I AM MAINTAINS MANAGER. WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF DOING REAL BIG THINGS. IF ANYONE IS INTERESTED IN TALKING WITH MAINTAIN REGARDING PRODUCTION OR PROMOTION OR ANY OTHER ISSUE YOU CAN CONTACT ME AT 630-405-9659. OR E MAIL ME AT
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Unsigned hype April 2, 2009 By DAVID GARBE For The Beacon News At the nursing home where Ben Hahs works the day shift, no one knows he goes by a different name at night. They don't realize the lanky white guy from Boulder Hill is nationally known -- at least on the underground hip-hop scene -- as "Maintain," a lyrical rapper trying to rise in a cut-throat industry. » Click to enlarge image Benjamin Hahs, who goes by the stage name "Maintain," recently returned from New York, where he performed for rapper 50 Cent. photos by donnell collins / For the Beacon News » Click to enlarge image Benjamin Hahs, aka "Maintain," works on some material with Sam Beckley at Gremlin Studios in Aurora during a recent recording session. (Donnell Collins/For The Beacon News) Maybe a few folks notice his slightly battered appearance or his unflappable demeanor, and maybe they recognize the signs that he's led an interesting life. But let's face it, people don't look at a guy mopping the floor and wonder how his recent freestyling session went with rap superstar 50 Cent. Hahs isn't the type to brag, but since we're asking ... yeah, it went well. Well enough that an A-list entertainment lawyer agreed to represent him on the basis of future earnings. Well enough that the renowned G-Unit Records requested a demo CD. So Hahs spent a recent Saturday afternoon in a downtown Aurora recording studio, putting together a new song for the disc he hopes will move his career into the mainstream. If he was feeling any pressure, he didn't show it. He opened his lyrics-filled notebook underneath the microphone to make sure he got the words exactly right. He sucked a lemon to give his voice just enough of street-grade gravel, shut the door on the sound booth and muttered a soft expletive. "OK, I'm ready," he said. The beat kicked in, and Hahs let his words flow. I'm a good dude with a heart of gold, but I'm not in the mood and I'm ready to fold ... Suddenly my brain feels creative now, so I'm sitting writing on a paper towel ... He raced on, pausing only for the chorus sections, where his friend J. Hollins, a popular Chicago R&B singer, built up smooth harmonies. Two hours and a dozen takes later, they had a richly layered song that would sound right at home on Top 40 radio -- at least the version without all the curse words. But apart from the swearing, Hahs has moved past most of the cliches of the rap world. You won't hear anything about his bling or his beefs or any other hip-hop posturing in his music, which he tries to keep focused on the reality of his experiences. "I've been doing this my whole life, and it wasn't like I was trying to be a big star," he said. "Rap is just something I feel like I'm capable of doing very well." Born in Elgin, Hahs spent most of his youth in Boulder Hill. He attended Oswego High School until he moved back to Elgin in his senior year. He remains close with several friends from those days. His manager, Danny Henry, has been a friend and a fan of Hahs' raps since childhood. "I can remember him calling me on the phone in sixth grade saying, 'Hey I got a new song,'" Henry said. They lost touch as Hahs moved around the country, living in California and New York, taking any concert gig he could get and slowly building his fan base. After a decade in the business, Hahs said, he's gained a strong sense of how the hip-hop industry works -- or sometimes doesn't. "I was on a tour bus once, and I realized that all these people didn't care about me at all," he said. "They just put me on stage and took the money. ... One year, I couldn't even afford to get my son a Christmas present." So Hahs moved back to Elgin and started working full time in the "real" world. He didn't leave show business behind, but he decided it was time to take a different approach to it. Rap is still art for him, but if he's going to make a living at it, he has to find a way to make it work in a big way. After traveling to New York for a concert in early March, contacts in the industry helped Hahs get in the door at 50 Cent's record company, where the star happened to hear Hahs demonstrating his skills. Hahs mailed his demo CD and hopes it will mark the start of a real career. He knows it's still a long shot, but it's still the best one he's seen after years of rapping. Most importantly, he said, "I'm just having fun. I'm not going to get no gray hairs over nothing. "It's not about fame. ... Fame is something that happens or not," he said. Much as he'd love to be a star, ambition is not what makes him step up to the mic and spill his guts in the best poetry he can muster. "When I'm 80 years old, I'm always going to be rapping," he said. "It's something I do."
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