SHUAN DALLEZ

I get the best new MySpace Layouts at LayoutStreet.com ! I get the best new MySpace Layouts at LayoutStreet.com ! I get the best new MySpace Layouts at LayoutStreet.com !FAYETTEVILLE OBSERVER INTERVIEW NEWSPAPER EDITWSE: Listen Up - Wataru GuyjeenzStaff writer ADVERTISEMENT Staff photo by Cindy Burnham The WGz is composed of Shuan Dallez, left, Terrell Jenkins, Topaz Carr, Michael Holden, Duan Brown, Damian Hayes and LaMont Ducan. Sitting on the floor is Anthony Luga, right, and, behind him is Jamal Skinner. THE WATARU GUYJEENZWant more? Visit www.myspace.com/wg39sBy Jessica De VaultThe stage was crowded at The Rock Shop when the Wataru Guyjeenz performed.The hip-hop outfit, composed of 12 members, had at least eight rappers and poets on stage.But no one in this crew fought for a moment in the spotlight. Lamont Duncan, a lyricist for the group, said their music has nothing to do with their egos.“It’s a brotherhood,” said Duncan, whose stage name is Mista Liberator. “I’m not really on a lot of songs, but that’s not the point. I’ve learned a lot from just dealing with these guys. Everybody is just super talented.”This band of rappers, poets and producers began forming in 2007. Damian Hayes, the group’s founder, moved from New York to Fayetteville and reconnected with his local cousins, rappers Terrell Jenkins and Michael Holden.While in the Big Apple, Hayes had grown weary of rapping about his “knucklehead” street antics. He withdrew from that lifestyle, left the rap group he was in and documented the experience in his lyrics. As a solo artist, writing rhymes alone at home, he began to see himself as a traveling outsider.But when he arrived in Fayetteville, he and his cousins decided to venture into music together. Hayes met new people and recruited them into the Wataru Guyjeenz fold. Before long, there were a dozen guys, each with their own talents.The group — also known as the WGz — has since made several CDs filled with music that reflects the members’ personal life experiences and views. The message, they hope, will enliven the hip-hop genre and their respective communities.“We’re still learning. We’re not only young as a group but as people, too. But that journey of learning is what we spit about,” Hayes said. “We bring who we are to the table. That’s why the music is a little different.”The WGz may be large, but the heart of the band consists of nine members: Hayes (Mr. Hoo), Duncan, Jenkins (Trill), Holden (Tru), Isaiah Stevens (Shuan Dallez), Topaz Carr (Judge), Duan Brown (Optional), LaMont Duncan (Mista Liberator), Anthony Lugo (Bodyless Thought) and Jamal Skinner (Da Topic).These young men, who are 20 to 34, spoke with the Weekender Street Edition about the WGz’ musical mission, and why they believe hip-hop is not dead.Weekender: Where did the name WGz come from?Hayes: The name Wataru Guyjeenz comes from Japanese text, which means “traveling outsiders.” We did research, and we thought “Wataru” was Swahili. But we found out that it was actually Japanese, too. The “Traveling Outsiders” is the name because that’s what we try to represent. We want to be in the game but not of the game. We do old school hip-hop with heavy beats and real lyrics, but with a new message.Weekender: That phrase, “We’re in it but not of it,” is often used in religious circles referring to being separated from the world. Was that where that statement came from?Lugo: It’s more about finding happiness within yourself, being in your own world, not the common majority. The common majority says what’s best, what will make you happy. But we know that happiness is within ourselves. So we’re in it and not of it.Weekender: When the band first formed, were you all on the same page about the direction of your music?Stevens: No, not at all. We all had different views, we still do. But our music meshes together like a collage, because there are different situations and topics on every song.Weekender: What makes the WGz stand out from other hip-hop acts?Jenkins: I think our variety and willingness to do stuff that other groups aren’t doing is what separates us. Nobody in our group is saying the same thing. Everybody brings their own message. It’s different from what you see in the rap game because you hear people talking about the same thing over and over again.Weekender: Who are some of the band’s influences?Brown: Old school hip-hop, Rakim, Nas, KRS-1. Anybody who was speaking the truth but not really wearing a tie while they were doing it. The kind of rappers who wanted to relate to the streets without strictly talking about the streets. Those are the kind of guys who inspire me. And guys like Lupe (Fiasco), Kanye (West). These are guys who use that street flavor without saying I’m standing on the corner, and I dig that.Weekender: What are you hoping to accomplish?Lugo: The message is most important. We’re just coming together for that common cause and common essence. We want to be able to relate to everybody, and show that everybody got a human nature, and that we can all link at every angle.Brown: What we’re trying to do is become a record label, to really promote our own self. We have so many different influences in this group that everybody can kind of branch off and do things. And we want to go out of town.Weekender: Some say hip-hop is dead. What do you think?Lugo: I think people are saying that hip-hop is dead because everybody is talking about temporal things and these material things that don’t matter. Everybody can’t relate to 20-inch rims. It’s just an image, and it’s temporary. But if you truly give yourself and who you really are (in your music), someone can relate, and it will never die.Holden: We heard about Nas’ “Hip-hop is Dead,” and we wanted to explain how it’s not dead in one of our songs, “Hip-hop is Not Dead.” There’s still a lot of rappers out there who haven’t been heard. And if it is dead, we’re bringing it back to life. Hip-hop is not dead yet, because there are artists like the WGz.