As the bar filled with nearly 400 people, Greenhouse Effect took the stage poised to perform songs from its new EP, “Electric Purgatory.”
Now known to his fans simply as Blueprint, local hip-hop artist Al Shepard has made a name for himself pairing intriguing rhymes with self-produced beats.
2010 will be a busy year for Shepard, who will begin a west-coast tour of the United States this spring to promote “Electric Purgatory,” as well as the group’s second EP, which will be released this spring.
However, Shepard has continued to reside in and promote the city of Columbus.
Citing the blue-collar feel and honesty of the Midwest, Shepard said he enjoys the way people in Columbus can relate in terms of economic background.
“Not to say that everybody out here is rapping about the struggle or that you can’t speak about affluence or the American dream, but I do think that the types of jobs and economy out here definitely impacts the music,” Shepard said.
In blue jeans and a black T-shirt, Shepard looked the part of a blue-collar artist. His penetrating brown eyes seemed to amplify his powerful voice, which engulfed the crowd.
As a child, Shepard was introduced to music through his parents and his church, where his mother sang in the choir.
Growing up on the south side of Columbus, Shepard’s performing was limited to church events as a trombone player and occasional performances with his older brother’s quartet.
Following high school, Shepard began working at a radio station as a disc jockey. Soon after, he began working parties on the weekend as a disc jockey.
“That led me into hip-hop production and then into actually rhyming. Prior to that, I didn’t really take rhyming seriously, I was just a fan of music in general,” Shepard said.
Shepard continued working on production in college, combining his sounds with the rhymes of friends, including local rapper Illogic. As each artist gained popularity through local rap battles, their sounds came together to form the group Greenhouse Effect.
In 1998, Shepard grew tired of being unable to meet the demand for product by the fans of his music. That led him to start selling cassettes of Greenhouse Effect’s music and would eventually lead to the creation of Weightless Recordings.
Shepard did not have a name for the label initially. He had just completed a song with fellow Greenhouse Effect member Illogic called “Weightless” and decided to call the label Weightless Recordings.
Illogic now has a successful solo career of his own, and said Shepard still produces most of the songs he records, citing his constant work ethic as a source of inspiration.
As Shepard developed a name within the industry, so too did local DJ RJD2. The two soon collaborated to make an album as the group Soul Position.
But Soul Position would only serve as one outlet for these aspiring artists, who never intended for their collaboration to become the main focus of their careers.
“RJD2 felt like I should try some solo stuff, and while I didn’t think I was ready at the time, I’m glad he suggested it looking back,” Shepard said, recounting his early work with RJD2.
As Blueprint has developed a story-telling sound of his own with his rhyming, he has also continued his work within the production aspect.
“Writing a song is about putting words over music, but the arrangement of the songs to fit is what makes somebody a producer. I try to always have a vision of what I want to do production-wise, even if I can’t do it myself,” Shepard said.
Shepard continues to promote the music scene within Columbus. He will also be releasing a solo EP and a solo album titled “Adventures in Counter Culture.”
He will certainly have his hands full in 2010, as he continues to promote himself, his work and the Columbus hip-hop scene.
