As a music and a culture, hip-hop is full of divisions. While most artists are forced to affiliate themselves with one side or another, Quentin “Krucial” Rupert of West Point, an MC for Columbus-based Retro South Music, walks right down the middle.
Krucial seeks to transcend these divisions in hip-hop. He took up rhyming seven years ago, but only in the last couple years has he seen his craft begin to pay off.
Elements of the mainstream are evident in Krucial”s style. His wardrobe and jewelry match current trends. But onlookers shouldn”t be quick to write him off as a hustle rapper out to make quick money.
The difference is found in his rhymes. Krucial touches on topics commonly covered in hip-hop, but one element is noticeably absent: He doesn”t curse.
Furthermore, his rhymes are peppered with references to his faith and his desire to be a better man. But Krucial isn”t playing the role of the watered-down Christian rapper. He”s a rapper who happens to be Christian, and the worldly side of him does come out in his music.
A mainstream sound blended with honesty and humility have helped him, Krucial said, to set himself apart in the Golden Triangle”s fledgling hip-hop scene. But bigger things are on deck.
Krucial embarks Sept. 5 on the HBCU College Tailgaiting Tour, which makes seven stops over the next 2 1/2 months at universities in Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi. Tour dates and further details are available at ndagameentertainment.com.
Plus, Krucial will open for platinum recording artists K-Ci and JoJo when they perform at the Seventh Street Heritage Festival in Columbus Oct. 3.
No artist likes to be compared to other artists. So instead of comparing your sound to other artists, who are some of the artists who influenced your music?
As a youngster I started off listening to Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, 2Pac, Eric B. and Rakim. And growing up I listened to Ludacris.
What is your thesis on the state of hip-hop today?
To me, my statement of hip-hop right now is we done lost good hip-hop. Hip-hop ain”t where it”s supposed to be. My plan is to put hip-hop where it”s supposed to be. To come back and give ”em good music, good champion music. The thing about it is with me, you never let ”em see you sweat. You never let ”em see you going down.
And so many people (are) giving struggle music. I know we”re going through a recession right now, so I want to uplift everybody I could possibly uplift.
What do you mean by “champion music?”
Champion music is about giving everyone something to just vibe to, ride to, have everyone in a good positive mood.
In your rhymes, you fluctuate between religious and worldly. How do you select your subject matter?
Anything I do, I do it in a godly manner. So if I talk about ladies, I don”t disrespect them. At all. I talk about them in a good way. Being a religious person, it”s just my background. So everything that I talk about, I try to keep it in a godly manner and try not to abuse any word that I use.
But in some of your rhymes you talk about worldly topics. Do you acknowledge being sinful in your lifestyle?
Sometimes. Not all the time. But hey, it”s commercial. I”ll just say it like that. It”s commercial.
Do you make commercial music so more people can relate to it? Or is it reflective of your actual life?
I just do it for people to relate to.
Then do you feel as though you”re compromising yourself?
Yeah, sort of. At the same time, you never know what a person”s thinking. If that”s what they hear and they want to get into that groove, I just hope to give them that groove. If they want to talk about something religious, well, they can look at me and be like, ”Well that artist, he”s religious. Anything he do, he keep God into it.” Everything I do I try to keep it real, 100 percent.
Would you consider yourself a Christian rapper, in that sense?
Naw, I wouldn”t say that. I”m just a positive hip-hop artist.
Do you feel like you”re getting lost as an artist in the middle ground between religious and mainstream?
I want the fans to know that I stand out on my own.
What is your impression of the hip-hop scene in the Golden Triangle?
A lot of people try to be like other people. Me, I create my own thing. I want to be something that nobody ever heard. God made Krucial, so I can only be Krucial.
Do you curse in your natural speech? When and why did you make the decision not to curse in your rhymes?
Sometimes, but not that bad. I”m not a bad curser. The most important reason why I don”t curse in my songs is because my biggest fan base is children. I want to let them know they can do anything. Whatever they want to do. If they want to become a major hip-hop artist, you can do what you want to do and you ain”t got to cuss in it. By me talking about God and saying God made this possible, I don”t got to disrespect nobody. So I just give them what”s inside of me and teach it to the world.
You said you don”t feel like you have to disrespect anyone in your rhymes. But, in the vein of hip-hop, if somebody disrespected you, how would you respond?
I wouldn”t respond. I won”t do no beef. No response.
Considering you don”t curse, is there any hip-hop you won”t listen to because you can”t relate to it?
Naw, I ain”t against it. I just don”t do it. I can listen to anything when they”re really putting a point across. If there”s not a point to it, then I won”t listen to it.
What are some of your musical influences besides hip-hop?
My outside influences is like gospel, rock. Rock puts me in the mood to get crazy sometimes. I listen to gospel because, if I”m going through it, gospel will relieve me from that pain or that stress. I like to listen to pop. I can relate to everything and that”s kind of developed one style of Krucial.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 40 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 40 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
