FEATURE
Photo by Tyler Waugh
Tewes says his main goal is to change people's opinion of rap rather than become famous and make a career of it.
Tewes met with Hannya three times during his stay in Japan and even talked to him about the hip-hop scene back in Lawrence. Tewes later received word from Hannya's manager that Hannya and fellow Japanese rap superstar Ozrosaurus were interested in coming to Lawrence for a show.
Starting it up in Lawrence
Back home from the land of Hello Kitty and giant robots, Tewes yearns to take his game to the venues and parking lots of downtown Lawrence. In early 2000, hip-hop in Lawrence thrived when a weekly installment of local talent would perform on Fridays at the Bottleneck. The artists and groups consisted of up-and-coming talent from Kansas City who were studying at KU, but they have all since moved on.
One of the newcomers to the rebuilding of Lawrence hip-hop is Topekaborn John Westbrook, Jr. aka "Stik Figa," who won last year's annual KJAK Farmer's Ball. Despite such success, Stik still sees Lawrence as always being "that rock town," but he believes there's potential for new blood like Tewes to move in.
"You got to have a winning attitude and if you're going to make an impact, you really got to work hard."
All that shines doesn't shine forever, and if Tewes wants to get in on the scene, he's going to need to make some connections and put in some hard work. Still intent on finishing school before anything else, Tewes isn't looking to make a career out of rap abilities. He's not in it for the money. The game of hip-hop is more a way to express his feelings on bringing hip-hop back to the days when rhyming was an art form.
"I don't have any dream for getting famous. The only thing I want out of it is changing people's mind about what hiphop is,"Tewes says.
kawarani kono kokorazashi
kono kurtta seki ni ikiteru ore ni
kore shika nai, koni no inochi
My intention won't change for me living in this crazy world all I have is this one life
It's now close to 3 a.m. and Tewes, on stage for the past hour, is feeling it. During his last song, he raises his towel, punching it into the air along with the drum kick of the beat. His classmates in the crowd follow suit with the rest of the crowd as they follow his cue and thrust their fists into the air.Everyone in the club is moving back and forth hypnotized by the music and yelling back to Tewes' call. He wants to smile, but he's too busy being in the moment.
The song ends. As the people in the crowd shuffle towards the door, Tewes goes back stage to grab some water and a few moments to sit. He emerges from the club as just another international student in Japan on the weekend, leaving his stage persona behind with the empty, sweat-soaked floor. Tewes and his classmates just want to sleep.
They decide to use the nearby karaoke bar as a late night motel, paying for a place to crash instead of entertainment. Tewes slumps down on one of the cushion seats in the room and lets his mind wander. His next show is in two weeks, giving him time to work on the papers coming up in his classes.
For now, though, the rapper needs his rest.
Special Thanks to Chiaki Gonda for translating the Japanese artist interviews.
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September 11,2008