About
“Haji P, would you please stand and introduce yourself to the rest of the class?”
Me? Umm….I guess Im pretty cool. I mean, I dont own a leather jacket or know a guy named Potsy…but I got a couple of hoodies and a friend named Greg.
I just moved here from Wilmington, North Carolina. But, Im originally from Jersey City…well, actually, I was born and raised in O’ahu. I know, crazy right? People always come up to me and ask, “Hey, you’re a black guy from Hawaii, did you know the president?” Truth is, I did. We met at this luau, we had just finished playing basketball in a volcano…and just before we went spear-hunting for wild boar, I was like, “Hey, Obie! You should be the president!” And he was like, “Word.” So, Im pretty much the reason he’s the president.
Anyway, I like it here in California. Santa Cruz is kinda weird, tho. Its a lot of hippies…but they all have cell phones and macbooks. I dont get it?
Sometimes, I kind of miss North Carolina . I had some really good times there. In highschool I was pretty lame. I once got boo’d by an entire class of eleventh graders for my shameful attempt at the Re-Run dance. How embarrassing. I got over it, tho. Ummm…after graduating from UNC-W, I worked for a really long time as a radio DJ/promoter for Coast 97.3, so that was pretty cool, I guess. Mostly people just knew me as “that kid who be rappin’ a lot.”
Yep, I rap too. Pretty suprising, huh? Yeah, try not to pee yourself. I dont make beats tho. I think I may be the only rapper in the world that doesnt. Its entirely too complex for me. Like, trying to say the Japanese alphabet in Spanish…with a German accent.
You may recognize me from NC’s fun-lovingly fresh hiphop tandem, Brown Co. or San Francisco’s debaucherously entertaining rhyme crew Rec League. If you dont recognize me from either, just pretend you do. It’ll make me feel better.
Im pretty sure Ive performed alongside all of your favorite groups. Well, If all of your favorite groups include names like; Little Brother, Souls of Mischief, KRS-1, Camp Lo, Living Legends, M.O.P., etc. Not that any of that has made a significant advancement in my career. I still have a 9-5….and gotta catch the bus to get there.
On the bright side tho, its given me a couple of good stories! Like, the time Shock G (Digital Underground) made this groupie chick give him a dollar so he could write down his contact info after watching me perform…the girl seemed slightly upset, and I later used that dollar to buy a can of sprite. Also, there was the time when Sean Price (Heltah Skeltah) stole my cell phone off the stage. The adventure that later ensued when I got it back it was both hilarious and toilsome. Certainly tho, the best story is when I played with Brown Co. and some girl threw her panties on stage at Haji P…while she was unknowingly standing next to his mother! Rap is so craaazy!
My songs and I have often been reviewed/revered in many publications and websites (still, leaving my “career” delightfully stagnant). Most times refering to my ” dangerously wity and fresh-laid back story rap” style. They usually say stuff along the lines of “….reminiscent of De La Soul,” “hip-hop the way its supposed to be,” “…incredibly clever,” “racially politcal, but caustically humorous.” or something like that, I cant remember everything. Ask Okayplayer.com or Southeast Performer Mag, they’d know better than me.
Uhhh…Ummm..I guess thats it.
Oh, Oh! Wait, wait, wait!
Im releasing a new solo album, entitled, “Neighborhood Kid.” Produced by DJ MF Shalem. It’ll be freakin dope!
