Transcend: Behold A Pale Voice Countless MCs in this day and age rely on style rather than substance to sell records. They abandon hip-hop’s elements to go pop, in turn losing any and all amounts of credibility they may have had. Freddie B, best known as revolutionary hip-hop artist Transcend, is unable and unwilling to go this route. Listening to rappers in the late ‘80’s and early ‘90’s such as Rakim, KRS-ONE, Big Daddy Kane and Kool G Rap made a young Transcend want to rap himself. “Hip-hop was always there,†he said. “It’s something that I fell in love with the first time I heard it, and I will listen to it ‘til my time comes.†Born in gritty North East El Paso, Texas, Transcend’s family moved to Augusta, Georgia when he was a teenager, marking a big change in his young life. “It was a huge culture shock for me, as I went from going to a school in the city to a school that was in front of a cornfield.†However, the move down to Georgia was a blessing. His burgeoning rap career was taking off as he competed in and hosted rap battles—way before battle rapping became an overexposed fad in the culture—and made connections networking in Augusta and nearby towns. Transcend contends that the talent pool was deep in the area, but that it was hard to get attention because of regional biases in the industry. “[It was a struggle] trying to make hip-hop happen in a town like Augusta,†he said. “There are a lot of talented artists in that city and they’ve never gotten the shine or credit they deserve. The local scene was always loyal but was small in numbers as well. I know that city is sitting on a breakout artist, and its only a matter of time before someone from Augusta makes noise.†After a decade in Augusta, Transcend made the move to Atlanta five years ago. The struggles didn’t end there, however. Some of Transcends business partners were, well, shady, and he paid a very unfortunate price. “I got involved with the wrong people that really didn’t have my best interests in mind,†he admitted. “When they found out I was networking with other artists that could actually make things happen for me and my career, all of my recorded music was mysteriously lost. They claimed it was due to a hard drive failure.†From there, he took a year-long break from recording. During that time, he sat down and put his wants and needs into perspective, and has come out stronger than ever. A rejuvenated and reenergized Transcend has joined forces with Zoo Atlanta’s Dixie Mafia. The goal of the Dixie Mafia—which is made up of rappers, producers and graf artists of many ethnicities and racial backgrounds—is to unite multiple races, with an unlikely choice of logo: the Rebel Flag, in black and white. “The idea was for us to use it as a symbol of racial unity,†he said. “We knew going into this that some eyebrows would be raised by us choosing to fly a rebel flag but that was a risk we were willing to take. We’re all rebels in the sense of us all bucking the system and the racist-ass stigma that the flag has carried. If you take something that has so many negative connotations and you embrace it with a movement as we have going, you render it powerless.†Other members of the Dixie Mafia aside from Transcend and Zoo Atlanta (aka Honkey Kong) include Yela Wolf ( Catfish Billy), 20/20 (the Lyrical Pyromaniac), Big Thorn and production team The Beat Chefs. Alongside his work with the Dixie Mafia, and artists like KED of Dungeoneze, Transcend is hard at work on an EP tentatively titled “The Rebel Rouser,†which should prepare the world for his self-proclaimed magnum opus—“Behold A Pale Voice.†“That’s a title I’ve had for years,†he said. “Its not only going to be the title of my first release but also the focal point of everything I’m trying to do.†Despite the multiple struggles and setbacks Transcend has encountered—and overcome—over the course of his long journey, he maintains that he is living his dream. “Its not a matter of having a certain level I feel I need to accomplish in hip-hop,†he said. “My voice being heard is plenty enough for me. To be able to be a part of something that has given so much to me is by far the greatest thing.†By Thomas “teethree†Hardison for T3 ARTISTWORKS
