He?s not into country music and you won?t find him on Canadian Idol, but local musician Kevin Emo is setting out to prove that Red Deer has talent in its hip hop community as well. Emo, who also goes by the name Rapamatics, recently signed a contract with Red Pill Records in Seattle. The 28-year-old Red Deer native will begin recording an album in the next few weeks and tour the U.S. later this year. ?I?ve never been so scared in my life . . . it was really a dream come true. I was always told I was garbage, that I wouldn?t go anywhere, even by promoters, but I never believed it. I just kept working,? he said. Emo?s music is classified as rap, but he considers himself a hip hop artist ? it?s both a music genre and a cultural movement, he said. His interest in hip hop was first sparked 10 years ago while listening to Canadian artist Maestro Fresh Wes. He said he?s always enjoyed old-school artists like Grand Master Flash and Will Smith, the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air himself. After high school, Emo joined forces with his friend Darren Hammett to create the group Extent. The two opened for Swollen Members when the group came to Red Deer in 2004, but Extent parted ways the following year. Now a solo artist, Emo says his music is unique because his songs are about real life and have a positive message. He describes his music as educational rap and said he tries to incorporate his experiences and heartbreaks into his work. ?Always stay true to yourself, speak of things you can relate to. Red Deer?s not big enough to have gangs, you can?t say you?re from the ?hood. That?s the kind of message I want to send out,? he explained. Emo said too much of Red Deer?s hip hop culture is focused on violence and drug dealing, instead of the genre?s four main elements ? DJing, break-dancing, graffiti and MCing. He is also quick to point out that success doesn?t happen overnight. ?One message I have for the kids is stay true to the game, meaning always work hard at it, don?t just sit there and wait. The chances of Ice Cube showing up at a Red Deer Rebels game are slim to none,? he said. ?He?s really enthusiastic about hip hop in general, and he really interested me because he was interested in the positive side of hip hop,? said Justin Murta, founder of Red Pill Records in Seattle. Murta said Emo?s attitude, persona and level-headedness made him a perfect addition to the company. He said he plans to fly Emo to Los Angeles to record parts of his album and work on the rest of it in Seattle. ?You guys have a good response to hip hop, but I had no idea there was anyone in Red Deer that talented,? he said. Emo?s family was ecstatic the day his contract arrived in the mail, he said. But his friends were a bit more hesitant. ?They were like, ?We?ll believe it when we see it,? and then they saw it and they were pretty astounded. Friends are weird sometimes,? he said. Emo will focus on recording the album for the rest of the summer and head to Vancouver within the year. He said he isn?t worried about coming up with inspiration for more albums and looks forward to making it big on the West Coast. ?Thanks to every ex-girlfriend I?ve ever had. You fueled the fire,? he laughed. Interested fans can find Emo?s music at www.myspace.com/rapamatics Contact Paige Aarhus at paarhus@reddeeradvocate.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- © Copyright 2007 Red Deer