"It's not hard to see who has purposefully jiggafied themselves in a shallow attempt to find their true supporters-or should I say the fans they specifically want?" says Joe Beats, one of two men making up the hip-hop duo, the Non-Prophets.
"Well, let's punish them. Let's rap over commercial instrumentals at shows and interpolate old-school hooks for the chorus and become the very antithesis of what these tykes wholeheartedly believe to be hip-hop."
In his so-called "non-prophecy," Beats puts it all out on the line. The producer and member of the hip-hop duo vents his anger toward mainstream "pop rap" and the lack of intellectual prowess in the music industry today. Along with Sage Francis, the lyrical mastermind behind the duo, the Non-Prophets are on a nationwide tour that defies the monopolization of current concert venues.
The appropriately titled "Fuck Clear Channel Tour" aims to circumvent all venues owned by media mogul Clear Channel Entertainment.
According to a Web site devoted to exposing the media giant, www.clearchannelsucks.org, Clear Channel Entertainment (also known as SFX, one of their more well-known subsidiaries) owns and operates more than 200 venues nationwide. The Web site says Clear Channel is in 248 of the top 250 radio markets, controlling 60 percent of all rock programming. With 103 million listeners in the United States and 1 billion listeners globally (one-sixth of the world population), this powerful company controls much of the music industry.
Non-Prophets at Club Freedom, 919 E. Apache Road, Tempe. 8 p.m. Tuesday. $14.50 in advance or $16 day of show. All ages. Tickets available at Swell, Headquarters, Hoodlums, Southwest Soundworks, Spin Records and all Zia and Ticketmaster locations. 480.929.9003.
Because Clear Channel owns so many venues across the nation, the Non-Prophets say they are forced into playing at smaller, low-rent venues, which often can't pull in big names in music due to competition with SFX.
Another problem of playing low-rent venues is low-quality security. Hoping to evade potential disputes between concert-goers and security crews, all shows will end at least 30 minutes before the venue's closing time, and security has been warned not to "bully" concert-goers. Francis claims the tour is "changing the rules to how shows get thrown."
He'll be doing two sets per night on his tour-one as Sage Francis with a live band, the other as the Non-Prophets, with previously recorded background music. Indie group Grand Buffet will be opening all shows, and Mac Lethal is also on the set list. The national tour stretches from Feb. 5 to March 19, with more than 35 shows in at least 25 states. The tour makes a stop in Tempe at Club Freedom on Feb. 24.
Francis recently came for a one-night stand with ASU students when he performed a free show sponsored by the ASU Program and Activities Board along with rap star, GZA the Genius. He came out in a silk robe with two signs: one read "No band" and the other "No problem." Francis performed a smaller version of the set he will perform for the current tour.
Students who attended, got a taste of the unique performance Francis incorporates with his music-as well as a taste of broccoli. One of the trademarks of the Non-Prophets is to throw vegetables, mainly broccoli, from the stage and into the crowd. In an effort to boost audience involvement, Francis dares fans to throw the vegetables back.
"He's crazy. The show was weird, but I really enjoyed how he got the audience so involved with the music," says Annilese Vandenberg, an undeclared freshman who attended the free show.
Francis, a former, national slam poet, spits edgy lyrics with a smooth and fluid flow style.
"I attended candlelight vigils for Matthew Shepherd, while you put out another 'Fuck you, Faggot' record," read the lyrics on the Non-Prophet's album, Hope.
With controversial lyrics, an upbeat and interactive performance and a noble tour, the Non-Prophets hope to bring their album Hope to the masses of Tempe.
Joe Beats sums up the "non-prophecy" with sound advice for aspiring artists: "Getting too personal on a microphone is not groundbreaking as you may think. It can serve as a great introspective tool; viewing your life through an artistic medium is cool. The challenge though is to do it in a way where the audience can somehow understand what you are talking about. You know, so they can ... like ... ummm ... relate?"
Reach the reporter at tyler.thompson@asu.edu.
