Huevos parties in spite of all life's ills

Jon Gregory knows life sucks.

Every song the Chapel Hill rapper makes under the moniker Juan Huevos seethes with the notion that there is something wrong in the world.

Whether he's pointing out how silly it is for you to respect him just because he can rap telling you how scared he is to start another monotonous work week or just declaring his distaste for the acting of John Travolta Huevos' songs are rife with sarcastic disappointment.

But as far as he sees it" it's nothing a little partying can't fix.

""If you really listen to what I'm saying" I'm whining about something but I put it to this really fun party music" Gregory said. I'm trying to party. I'm trying to dance. I don't want to sit home and be sad.""

It might come off as unusual for a rapper to pay more attention to whether audiences are dancing to his beats than whether they are listening to his rhymes" but then again" Juan Huevos is not a typical rapper.

""It's hard at shows because people aren't dancing. I think they're listening to what I'm saying"" he said, adding that this is not the atmosphere he prefers. I want to see hair flailing and people getting hit in the face because people are going so crazy.""

Perhaps it's just that the people who attend his shows aren't the type to dance" but it certainly has nothing to do with the music.

Layered under Gregory's hilarious and caustic mocking" the music splices rock and dance parts with inventive sample choices to create a sound that pops with quirky excitement.

And it's been enough to get the notice of some connected people.

Gregory recently returned from a visit to France where he met with rapper Subtitle. The two were meeting to discuss making a Huevos record for Subtitle's new label.

Gregory said it was interesting to finally meet the man he had previously only communicated with via enigmatic e-mails.

""To him" with his record label he's like Professor Xavier" he said. And he's scouting mutants with super powers and assembling this team. He's weird like that.""

Despite his new friend's quirks" Gregory thought it was a successful trip. He was able to make connections with many people in the European music scene and make progress towards a release with a wider scope than he's used to.

And for a person to whom making music is vital" an opportunity to make it a more major breadwinner is serious stuff.

""There's some pretty depressing shit" I feel like in my music" he said. It really is the demons.

""I'm sitting there" it's Sunday. I'm by myself. I'm hung over. I don't know what to do" so I go into the studio and make a song. And then I feel better.""

And when it comes right down to it"" that's what he's trying to do for the listener too.

""My problems aren't any different than anybody else's for the most part" he said. So I want people to hear what I'm saying and be like ‘I felt that way too and I want to dance too" and I want to forget my problems.'

""It's like" sure your life sucks" but it might suck less if you drank another beer and shook it.""



Contact the Diversions Editor at dive@unc.edu.