elvis s. – it’s bigger than hip-hop
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photo by steed media service
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Rapper
Hip-hop
culture has the ability to transcend racial and language barriers,
influencing budding emcees from College Park to war-ravaged countries
all over the world. Born in the midst of a war in Bosnia, rapper Elvis
S. makes the powerful reach of hip-hop quite obvious.
“I was in Germany and didn’t speak good English. [Rappers] sounded so
cool,” says Elvis, recalling his initial experiences with the culture.
“When I was just a kid, I used to grab a radio, put batteries inside
and me and my boys would go down the street listening to the radio.
People used to laugh at us. I used to wear – in the summer -boots and
lift my pant leg up.” After leaving Bosnia, Elvis’s family sought
refuge in Germany. Being forced to survive on the meager assistance
that Germany provided to refugees, Elvis resorted to robbing wealthier
Germans and carrying a gun in his waistband at just 11 years old.
After some tough times, Elvis’ path led him to America “In Europe,
America is like a dream,” he says. “They don’t know when you come over
here, not everybody is famous. Everybody thinks when you come to
America, you’re big already. You have to hustle hard.” “I’m different
from all of these other rappers,” he adds. “I rap in three languages –
Bosnian, German and English. I’m ready for three different albums in
three different languages. I really keep it honest and [tell] the truth
about my life and what’s going on out there in the world.”
In
addition to recording music, Elvis is in the process of developing a
clothing line and shooting a new video. “My next album is coming out
pretty soon,” says Elvis. “I’m working on my third video. It’s going to
be pretty big. I’m going to have airplanes . Lamborghinis. I [will]
probably shoot it at the Velvet Room [nightclub].” –adam jones
