Many emcees spend their entire careers trying to tap into audiences outside of immediate rap circles. Some will collaborate with rock artists, others will make deliberately female-friendly singles, and others will others look to land spots on multi-genre tours. The career of Lansing rapper RideOut, on the other hand, is the other way around. His first live performance was at his high school’s “Battle of the Bands” concert, and while at college in Ohio, he became the lead vocalist of SoundScape, a Hip Hop band that consisted of him and several instrumentalists.
But don’t get his genre-bending background confuse you: RideOut is an emcee’s emcee, placing emphasis on vivid imagery, storytelling and speaking on issues that matter. The City, his new album with SoundScape producer/bass player Terry Cole, has gotten rave reviews from go-to industry sources like OkayPlayer. With The City getting re-released in Japan through P-Vine Records earlier this month, RideOut talks to MichiganHipHop about the differences between rap crowds and rock crowds, how a Japanese audience will respond to his music, and what makes Michigan’s rap scene better than anywhere else’s. Continue reading →
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