Frustrated by the state of today's rap music, a Ball State University sophomore from Carmel has launched his own recording company in an effort to kick-start a rap scene in the Hoosier state.
Rob Brown, who performs under the name Sub Xero, said he hopes his label, TRU DAT Records, will bring a fresh sound to the rap industry.
"Rap's fallen in a rut," Brown said. "It's the same old story, same stuff, just a different guy. There's a lot about rolling on dubs and bling. My songs are about Plymouth Breezes and Nissan Maximas."
It is not uncommon in the rap world for performers to make it big and bring notoriety to the rap scenes in the places they came from, Brown said.
"Kanye blew up, and all the sudden Chicago's on the map," he said. "Eminem did something, and now Detroit's famous."
The rapper said his label is currently too small to produce artists besides himself, but if more money comes in, Brown said he would be more than happy to sign other performers.
Brown said, although he is majoring in telecommunications, his heart is firmly set on a career in music.
"You can't really go to college to be a rapper or start your own record label," Brown said. "But I stay in school just in case it doesn't come through."
Brown said today's market is ripe for a rapper from Indiana, but finding success locally can be a problem because of the nature of Indianapolis' bar scene when it is compared to other cities.
"It's a completely different mindset in Indy," Brown said. "They don't have anybody; the local rap scene isn't as big. If you look at the bar scene, it's more tailored to classic rock and folk places that aren't really built for rap."
Brown said his music is different from that of most rappers because of the subjects he focuses on in his songs.
"Most people who go to the concerts are from the suburbs," he said. "Most people don't really relate to the performers. I'm rapping about things people from Carmel can relate to. I rap about going to Taco Bell. I make a 'Full House' reference in one of my songs."
Ryan Adkins of Azmyth Recording, who helped record Brown's album, said the beats the artist uses also set him apart from rap's mainstream.
"He's not afraid to use techno beats and that sort of thing," Adkins said. "He doesn't write songs just to get them on the radio."
Adkins, who worked with rap group D12 on its recording "Purple Pills," said Brown's lyrics are interesting because they harken back to rap's earlier days.
"He doesn't rap about thug life," he said. "It's kind of an old-school thing."
Brown said his CD, "King of the Suburbs," is currently available at Village Green Records, Karma Records in Carmel and Vibes Music, Indy CD and Vinyl and Rockin' Billy's Records in Indianapolis.
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