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Making some NOISE [The Union Daily Times, S.C.](Union Daily Times, The (SC) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) July 08--Two local rappers are taking their careers seriously and attempting to transcend the rapper stereotype. Dru Owen began rapping for fun nine years ago around age 12-13. He made his first recording at his brother's home in 2002 using a basic computer microphone. Shortly after, he met T.J. Jeter at a Friday night football game in Union. "T.J. was in the band, and he was on his third-quarter break," Owen said. "We were talking to a mutual friend, and we eventually started rapping back and forth." That meeting is what changed the way Owen looked at rapping; he started taking his music seriously. In 2006, Owen and his older brother -- David Scott -- began putting a recording studio together, gradually adding equipment piece by piece. Six years later, they are still adding pieces to their studio located on S. Church St. in Union. Those who record at the studio have become known as NOISE Records, which is an acronym for "No one is strong enough," meaning the group refuses to let anything or anyone stand in the way of chasing their dreams and achieving their goals. After graduating from high school, Jeter went on to study music at Limestone College, and Owen said he has learned a lot from working with Jeter for the past seven years. "He understands much more about music theory than I do," Owen said. "His beats help me create my sound." Jeter credits Limestone College with giving him a much better understanding of music. "If I'm putting a track together, I know what note to use or what key to sing something in," Jeter said."My music is different from anything; I mix so many different genres together because I've been around so many." Owen graduated from UCHS in 2005 -- at age 16 -- and went on to USC Columbia for a semester, eventually transferring to USC Union where he received an associate's degree in the arts. Owen then went on to USC Upstate where he earned a bachelor's degree in mass communication electronic media in Dec. 2009. Owen said if it had not been for music business classes he took at USC Upstate, his view of the music industry would not be the same. "In those classes, I explored different outlets you can take and how to take them," he said. "I learned about marketing and brands: selling yourself in addition to selling your music. The best artists are able to find a balance between maintaining the core message they want to give and making themselves appealing to a large group of people." Owen also said higher education will shape the content of an artist's music. "If you've been to school, then you've been in a different environment than somewhere rural or urban," he said. "My style of hip hop tells stories; stories of the world from my viewpoint. It's no different from how country artists tell stories of the world from the way they see it. Or blues artists," Jeter said. "It's about music people can relate to or a story they can relate to." Jeter said his music has rhythm and melodies similar to a lot of commercial hip hop that catch the listener's ear and more thought-provoking lyrics. "I feel like the rap community is getting a bad name and a lot of it is its own fault because a lot of the most creative, thought-provoking artists are not the ones that get the most exposure," Jeter said. "I'm hoping to be the one that does." Owen said his music has recently been feel-good music geared toward clubs and parties because of the marketability. He also said this is unusual for a Caucasian rapper. "I try to deviate from the stereotypical white rapper," he said. "Many that I've heard feed off being a white rapper and try to be the most eccentric. When people hear 'white rapper' they think of Eminem and the 'wild, crazy white dude' image. That doesn't fit my style." "Being white doesn't affect or change the way I operate on a daily basis, so why should it affect my music?" Owen asked. The NOISE Records label artists include Owen -- whose hip hop persona is "A.O." (Andrew Owen), Jeter -- who is known in the hip hop world as "Craven," a name he took from one of his favorite comics, Tevin "Troop" Thompson -- also from Union and Donnie "Dzyn" Heath from Winnsboro. Their schedules are all full of activities to further their careers in the music industry. Owen is featured in a video -- currently in the editing stages -- which was filmed at Club Rome in Spartanburg on June 23. The performance was the first one at the venue, and Owen performed with Atlanta-based artist ChiefJenxz drawing more than 400 people to the venue. "It was packed, and everything went really well," Owen said. "We showed how positive a hip hop crowd can be. It was a good time." Owen plans to use the video as a promotional tool to display on various websites and to send to radio stations. He is also about to start shooting another video featuring Thompson -- a student at Charleston Southern University -- with song called "Shift Change." "Troop has a different style from anyone I've ever worked with, but I like working with him because he has a smart approach," Owen said. Owen also has a single -- "Freak Show" -- which is available for download on multiple websites including iTunes. He said most of the downloads have come from South Carolina and Georgia, but he has also received some from Michigan, Colorado and even some from Europe. Jeter also has a single called "Say Yeah" which is also available now on iTunes. Jeter and Owen will perform at Club Fathom in Chattanooga Friday opening for well-known rapper Gucci Mane during a show billed as "Gucci Mane's Welcome Home Party." ___ To see more of The Union Daily Times or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.uniondailytimes.com/ Copyright (c) 2011, The Union Daily Times, S.C. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com, e-mail [email protected], or call 866-280-5210 (outside the United States, call +1 312-222-4544) |