United State of Hip-Hop

The Triangle music scene has never been one to lie low. There’s a legacy here that stretches far into history, past Superchunk and Archers of Loaf, back to blues legends and early rock greats.

But amid the vast appreciation for indie rock and front-porch pickin’, there’s a question that remains: What about hip-hop?

For a host of local emcees, producers and talents, it’s a query that ought to arise more often, especially as the area’s hip-hop scene grapples with an identity that’s constantly transforming.

The Beast’s Pierce Freelon grew up in Durham and witnessed the scene’s growth throughout the ’90s and early 2000s. When a local rapper got a video on BET’s “Uncut,” it left an impression on Freelon.

“It was a big deal when he had a video on ‘BET Uncut’ before they banned ‘Uncut’ from television, because it was basically just softcore pornography. But this guy was from Durham, and we thought it was awesome,” he said.

For Charlie Smarts, a member of Raleigh’s Kooley High, one of the biggest challenges in local hip-hop is getting people to listen in the first place.

“We’re in an area where people sometimes don’t care about art as much,” he said.

Smarts found that this was especially true during his years as a student at N.C. State University, which led him and some like-minded friends to start a club for aspiring hip-hop artists.

“You don’t see people that are into hip-hop enough to participate on a everyday basis, especially with the hip-hop we were involved with. We weren’t into the ‘shake your bon-bon’ or gun clapping thing.”

And though groups like Kooley High have struggled to form a passionate fan base in the past, Smarts is seeing a change for the better at recent shows.

“I’ve been looking at the area a lot more and just wondering, ‘Hey, who’s bringing people out to shows? What’s going on?’ I’m seeing a lot more freshmen and sophomores in college, bringing a lot more people out and doing stuff in public.”

The local hip-hop scene has had a major influx of awards and critical acclaim in recent years, spawning a plethora of rappers whose names are getting buzz nationwide.

The Foreign Exchange, whose members include former Raleigh resident Phonte, was even nominated for a Grammy in 2008.

“Certainly with Median and Phonte with Foreign Exchange, getting that Grammy nomination in ’08 was a huge recognition for an independent, Triangle-based band,” Freelon said. “On the other side you had 9th Wonder, teaching a hip-hop class at [N.C.] Central and running his label P’Tones Records.”

Even as rappers wrestle against Pitchfork tastes and seemingly oblivious local music fans, emcees like Rhetoric, who performs with #FamousGang, still believe that the hip-hop dream is worth pursuing.

“This music thing is not a hobby. It’s my life. Every waking minute is spent pondering my next move, building online presence, networking with other artists, trying to get shows, freestyling for people, etcetera,” he said.

“It isn’t a fad and it isn’t a simple promotional manipulation of social networks. It’s a lifestyle my friends have chosen to adopt and a level of dopeness we will always reach for until we’ve made it.”

Contact the Diversions Editor at dive@dailytarheel.com.

Allison Hussey, Joe Faile and Joseph Chapman contributed reporting to this story.