What do a business-minded Marine reservist and an ultra-motivated high school dropout have in common? And yes, that’s an oxymoron.
In this case, an irrefutable chemistry and energy fueled by a common love for hip-hop and a desire to share fun and eccentricity through it.
When The Real Laww (John Laww) returned to Durham from a stint in Afghanistan a little more than a year ago, it was only right that he reconnect with the old friend and protege he’d left behind to protect his arsenal of music recording equipment — Professor Toon (Kurrell Rice), who used his friend’s away time to get equipped with the equipment, master the art of music production and perfect his previously underwhelming rhyme skills.
When Laww returned, they hit the ground running.
“We’ve been going super hard since maybe a year ago,” Professor Toon said. “I make beats, I perform. That’s what pays my rent.”
Today, you might not even recognize them. During the past year, the pair has kicked it into overdrive, acquiring a growing loyal and respectable fan base, striking both admiration and jealousy from their peers in the North Carolina hip-hop community.
“I want people to know their opinion counts,” Toon said. “Just don’t overuse it. That’s pretty much what a hater is.”
Fellow Durham rapper Defacto Thezpian (Raheem Royal) met Professor Toon through a common acquaintance, who introduced him to The Real Laww. Since then, The Real Laww has taken Thezpian under his wing.
Quickly picking up on the two’s chemistry, Defacto has nicknamed them “The Dastardly Duo,” although that’s not quite what they are. Confusion reigns as to whether they’re a group. That’s how good the chemistry is.
In fact, The Real Laww and Professor Toon are separate acts — but their styles fit so well that you can barely tell.
“They’re two rappers that are passionate about the same thing and that work together a lot,” Defacto said. “They have no title to what they are, and that’s what makes it all the more great.”
Those who have seen “The Dastardly Duo” on stage may believe “great” is an understatement. Mike Williams, a Durham county native who has seen them perform three times agrees wholeheartedly.
“Those guys are incredible to say the least,” he said. “They’re definitely original — you can tell they’ve done this a lot.”
Although Toon and Laww are renowned for their hilarious interactive shows, they’re adamant about performance skills being crucial to success.
“Be a dope performer. Rappers can’t perform these days,” Toon said. “You wrote these songs, so you should be able to perform them to a crowd. I’ve been to Atlanta and some of these hip-hop hot beds and met people who know a lot of rich people, famous people, blah blah blah. Can’t perform.
You have to be able to perform. People go to live shows here.”
That said, Toon and The Real Laww’s shows are certainly well-attended.
“The notoriety didn’t really come until we did our own show,” The Real Laww said. “We put on a benefit concert at Casbah in Durham called the Wounded Warriors Project. I liked it because I saw the opportunity to help out my brothers.”
For Professor Toon and The Real Laww, the hardest part was done. Though keeping an audience would usually be the next challenge, that’s where both rappers are at home. If you’re not convinced, The Real Laww throws out buttons with his name and logo on them to keep you intrigued.
“Who throws out buttons?” he laughed. “It’s all about being different and making the fans laugh. We want them to remember they came to the show, not just get on stage, say what we have to say then get off. That’s boring.”
Contact the desk editor at diversions@dailytarheel.com
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