John Wolfe, junior, likes to shop at Hollister. He also enjoys hockey, sings in a choir, and cannot wait to get his braces off.
He may seem like your average suburban Caucasian male, but what many people do not know about Wolfe is that he is a rapper.
Wolfe first became interested in rapping his freshman year after he and a friend wrote one as a joke. After “spitting” his new rhyme to fellow peers, Wolfe was surprised by their reactions.
“They actually seriously raved about it, so I kept writing more,” said Wolfe.
Over the past year, Wolfe has collaborated with Jeff and Jordan Gaston, a rapping duo from Austin, Texas. Together, they form a group called Newzteam.
The Gaston’s, who recently moved from Austin to Raleigh, have a home studio with a full recording booth where they create beats and produce tracks of music.
“When I tell people that I rap, at first they chuckle,” said Wolfe.
“Then, when they realize I am serious, the first thing they want to do is make me prove myself, and I would say that for the most part, they are pleasantly surprised.”
After school, Wolfe’s favorite thing to do with the Gaston brothers is visit the studio and “throw down some beats.”
For Wolfe, rapping is a great form of expression. “People associate rap with bad things like drugs and too much profanity, but it’s actually a great way to have fun and demonstrate creativity,” he said.
“It’s a nice release for me, and it is a lot of fun.”
Currently, Newzteam is preparing for a few rap contests. “We are trying to decide on which ones to go to. A few of them are in Austin and some are even in New York! It’s really exciting,” said Wolfe.
To listen to a few tracks visit http://www.reverbnation.com/newzteam#! (“Homegrown Revised” is quite a hit).
