“Look out for the future, you can call it Tate”

Nadine MelamedStaff Writer Rapping is something very few people can pull off well. We all know those boys (and some girls) we met in middle or high school that would try to rap, attempting to live the “Snoop Doggy Dogg” lifestyle by wearing their pants below the belt line and grabbing their crotch while they walked, slanted over with a swagger in their step. Their common lingo involves words the school would not allow to be printed in this paper. However, real rappers don’t necessarily try to rev up their fame. They’re more genuine, rapping words and spitting beats they feel.Samo alum Tate Tucker is this real type of rapper. On Dec. 8, Tucker, who discovered his rapping talent more seriously in high school after his attempts at rapping "in the shower and on the playground,” was given the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to stand up in front of a sociology class and rap for the esteemed music producer and rapper Lupe Fiasco, who made a guest appearance that day.“At the end of  class I got up and just rapped something I had written that week just for kicks,” Tucker said, regarding the event. “I spoke with [Fiasco] after and he gave me some awesome feedback and complimented my rhyme scheme and my phonetic execution."Tucker, who is a freshman and international relations major at Georgetown University, was invited to meet with Professor Michael Eric Dyson, a Georgetown professor of sociology, after an initial introduction by his friend. Dyson, who has a history in entertainment, “really liked what [Tucker] had to say.”Shortly after discussing the event over lunch with Dyson and Fiasco, Tucker posted the Fiasco footage to his Youtube channel. After later submitting the video to worldstarhiphop.com, the video racked up over 100 thousand views in a mere two days. Since then, his fame only seemed to grow as Tucker was featured in The Source newspaper, the second longest-running hip-hop magazine in the world. Also, his songs have stormed numerous blogs and websites such as cambelbackmusic.com, a well-known online musical playlist.“This opportunity was the spark I needed to fuel the fire for my music. I think I can take my talents to the highest level if I work at it and so far I’ve had some great reception to my music,” Tucker said.But before his college endeavors, Tucker had to start in high school.“I would always freestyle at parties. When I noticed people I’d never met telling me how good I was, I took a step back to analyze the situation. This led me to collaborate with fellow students ... [like] Avila Santo, who [now studies at] Berklee School of Music and makes beats and produces music,” Tucker said. “He has an album [out] called ‘No Future.’ I recorded four songs with [him] including my most known track ‘L.A. Daze’ which Avi produced and made the beat for."Currently, Tucker is working on a mix-tape which will feature his singing “a few hooks and choruses," but he usually lets singers sing and he sticks to rapping. Tucker hopes to follow in the footsteps of his biggest musical inspiration Lenny Kravitz, who as Tucker says, is “half black, half white, and 100 percent rock star.”But regardless of anything else, Tucker’s life aspirations are clear. “My dream is to make music my career. Some platinum albums, a dedicated fan base and the satisfaction of knowing that I do what I love every day,” Tucker said.nmelamed@thesamohi.com