Local hip-hop artists Mystery School, comprised of Merc Versus and his brother, will help kick-start the National Record Store Day events next week at Village Green Records.
The Detroit branch of the Wu-Tang Clan, The Wisemen, have welcomed Mystery School with open arms to perform and record songs together.
Merc said he garners inspiration for songs lyrics from everyday life, world affairs and the local community.
"American pop culture is a celebrity cult and hip-hop, somewhere along the line, got tangled up in that world where style comes before substance and how you look when you say something means more than what you are saying," he said. "People should learn to listen to music with their ears instead of their eyes. ... Emcees are meant to be a society of warrior poets, not a walking commercial billboard."
Merc grew up listening to his father's record collection, which consisted of artists like The Four Tops, Al Green, Jackie Wilson and Sam Cooke. In second grade, Merc became interested in original hip-hop artists like Run-DMC and Grandmaster Flash. His father bought him a vinyl LP called "Electric Breakdance" that helped spur Merc's original desire to be a hip-hop disc jockey.
It wasn't until Merc's teen years that he decided he wanted to become a hip-hop artist, plugging microphones into his stereo to practice instrumental works and appreciating the structure and design of music. The social consciousness of Merc's work is what sets him apart from modern popular hip-hop artists.
"Underground and independent hip-hop artists can be some of the most lyrically and musically complex and introspective rappers ever, but the public isn't ready for that," he said. "The mainstream music audience at large sees hip-hop as just a disposable form of club music these days."
Merc said he appreciates the craftsmanship of underground artists such as Wisemen, Bronze Nazareth, Immortal Technique and MF Doom. His advice to aspiring hip-hop artists is to find their own identity in the music and then run with it.
"Eventually you run out of steam when you're using someone else's style," Merc said.
"Come from the heart and you will shine much brighter and inspire others to be themselves."
Merc has been attending Universal Zulu Nation – a hip-hop awareness group — meetings through the Indiana chapter. The group is lead by Afrika Bambaataa, who is viewed internationally as the Godfather of Hip-Hop. The group's main concern is preserving the integrity of hip-hop culture.
In 2004, Merc launched an independent record label and management company called Invisible Inc Multimedia. Recent releases from the label include Stone Messiah's "American Idol" and A Man Called Relik's "NPR."
Merc's soon to be released album will be titled "Rise of the Sleeping Giant." HE said the sleeping giant is a metaphor for Indiana's hip-hop talent that hasn't yet emerged.
The album features many Indiana artists including Ball State University's own Rochelle, also known as Hot 16. C-Rayz Walz, featured on MTV's "Made" will present the album.
Title tracks include "Suicide Angel," "Militant Scripturez" and "The Price of Freedom."
More information about Merc Versus and other artists can be found at invisibleinc.tk
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