Who’s Next: Rahsaan
Category: Music
If you’re a sneaker pheen who loves anything and everything sneaker, you have most likely heard Rahsaan’s hit single Sneaker Store Terrorist, or at least heard it when you copped your last pair at a local underground spot. Just like video games have their own unique soundtracks, the eccentric world of sneaker lovers does too, and Rahsaan’s love for unique kicks has earned him a spot. But the fun hit about confessing the details of a sneaker addiction to a therapist is nowhere near the real stuff the Guyana born-Brooklyn raised rapper has to offer, “The sneaker thing is a small part of me as an artist. That’s just another aspect of my music that I know you need in order to catch peoples attention, especially the younger generation because nobody likes to listen nowadays. In the state of this economy and the state of the country right now that shit really isn’t important to me right now.”
At a time with arguments over whether or not hip is dead, or at least insanely ill, many hip hop heads are searching far and wide for a fix of the sounds of classic hip hop. Since the radio waves are clogged with anything but, the underground world of music can be a great place to look. While Rahsaan doesn’t like to put his music in a particular category, he is quite aware that most people do, “I don’t put myself in any categories, but the outside world would consider me underground. But I think when you say underground you start to generalize the sound before you even hear it. You can’t really do that with the type of music I do.”
Underground or not, Rahsaan has goals just like any other artist, “I’m definitely aiming towards international hip hop superstardom. I aim high and I aim big. Some people are content with reppin’ their block, but I myself feel like I have a universal appeal.”
When asked if he can dig any of the stuff out now on the radio, at first Rahsaans answer was no. But after having a few moments to think he had an answer, “I like Lupe [Fiasco]. Because he’s very very lyrical, I definitely appreciate what he brought to the game. He was able to kind of cross over and still maintain the MC pedigree, still maintain his integrity as an MC.”
Although a true hip hop fan can appreciate deep, no holds bar lyrics, the general public craves a watered down version and Rahsaan has learned this on his own, “I had a meeting at Sony one time and I was playing my records and the guy told me that my records were too deep. He said he would never sign a New York artist because they try to be too deep and too intellectual.”
The game hasn’t been too hard on the Guyanese rapper, even giving him the chance to perform at some of the Rock The Bells locations this summer, one of the biggest underground hip hop festivals. Rahsaan had a chance to show Chicago, Boston, and Maryland what he was working with, and even the places where he wasn’t so lucky were still dope because they, “led to future endeavors.”
Rahsaan has even appeared in a BET Rap-It-Up campaign, a series of commercials, letting teens know how important it is to use protection. The troubles that can arise from teenage sex are no stranger to Rahsaan, and can be heard in a song he dedicated to his two unborn children. “Theres a record that I have called “A letter to my babies” about two abortions I went through when I was 18.” The song talks about the reasons he wasn’t ready for a child, and sends an important message to both male and female teens. Ten years later Rahsaan has a baby girl on the way, most likely born by the time this article is published.
Those interested can check out Rahsaan’s blog, AflyGuy.com, where they can find videos and get a sneak peak into the rapper’s hip hop journey. He is currently working on several projects including an EP and an album entitled Georgetown, which he hopes will be out by next summer. The album’s title pays homage to Rahsaan’s hometown, Georgetown Guyana. Fans can also check out his MySpace page.
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