Oh man, oh man. It’s a blessing. I can do a whole lot of things that I couldn’t do before right now you know? I just put down on another house, got a couple of cars from all my fans and the ringtones. I definitely bought like four flat screens. I got two MacPros…

Rida: Oh yeah, sometimes I might go to Wal-Mart and hear it and say to myself: “That’s my song right there and it’s his ringtone playing.” In October last year, I heard it for the first time. I just told the guy “Thank you.” I never knew the song was going to be this big.

Q: The technology sector has heard much about the digital divide, and how urban areas lack enough computers and other technologies. Is that your experience?Rida: In the schools around my (South Florida) neighborhood, they definitely got tons more computers. Before now, they didn’t have anything. The students now, a lot of them have laptops at home…

COWBOYS and fellow NRL rivals … welcome to the Temple of Boom. That’s the rap-based anthem that will thump around a packed Skilled Park on Friday night.

That’s the rap-based anthem that will thump around a packed Skilled Park on Friday night.

Turning up the volume on what already has been predicted to be an ‘Origin-like’ atmosphere at Skilled, the Titans have gone high tech to give Gold Coast supporters a unique home ground beat.

Most clubs have cheergirls. South Sydney Rabbitohs last year introduced drummers as their sideline entertainment.

However, the Titans are expected to eclipse all rivals with their cutting edge games highlights package.

"It will be the Temple of Boom because we are introducing rap music to rugby league," boasted the club’s communications manager Jason Sintome yesterday. "This is a first. It will be a loud and proud Titans rap. Imagine Preston Campbell scoring a try at Skilled.

"In the past our cheergirls would have led the crowd in a celebration dance. Well from Friday night the crowd will be whipped into an even greater frenzy by booming music and graphics on the big screen.

"Soon after Preston touches down there will be an explosion of rap ‘Did ya see that! Did ya see that!’ (says Sintome breaking into a rap routine). But it won’t just be for the tries. Whenever there is something to cheer about on the field there will be an immediate soundbeat, words and graphics to match."

Sintome said the Temple of Boom would have a ‘perfect debut’ on Friday night when a capacity 27,000-strong crowd roar on the Titans in the 2008 season opener against the Cowboys.

"That game was always going to be big with a lot of noise and atmosphere, but we hope to add something extra with our own rap music influence. We have been working on the concept and the music for a fair while with local creative, corporate event company Dreamweavers, and we are really hopeful that it will be a big hit. The music is certainly unique and will give a special stamp to Skilled Park.

"We are not aware of any other sporting group that embraces rap the way we will. It will be edgy and different and fans will come away with our warcrys burned into their brain."

Sintome said a day at the football was no longer just about watching the game. "It has to be a whole entertainment package, from the moment you walk in the gates until the time you leave," he said.

"We want our fans to be part of our game day. We want to take the entertainment to a whole new level. We also want the Temple of Boom name to stick.

"The great stadiums of the world have a name that is synonymous with the action that takes place there - The Cauldon (the old Lang Park) or the House of Pain (Dunedin’s infamous Carisbrook rugby stadium)."

Also on Friday night there will be an hour-long entertainment package, before the main game kicks off at 7.30pm.

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Bad News - the everyday language used by many Americans is becoming more obscene and profane all the time. I read, with a great deal of sympathy and empathy, a column last month by David Little, editor of the Enterprise-Record newspaper. He was lamenting the fact that it was so difficult to take his young children out about town without having to contend with foul-mouthed adults and teenagers at sporting events, restaurants, stores, and shopping centers.

We’ve all suffered from this fetid language not only via personal contacts but also from the rap “music” blaring from the car next to you at a traffic light, and on the bumper stickers of the cars blaring rap “music” from their vehicles next to you at the traffic light, and on the tee shirts of the people driving the cars that are blaring the obscene rap “music” from the cars with the four-letter word laden bumper stickers idling next to you at the traffic light.

I got quite discouraged during my last few years of teaching at Paradise High School because many of the students didn’t see the inappropriateness and offensiveness of their speech in the hallways. I always asked my students to refrain from using such language in my classroom, and, to their credit, they always complied. Young people just need to be taught when and where it is appropriate to use such language. Adults should already know.

Good News - The city of South Pasadena down near Los Angeles has declared itself a “cuss-free zone.”

In an attemptto make a statement about their civility, the city council voted to “elevate the level of discourse” and proclaim swearing and other untoward behavior unwanted and unwelcome in their fair vile. They follow St. Charles, Missouri that earlier this year proposed a ban on cussing in bars. I’m not sure what real effect all these bans might have, but I admire the councils of these cities for taking a stand against offensive language. Of course, I can hear all the crazies now decrying the loss of their “right” to be butt-heads in public (Is “butt-heads” swearing?). This is where the right to swing your fist, ends at the end of my nose.

Don’t we have a right to drive our cars and walk in public places without being bombarded with the offensive language of those who have neither the intelligence nor consideration to speak otherwise? I say we do.

Bad News - Danish police uncovered a plot by Islamic protesters to kill the artist of the drawings of the Prophet Muhammad that sparked deadly riots in 2006. Apparently it is a blasphemy in the Muslim religion to draw such cartoons - punishable by death.

Good News - In a gesture of solidarity, Denmark’s leading newspapers reproduced the cartoons. In any civilized world, the drawing and publication of a cartoon can be offensive and may be decried by those offended. But in the mixed up Muslim world, the artist must be murdered for creating such a drawing. I’m glad that the Danish newspapers did not let such threats, real as they are, prevent them from exercising their own rights to reproduce the cartoons. Freedom must prevail over such insanity.

Good News - for those of you who own Exxon stock. Last month, the company set a new record for annual profits: $40.6 billion. That’s BILLION with a “B.”

Bad News - That’s BAD with a “B” for the rest of us as we are experiencing record high gasoline costs. And don’t tell me that it’s all “supply and demand.” The price of a barrel of oil goes up a dollar and the next day, our prices at the pump are up five cents a gallon. The price of oil goes down five dollars, and it takes two weeks for the per gallon cost to us to come down a penny or two. Oil companies routinely take refineries off line for “maintenance” which allegedly creates a shortage of supply.

We haven’t seen a real shortage of gasoline since the early 1970’s during the Arab oil embargo. Heck, there have been times in our recent history when the cost per barrel was down, the weather was mild for winter, driving was down, and supply was plentiful. Guess what! Prices at the pump went up incessantly.

I’m not a conspiracy theorist, but I am convinced that the oil companies have us over a barrel (pun intended), and they’re going to make their record profits no matter what the current world and economic situation. We’ll have to learn how to consolidate our trips, drive smaller, more efficient vehicles, and use our bikes in order to survive. Good luck to us all!

Bad News - a dying and dangerous U.S. spy satellite, the size of a school bus, was traveling in polar orbit around the earth at approximately 17,000 miles per hour. If not destroyed prior to re-entering the earth’s atmosphere, the results could have been catastrophic for those of us down here.

Good News - a Navy SM-3 missile struck and destroyed the satellite and its 1,000 pounds of toxic fuel 130 miles above the Pacific Ocean last month. The feat was comparable to hitting a bullet with a bullet, and renews and secures my faith in our missile defense system - a faith I pray will never be tested.

John Vianney Nsimbe

Don’t take things for granted! Not everyone who sings in Uganda today will be famous. While Reggae/Ragga, RnB, Afro-beat and Kadongo-Kamu continue to garner a following domestically, Hip-Hop music or rap is stagnant.

Apart from Klear Kut and Lyrical G, you’ll hardly hear Hip-Hop music on the airwaves. More still, while the other music genres are showcased at concerts such as Ekitobeero or Ekiggunda, even the free Hip-Hop night that was held every Tuesday evening at Sabrina’s pub collapsed because there were hardly any fans or sponsors.

Sirkumstance, a Hip-Hop artiste said that most music lovers are still locked into the Western Hip-Hop, while Eddie Okila a music promoter said that the radios here don’t play Ugandan Hip-Hop, which is why it is not popular.

Sanyu FM goes by the slogan Today’s best music. They don’t play a lot of indigenous rap music, yet their target audience is the urban Ugandan including the youth.

The youth are fans of rap music around the world because of the lifestyle it embraces: break-dance, the American accent and youth fashion of sneakers and jeans.

Timothy Lwanga, Sanyu FM’s Music Director told The Weekly Observer: "From our research, domestic rap is always scoring close to zero. We play what the listeners want."

Lwanga added: "Some rappers’ music we play definitely, say, Klear Kut but most rappers don’t have quality music that can be played on Sanyu."

He said most rappers sing hardcore style that is too loud and non-mellow for listeners.

Albert Twesigye, a rap music producer said the quality of music isn’t so good because many are into quick production. According to Lwanga, Kenyan and Tanzanian rappers are appreciated for the quality music.

"Even here, we play a lot of Kenya and Tanzania rap music because it is smooth, mellow, harmonious and cuts across generations; for example No-Nini (Kenya) and Professor Jay (Tanzania)."

Fat Boy, a presenter on Sanyu FM has a rap music background. He reasoned: "Our rappers lack identity. They instead imitate American rappers, whose lifestyles are different from ours." He added that Ugandan rappers need to sing about issues like corruption, poverty, education and insecurity.

"Instead they concentrate on polishing their American accents and portray themselves as ghetto people, yet many of them are from rich or middle class families. A ghetto was a thing that Tupac Shakur used to represent because he lived in one."

Fat Boy gave an example of how attached Ugandans are to their Kadongo-Kamu because it identifies with them. "Singing in local dialects can be the start like the Kenyan and Tanzanian rappers do - rap in Kiswahili. But even in English, it must sound Ugandan not American."

Lwanga said rap music should adopt a fusion with, say, afro-beat styles if it is to survive. Singer Bebe Cool thinks that rap music has got to be blended with beats that the public can dance to like Rocky Giant did. "Also, rap music must cut across to the generation that has money to buy music too," said Bebe Cool.

Notably, Ugandan rap still lacks originality. Twesigye said: "Some Hip-Hop singers get foreign beats and place their lyrics over them." Lwanga argued that the Kenyan rappers have adopted styles they call Genge and Kapuka, which are originally theirs and get a lot of airplay."

"If Ugandans promote something like Luga-flow, then I think they’ll progress," he said. Bebe Cool said Hip-Hop music hasn’t been marketed well. "When do they have concerts?" Bebe Cool asked. It is usually at events organised by Alliance Francaise and the Uganda German Cultural Society that Hip-Hop singers will show up yet these events don’t host thousands of revelers like other shows.

Also, like the Bataka Squad, they don’t hold concerts and Krazy Nativ said that the size of fans doesn’t matter to him, so he won’t be hunting for shows to perform at in order to be popular.

He believes what is meant to be will be; well, not without effort.

Navio from Klear Kut told The Weekly Observer that Ugandan Hip-Hop being a new phenomenon needs solidarity to promote it.

"Instead", Navio said, "There has been a lot of divisions in the industry based on singing style - vernacular or English." Another Klear Kut member The Mith added: "Our friend Babaluku of the Bataka Squad who raps in Luganda (Luga-flow) insulted us in his songs making insinuations that because we sing in English, we aren’t really Ugandan. Though we are now reconciled, this set us aback in trying to forge progress as a family despite diversity."

The divisions go deeper. Some rappers said Krazy Nativ a.k.a Saba-saba, a founder member of the now defunct Hip-Hop Foundation, told other rappers in 2005 that he was doing a documentary about Ugandan Hip-Hop dubbed: Diamonds in the Rough (Uganda Hip-Hop evolution). Many Hip-Hop musicians were interviewed and recorded to showcase Hip-Hop in Uganda and secure opportunities for rappers.

However, Krazy Nativ edited other rappers not in his group (Bataka Squad) out of the documentary. This angered many though Krazy Nativ argues it was a Bataka Squad project.

In 2005, the Hip-Hop Foundation was vibrant. They secured Sabrina’s Pub free every Tuesday for the Hip-Hop night to showcase their talent. But in 2006, the pub’s owner, Hope Mukasa asked them to start paying for the venue, but they weren’t attracting many revelers, so they left.

Without radio play, Hip-Hop will remain in the shadow. But like Fat Boy said, they must realise that original quality music is important to get airplay.

IN today’s culture of sampling in hip-hop and electronic music,fans are accustomed to producers “disguising” or hiding samplesthat they have lifted from other recordings. Artists such as DJShadow, The Avalanches and Nightmares on Wax have made sampling afine art. Usually all attempts are made at concealing the origin ofthe sample by distorting it, burying it deep in the new track orlifting samples from more obscure records.

Not South Rakkas Crew. On their latest release, TheMix-Up, the duo of Dennis “Dow Jones” Shaw and Alex “Alex G”Greggs lift from a range of iconic classics: The Jacksons’ CanYou Feel It, Saturday Night Fever staple If I Can’tHave You, Barrington Levy’s dancehall anthem Under MiSensi and even Sesame Street. On other productions, theybrazenly sample Madonna, Frankie Valli, Norman Greenbaum, ChakaKhan and more.

“I guess it’s just going after stuff that will make the biggestimpact,” shrugs Shaw. “Personally, I grew up on a lot of Top 40stuff. Those are the songs that have a big impact on me. If I’m ina club and I hear a Jackson Five song come on, I know it. I comefrom a hip-hop background, so I’m going to pick out stuff that’sreally going to make people move.”

Shaw was born in Jamaica and moved to Canada when he was sixyears old. As a youngster, he loved reggae but in his teenage yearshe became a convert to the harder-edged dancehall of Buju Banton,Shabba Ranks, Beenie Man, Eek-A-Mouse and Sister Nancy.

“Dancehall is the younger, brasher brother of reggae,” Shawexplains. “Dancehall, to me, is a form of rap music. It’s younger,hipper and faster-moving; the content is more controversial, it’sabout having fun, it’s about dancing. The beats are usually muchrawer; it’s not as melodic.”

These days, he and Greggs reside in Orlando, Florida and SouthRakkas Crew are among the rising stars of contemporary dancehall.They record with the scene’s biggest names and have remixed tracksfor DJ Shadow, Beck and Lily Allen.

Initially producing pop acts such as *NSYNC and even Britney,South Rakkas turned their side project into a full-time concernwhen their four albums of “rhythms” (variations of the sameinstrumental track fronted by different vocalists) all sold out. InAustralia, South Rakkas’ music is part of the Rio deJaneiro-inspired Favela Rock parties. The music is a melting pot ofhip-hop, reggae, dancehall, pop, electro, Baltimore funk, Miamibass and house.

South Rakkas Crew play Miss Libertine on March 1 andGolden Plains Festival on March 8. The Mix-Up is out on MadDecent/Inertia.

Local hip-hop artist Boaz could be the next star to rise out of Pittsburgh and into the mainstream.

He released his third mixtape CD this week at Time Bomb Spot in East Liberty, a long-time promoter of local hip-hop, and will debut his first album in May.

“I’ve been working so hard this last year, and that’s why I really wanted to name this ‘Monumental Music,’ just to put the stamp on what we’re doing,” said Boaz, 22, of Larimer, whose full name is Boaz Bey.

If his debut album takes off, Boaz could lend more credence to a local hip-hop scene that’s already gaining national attention thanks to Wiz Khalifa.

“(Boaz) always rose to the top when I was checking out the local scene,” said Artie Pitt, spokesman for East End-based Point Blank Productions, which produced the album. “His future is limitless.”

Boaz has been rapping for years, but he gained citywide attention at 19, when one of his songs — “It’s Alright” — won 106.7-FM WAMO’s Battle of the Beats contest for eight consecutive weeks.

“He’s not a basement rapper or some garbage hip-hop,” said Ashley Woodson, CEO of Brotha Ash Productions, a company that promotes events for the black community in Pittsburgh. “Boaz is the next thing to rise up out of Pittsburgh.”

Boaz grew up in a single-parent household — his father died when he was a child — and he is the second-youngest of five children.

He sometimes strayed while attending Westinghouse High School, becoming involved in some “negative things,” he said without elaborating. But he graduated, he said, insisting never to let living in the inner city be an excuse.

He continues to carry that attitude and hopes to pass it on to his 1-year-old son, Boaz said.

“It’s about how you’ve been groomed and whether you had a positive influence,” he said.

Time Bomb owner Brian Brick said Boaz is a hit with music fans. Brick said he’s been selling local hip-hop “since cassettes” and is a fan of Boaz’s original lyrics.

“None of my music is premeditated,” Boaz said. “I go into the studio and it comes together, as I get to thinking about things I’ve seen and different things I’ve done throughout the day.”

Last month, the rhymes that come so easily won him lyricist of the year at the Pittsburgh Hip-Hop Awards.

“He’s very versatile with his lyrics,” said Dwayne Muhammad, the event’s CEO. “To win that award, they have to be thought-provoking. Other artists’ lyrics are one-dimensional.”

Brick said he believes it’s just the beginning.

“There’s not a hip-hop group out there,” he said, “that doesn’t respect or know who Boaz is.”

In my interview with Tech N9ne, he describes himself as inside out, and when you talk to him, it’s easy to see what he’s talking about. He’s raw, real, and very, very honest. In his career, he’s collaborated with some of the biggest names in hip-hop. He also helped put together a lot of the music in Alpha Dog. Needless to say, Tech N9ne is not afraid to try out anything in the music business. In my interview with Tech N9ne, we talked about his career, Kansas City, American Idol, and a whole lot more.When I set out to do this Tech N9ne thing, I planned for it to be for the whole world. I wanted it to be a style that everybody could feel. I wanted it to be for everybody, and that’s what the name means. And I have expectations that supersede where I am right now, because the object is to get it to the rest of the world. And we’ve been doing it. It’s speeding up rapidly, and it’s growing like a forest fire, but if I went to Japan right now, they wouldn’t be in a frenzy. And that’s what I’m trying to do. I’m trying to do this globally. So, when I started this, yes, I wanted to get it to the rest of the people. It’s not a cocky thing … it’s just that I feel like I have a story, and over the years as I’ve grown wiser, a lot of my stories have matured. I really feel like they need to hear my stories now. I just wrote a song last night called Hope for a Higher Power . And everybody’s always been questioning the bible, but if people find out that the laws are bogus, what’s gonna keep law and order? My stories have matured, and I really want to get them to the rest of the world now.Kansas City is my comfort zone. My mother is here, my whole family is here, and this is what I know like the back of my hand. I have a place in L.A. and I’ve been there for years, but it’s nothing like the feeling that I feel when I’m in Kansas City. And I don’t feel like I’m at home in LA. I feel like this is home, and I can come to Kansas City and visit my aunts, uncles, and cousins and mother. And before my grandmother passed, she was here. We migrated from Texas, years ago, before I was born I guess, and this is where we stay, this is where we lay, and this is my comfort zone. And that’s why I speak on Kansas City so highly, because I’m totally comfortable here. People say I shouldn’t be, because they call it killer city … everybody’s dying like crazy, and I’m high profile, but this is my comfort zone, and I have no worries, because I have a lot of love here .. just as well as hate, but not as much hate as love. This is my family, this is my love, and this is my comfort zone.In the past couple of years, we’ve been hearing an awful lot about the Kansas City entertainment scene. I mean, you’re from Kansas City and so is the director of the Saw films. Do you think Kansas City is starting to finally get some respect?I think so, man. A lot more people are starting to look toward us. I think that Tech N9ne makes ‘em see something different, but when Nelly and Chingy and all those people popped from St. Louis, which is just three hours away from Kansas City, that made people open their eyes a lot, because those were big numbers coming from those places. And then when they see Tech N9ne and they see something totally different, they’re like, “Wow. What the hell is going on in Missouri?” So, yeah, I think it’s making a lot of people look toward Missouri.The beats. I am not a producer when it comes to beats. Of course I have beats in my head, like the beat Riotmaker came out of my head in a dream that I had, and I conveyed that to a producer. But the beats mean everything to me, man. If there’s no pulse, there’s no life. What I mean by that is the beat has to bang and you have to be able to feel that beat. The beats are the things that inspire me to write when I write. When I first heard this beat that I heard last night for Hope for a Higher Power, as soon as I heard it, I knew that that was what I was gonna call it. The beats, they talk to me, man. It’s crazy. I’m gonna tell you the process really quick: I’m speaking on this beat that I just wrote last night, Hope for a Higher Power for my new album Killer, and Travis, I came by the office and he gave me some new beat Cd’s and said, “I want you to listen to these.” So, I got in the car on my way to the studio, and he called me and said, “You gotta listen to number two, man.” Travis has been around me for years, so he pretty much knows what I love, and I played number two, and I lost it. I called Travis up and said, “Travis, lock that in for me. I’m calling it Hope for a Higher Power.” As soon as I heard it, that’s what it told me to write. And that’s how it happens to me. The beats talk to me. And if the beats don’t talk to me, I won’t choose it. They had this one called King, and it had the same sample that Puffy used for You Can Hate Me Now, and they just thought I would love it. And I’m like, “No, that’s so me four years ago.” And everybody was like, “How come you’re not picking this beat?” But it didn’t speak to me. And the beats have to speak to me. If there’s no pulse and no life, people will not listen if that shit don’t bang.I really do. I think that’s why a lot of rappers when they say they’re gonna retire, they come right back, because it’s in your blood. Jay-Z can take a hiatus, Too Short can take a hiatus, Tech N9ne can take a hiatus, but it’s in your blood, man. You see everybody else doing it, and you’re like, “I’m a showoff, man.” I can tell you a story in a weird ass style to make you wanna listen. And I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to stop doing that. I’m writing Killer like it’s my last rap album, because I wanna do this rock ‘n’ roll thing called Kabosh. But, think about it, I’m gonna be doing the rap and then Kabosh. I’m not gonna be able to shake that. It’s in your blood, and I think that goes for a lot of artists who consider themselves artists.The thing about the live show, man, is I had schooling. I went to Ice Cube concerts, LL Cool J concerts, Public Enemy concerts, N.W.A concerts. I’ve been to all those concerts. I mean, I saw James Brown, Roger Troutman. I haven’t seen Michael Jackson at all, and I hate that I missed the Victory tour back then, but I got a lot of schooling in hip-hop from watching Public Enemy, N.W.A , so on and so forth. And that stuck with me. And I think that’s why our fan base will come back to see us four times a year if they have to, because the shows keep changing. It’s so important for an MC to be able to command a crowd. And a lot of MC’s don’t know that, because a lot of MC’s probably don’t look at themselves as MC’s. They probably look at themselves like, “Ok, I made a hit, so I gotta go out here and get on this stage and do thirty minutes and then go.” A lot of ‘em don’t know any better, so you can’t hate them for that, because a lot of these cats are young and they don’t know what it means to really perform and really captivate a crowed, because a lot of these people you see on television, they don’t tour as much as we do, and they don’t tour as much as they should with hits like they have. And the labels, you think they would help them with that, but a lot of these youngsters, they don’t know that they have to captivate a crowd. And people walk away saying, “Eh, I like the song, but the show was horrible.” So a lot of them don’t have that schooling that I was lucky to have. And I think it’s very important to know how to captivate a crowd. And I do.You mentioned earlier that you always look for beats when it comes to music, but what do you look for in a collaboration? If you’re going to collaborate with someone and be their partner, what needs to stand out?When I choose somebody for my albums, it’s because I adore their music. It’s not because, “Ohh, I’ll get these big names on my album and maybe their fans will buy it.” When I seek out to go get Ice Cube, when I seek out to go get Scarface, when I seek out to go get D-12 or Eminem, it’s because I’m a fan of their music. I would love to do a song with Outkast, because I adore their music. I would love to do songs with Slipknot or System of a Down, because I love their music. Shinedown, I love their music. So, the people I reach out to are people that I know can do what I do or can hang with what I do, or I really respect what they do. Shawnna, the female rapper from DTP, I reached out to hear this time, because she is treacherous on the mic. When I choose somebody, I don’t choose them for name recognition … I choose them for what they can do, because I adore what they do.You have to stand by your beliefs, because … it’s a song called Hip-Hop by Dead Prez that Dave Chappelle walked out to every night on his show. In that song, they say something like, “But then if you a liar-liar, pants on fire, wolf-crier, agent wit’ a wire, I’m gon’ know it when I play it.” And the fans know fraudulent. So, if you contradict yourself in your song, people will know that you’re fraudulent. My family raised me Christian and my mom married a Muslim when I was 12, so I had to stop eating pork, stop having Christmas, and it was hard on a kid. One thing that Islam taught me while I was there from 12-17 before I ran away, man, it taught me to always back up what you say, because people will dissect that. And I always have to rap what I know, and I always have to explain what I’m saying. And it’s very important to have that self respect. When I say something in Absolute Power, I’ll refer to it in later albums so people will know. And I’m not that meticulous where I can tell a lie and keep it going, because if you tell a lie, sooner or later, you’re going to run into a brick wall. But it’s very important to write what you know and mean what you say, because people are listening.The thing I really admire about you is the fact that you express so much of yourself in your lyrics. When I listen to your music, I feel like I really know you. As an artist, how rewarding is that?I’m inside out. I always tell the fans I’m inside out, and I think that’s what they appreciate. What I mean by inside out is my insides are out here and I don’t hide anything. Quincy Jones told me years ago, “Tech, always rap what you know, because people will forever respect you.” What do I know better than anything? Myself. So, I’m inside out. If I go through some shit with my wife, I put it out there and talk about it. She hates it, she says people party to her pain, but I can’t help it. I have to rap what I know and to be inside out, I think that’s what made Tech N9ne. And human beings are the same people, which is different at the same time, but we all eat, drink, spit, shit, piss, cry. So, if I write something that’s sentimental, a gang of people are gonna feel it, because they feel the same way and because we’re so similar. I think it’s wonderful that I chose to be the one that’s inside out and open up to my fans. I’m not afraid to show my vulnerable side, and I’m not afraid to talk about how much I would love to cry. I have a song on my new album called One Good Time, where I’m talking about how I haven’t been able to shed a tear since I was 14. And all the funerals I’ve been to, through the gang banging shit and everything, and all the deaths I’ve witnessed, which is the reason I don’t go to funerals anymore, not being able to cry, and I’m not afraid to tell my fans, “If I could cry one good time, I could wash away my pain and maybe free my mind.” I’m just inside out, man, and I can’t think of any other way to be, bro.Life. Living life. I write my life, so, with that said, I write about the things I go through daily, or the things I went through in the past. Life. That’s the one thing that drives me. I always tell people there’s no such thing as writer’s block. You can cure writer’s block by reading a book or going out and having something happen to your ass. I can talk to my people, because I’m out there partying with them. Life is what teaches me what to write, and as my life progresses, that means I have more to talk about. I mean, think about it, this time I’m doing 32 songs, and I told my people on the website the other day, “I write my life, so if I’m doing 32 songs, that means I been living a hella life.” I’m doing a lot of living. So I’m out here on tour, I’m out here with the fans, and I’m out here in the clubs. I’m everywhere, man, you know what I mean? Life teaches me what to write, and I go out there and have it happen to me. And that’s what I think it is that drives me.What do you think about shows like American Idol? Does it ever bother you that certain musicians have this golden opportunity that maybe you never had?I thought about it back when it first started, but that’s their thing, so I love that they’re doing their thing to the fullest. But the thing is … rap is one of the biggest forms of music in America, and they have nothing to do with rap. It’s collaborated with country artists … it’s collaborated with rock n’ roll. I mean, think of Aerosmith and Run DMC, Public Enemy and Anthrax, System of a Down and Wu-Tang, Nelly and Tim Mcgraw, you know what I mean, man? So, my only problem with American Idol is where is hip-hop? If this is American, everybody is influenced by hip-hop, whether it be commercials, Coca-Cola, Sprite, basketball, everything. If it’s so American, where is the hip-hop? And if they had hip-hop, a lot of these singers wouldn’t win. I don’t hate on American Idol, I let them do their thing, they’ve produced some wonderful artists, but if it’s so American, where’s rap?It’s so important to have a presence on the Internet. You had a lot of people that were against downloading, and we were the only people that told people to download Absolute Power for free, and then we guaranteed they would go buy it. And we won. No matter what the RIAA was saying at the time, we still did it, and if it wasn’t for Myspace and all the Internet sites, we wouldn’t have fans in Denmark or Australia, and we wouldn’t be going to Canada on this next run we’re doing with Paul Wall. It’s very important for an artist to have a presence on the Internet, man, because I’ve gotten a lot of fans from that source, and it’s growing like a forest fire. And I talk to them as much as I can to let them know that I’m right there with them, and I think it’s very important for an artist, because it means record sales, merchandise sales, and longevityTalk to me a little bit about some of your favorite collaborations. You have worked with so many great musicians, so I’m sure it’s hard to pinpoint certain talent.Roger Troutman, rest his soul. I listened to his music since I was a little boy, and I was able to do Twisted with him right here in Kansas City in my home boy’s basement, and he was a really cool guy before he died. I look back on that. I look back on Detroit when D-12 took me in and showed me a lot of love. I look back when I did the Anthem with Eminem. And Rizza and Xzibit. The list goes on, man. It’s a lot of high points in my life, but unfortunately the song that I did with 2pac, I wasn’t able to be in the studio with him, because we were gonna do it when he was alive and then he died, and they called me asked me if I still wanted to do it and sent the track to me, so I didn’t get to actually be in the studio with him, but I met him a couple times from 1992-1993. I ran into him at clubs and talked to him, but I didn’t get to really work with him in the studio together. But that was a huge opportunity for me. There’s a lot things I can say. MC Ren from N.W.A, we did a song with Yukmouth together, and I was a big N.W.A fan, man. I’ve had a full life when it comes to collaboration, man, and I have a long road ahead of me. Who’s to say if I’ll ever get to do something with System of a Down and Slipknot and so on and so forth. And I’m looking forward to it, man.When Nick Cassavetes called the number on the back of our CD, Absolute Power, he loved my music so much, him and his wife, that they called us … he’s Italian, and he said, “I fucking love your music. I would really love for you to do my movie.” So, we went out to L.A. to meet him, and he gave me the damn movie. He gave me this million dollar movie and had me fly it back to Kansas City to where I was scared to put it through the little thing at the airport, because I thought it would erase. I got back to Kansas City and I had no idea, I didn’t tell him I didn’t know how to score a movie, but I had friends like QD3, that’s what they do, so when I got the movie, I called Quincy and said, “I just got this job with Nick Cassavetes, and I have no idea how to do it.” And he was like, “Tech, it’s easy .. it’s Pro Tolls. Once you learn it, you’re gonna love it.” So he taught me how to do it, me and my boy, and we put a lot of that music into the movie, man. And it’s about looking at the screen, feeling the scene, and creating music around it, man, and it was a weird thing how we did it. There’s a lot of music in there that I did with the composers, where you don’t even know it’s me, because we did a lot of stuff for that movie, man, that a lot of people don’t know we did. And the process is just looking at the scenery, and if you feel like you know music, you can place it there. Caribou Lou seemed like a perfect song to have at a party where the Skinhead guy came through looking for Johnny Truelove. And Slither, when they were in the hotel hiding, Truelove and his girl, and they’re about to have sex, it was perfect for Slither. I can keep going, but it’s all about the scenery. If you feel like you know music, you’ll do it well. And I think we did it well.

In a cosy sound-proof recording studio, housed in a decrepit building in central Tehran, Felakat lounges on a chair, surrounded by sound mixers. Sporting a tousled black shirt and a rumpled-and-spiky hairstyle – popular as “Tintin style” in the local barber’s parlance – this Persian rapper could pass for a punk icon.

“I devoted my life to rap when I was just 15,” says the 27-year-old whose stage name means”miserable” in Farsi. “Rap is my god.” ButFelakat is well aware of the perils of indulging in rap music as a profession. The music is forbidden in Iran.

Rappers replicate American accents, indulge in obscene lyrical content and often use female leads or background voices – all symbols of Western decadence to the authorities.

Despite the restrictions, Felakat and countless other rap musicians are the demigods of Iran’s “underground” music scene – an expression that applies to any group which fails to obtain a recording license from the Culture Ministry. In a country where 70 per cent of the population is under 32, society is strongly influenced by the young.

Felakat is aware of his appeal. He coyly admits his female fanbase has “become fanatical” since the release of “Nazgol,” his first hit track, themed on love and fidelity, last March. “I’ve had to change my mobile phone number twice,” he grins.

With the introduction of satellite television in Iran in the early 1990s – also illegal – hip-hop found an explosive following and eventually the fans began to create their own version.

Another group, Zedbazi, introduced gangster rap withtheir song “Mehmooni,” or “In the Club”. The most famous rapper, Soroush Lashkari, who boasts the nickname Hich Kas – or Nobody – is thought of as the “father of Persian rap”. And, astonishingly in a country where singing is banned for women, female rappers also dot the landscape.

The first of the female hip-hop and rap artists was Salome, who lives in Tehran and focuses on social issues such as the miseries of the war in Iraq and prostitution.

Given the restrictions, one of the main ways for Iranian rappers to get their music out both locally and globally is via the internet. Many websites – such as www.rap98.com and www.parshiphop.com – make downloading it easy. There may be fame, but there’s little money in the business because of tight regulations. Most CD shop owners refuse to sell underground music, fearing raids – if caught, they face imprisonment and hefty fines. Concerts in private gatherings are sometimes cancelled because of threats from ad-hoc neighbourhood Islamic vigilantes.

In March last year, the government filtered a number of underground music websites. Last April, some rappers were incarcerated, their recording studios raided and shut down. Felakat was also arrested and later released on bail.

Mohammad Dashtgoli, of the Culture Ministry, which is responsible for vetting music “in accordance with Islam,” said: “There is nothing wrong with this type of music in itself. But due to the use of obscene words rap has been categorised as illegal.” But”.S” has composed up to 100 Persian songs, 80 of which are rap. Only two of them have clearance from the ministry. “If we adhere to their red lines, rap will be ruined,” he says. But he is hopeful that rap music will go overground one day in Iran. “The youth are the majority, and they can’t ignore their aspirations,” he says.

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Kid: But wasn’t Compton dangerous before gangster rap?Teacher/Indoctrinator Guy: Wrong! Compton was a nature preserve for bunny rabbits! When gangster rap came along they tore down the country clubs and put up housing projects!”I literally lol-ed at that. It’s an excerpt from a new music video that Ice Cube recently put out, called “Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It.” (For those of you who are confused at this point, Ice Cube was a rapper before he was in “Friday” and those PG movies. For those of you who knew that and are now skeptical of this whole column, hear me out.)The video is his criticism of the recent arguments that rap music and hip-hop are poisoning America (i.e., making white people use the “N-word,” making young black men drop out of school or sell drugs, devaluing women, causing global warming, causing SIDS, etc.). I admit that lately I’ve also been having some serious problems with hip-hop. It hasn’t been because of Soulja Boy or the myriad other rappers that everybody is mad at for being “ignorant,” either. My problem is that as my love for the music has grown, so has my sense that too often it powerfully and effectively perpetuates dangerous and self-destructive behavior in the communities it claims to represent, and which many artists (entertainers?) claim to love.At this point I should say that I have no interest in writing a column to bash rappers or hip-hop. I simply intend to quickly examine a bit of the conflict surrounding the music through the lens of the aforementioned song. In the interest of convenience and word limits, I’ve chosen to talk about two major issues: (1) The dreaded N-word and (2) Misogyny. Disclaimer: This is by no means intended to be comprehensive.1. “If I call you a n-, ain’t nuthin to it, Gangsta Rap made me do it.”Frankly, I don’t care to revisit the list of people who have been publicly lambasted for all manner of inappropriate references to blacks. It’s not that I don’t care, I just find it tedious. However, what I find even more tedious is the allegation that somehow because (black) rappers are permitted to use certain language, everyone should be afforded the same freedom. Mind you, I’d be the last to argue that the N-word in any of its forms is positive (I can’t seriously argue for any word that I don’t use in front of my mother), and I don’t buy the idea that because we as youth use it more freely it is innocuous.

So who believes R&B and Soul Music is dead?  Well I for one certainly don’t!!  The truth and reality is (in my humble opinion) that the powers that be, Mass Media, Clear Channel Radio, video outlets, etc… and the music buying public (Pre-teens, teens, and Young Adults) just aren’t as interested in that genre of music as they are in Rap music. 

Lets face it, the mass media in general and Clear Channel Radio, are interested in making big bucks!!  I don’t blame them, everybody wants to make money.  Pre-teens, Teens, and Young Adults are the main consumers of music these days just as all of us "Baby Boomers" were once upon a time.  So what’s the deal?  

Record companies want to reach the people who are going to buy their products.  Thus they employ those that make the music that the music buying public wants to hear.  At this day and age, Rap music is all the rage…  So Why Rap?

Well let’s look at the differences between R&B and Soul Acts as compared to Rap Acts…  Take a soul act such as Earth Wind & Fire or Cameo…  both of these acts are self contained bands who actually play instruments, sing, dance, and record…  Not to mention both are awesome live acts.  Now take Grand Master Flash & The Furious Five or the Sugar Hill Gang…  They didn’t have to play instruments (Though maybe some of them could or can…  You tell me ok?), they don’t sing, don’t dance, they just record their raps to a generated beat often sampled from the aforementioned soul groups or other soul groups…

A deeper look at the differences…  Hmm…  Lets see…  It’s expensive to be in a soul music group…  You know, to have to buy instruments…  Take lessons, form a group, write YOUR OWN MUSIC, practice dance steps, attire (Got to look good!), deal with multiple personalities, deal with equipment problems, and splitting your money up between however many members there are.  For the record company…  Hmm…  Pay bigger advances, more contracts to write up, higher studio cost, due to longer time spent putting a project together, Band personnel changes and in general, a bigger hassle than it’s worth when the record fails to sell well.

Rap artist…  Lower overhead in general…  Fewer people to have under contract, can produce a project in a fraction of the time, lower advances paid out, can package a tour with several rap artist to maximise cost involved in touring, don’t have to deal with a band or back up singers, and the young people with their ever changing taste…  Well they buy it!!           

Now listen, I grew up on Rap music, I dig Kurtis Blow, Run DMC, Kool Moe Dee, LL Cool J, Eric B & Rakim, UTFO, The Fat Boys, Biz Markie, and so many more…  The newer rappers on the block such as Nelly, Jay Z, Common, etc…  I don’t like all of it, but I feel ya…  So I’m not totally knocking the rap thing…  It’s just that there is so much more than rap!! 

Give me some Temptations, New Edition, Brass Construction, Tower Of Power, Average White Band, O’Jays, Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, Al Hudson & One Way, "J", The Deele, Morris Day, The Time, Prince, Hall & Oats, Aretha Franklin, Sade, Patti Labelle, Angie Stone, Jill Price, Regina Belle, Karen White, Stephanie Mills, S.O.S. Band, Four Tops, Temptations, Blue Magic, The Spinners, Otis Redding, Teena Marie, Smokey Robinson, Zapp, Roger Trautman (RIP), Rick James (RIP), James Brown (RIP), The Jackson Five, Boys II Men, Hi-Five, Ralph Tresvant, Tony Thompson (RIP) Bobby Brown, Johnny Gill, Babyface, Terrence Trent Darby, Chazz Dixon, Anita Easterling, Lyfe Jennings, Mario, Sammie, Ricardo, Sonny Garr, Renee, Luther (RIP), even Usher & that young brother Chris Brown and so many more young artists both young and old, holding it down for Soul music and R&B.  

Well check out the link and hear what Milwaukees own Da’ Soul Recordings Group LLC. CEO "J" & Vice President Chazz Dixon have to say about the state of the music Biz today…  The page features two video interviews as well as a sample of the Soul and R&B music being produced right here in Milwaukee.  So again I say…  Who says R&B and Soul Music is dead?  If it’s you…  Well I suggest you think again and check out what’s going on right in your back yard!! 

Also check out Soul Express…  It’s a UK site (Where Soul Music and R&B have never died) that features the music that those us 35 and older grew up listening to…  For instance, did you know that O’Bryan had a new CD out?  Did you know that Chris Jasper Of the Isley brothers is still making music as is Ray Parker Jr.?  Ha, ha…  R&B and Soul Music dead…  Not hardly…  see ya next time and I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this topic. 

Peace         

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