Vega

I edited my profile with Thomas' Myspace Editor V4.4Get Your Own Voice Player ManageI edited my profile with Thomas' Myspace Editor V4.4Hip-hop trio takes middle road Fort Wayne’s Vega mixing variety of influences into sound By Emma Downs The Journal Gazette Photo courtesy of Vega Fort Wayne hip-hop group Vega combines drawled, laconic rhyming and inspired grooves.AUDIO: Vega - More Than Corn.mp3 Don’t get them wrong. The members of the local hip-hop trio Vega love Fort Wayne. But they’re not opposed to shaking things up in Chicago, Detroit or Indianapolis either.“Fort Wayne is great,” MC and producer Chris Stath (aka C Static) says. “But you’ve got to look past it. We can’t just focus on Fort Wayne. We love it here. This is where we sleep at night, but people get too wrapped up in the local scene. We’re in a good position in Fort Wayne. We can hit Indianapolis, Chicago and Detroit in a couple of hours and perform there, too.”Vega – Stath, Daimone Hatch (aka Young Fevva) and Gralan Early (aka Drummer Boy) – are one of several local rap groups looking to branch out as a regional or national act. And their quest to make it big has kept them on the phone, making up to 40 calls a day to national record companies, managers and A&R departments, Stath says.“It’s about establishing relationships,” he says. “And we’ve made progress. If you’re professional and present your music in a professional way, they’ll ask you to send them your demos.”The group has already made a splash in Fort Wayne, performing their mix of West Coast G-funk hip-hop, party rap and neo-New Jack Swing at Columbia Street West, Sunset Reception Hall and as halftime entertainment at Fort Wayne Freedom games. But they’ve also performed at venues in Indianapolis and Chicago.“For us, it’s music, not just rap,” Stath says. “We all come from musical backgrounds, so our songs have musical hooks. We sample, but we also start from scratch. So, I’ll play guitar and sample myself sometimes.”The group’s album, “Blowin’ Minds,” combines drawled, laconic rhyming, inspired grooves and an easy rolling production style while introducing listeners to a slew of other local hip-hop artists, from emcees such as Joe Dub and B-Busy to singers such as Emily and Camia.“We keep open minds,” Hatch says. “You’ve got to be creative. Everybody raps about rims, jewelry – all of the cliché things. If you want to make it, you’ve got to set yourself apart. And every time you bring a different person into the mix, you bring in different ideas, different styles, different looks.”The tracks on “Blowin’ Minds” are a testament to Vega’s diverse musical philosophy – jumping from elements of electroclash to languid ganja tales to the drawled, laconic rhyming of early ’90s G-funk.“Our style is not having a style,” Hatch says. “We can do one thing and then come from left field for the next track. It’s new school, old school, party songs, heavy songs. You may hate one song, but then love the next one.”“This might sound clichéd,” Stath says. “But there is something for everyone, at least with regard to hip-hop style.”Despite their desire to branch out, the group is proud of its Midwestern roots, peppering lyrics with references to local landmarks and corn-fed traditions. But the influences of Southern, East Coast and West Coast rap are also present, Stath says.“The thing about Midwestern rap, is that it’s been influenced by all the other regions,” he says. “We’re stuck in the middle here, so we’re really diversified. Nationally, it’s really the Midwest’s turn to take center stage in the music industry. We’re coming to the forefront. We’ll have our chance soon. The tables will turn.”