9SCENESCENE8 THE OBSERVER • MAY 12 - 18, 2011THE OBSERVER • MAY 12 - 18, 2011

WORD ON THE STREETSome know him as No Doubt. Others

refer to him as Matic, short for Charismatic. Lately, he wants to be called Yotti and although he changes his name as often as Diddy, this Central student and rapper will always be known as Alfred Dickerson, a guy with a dream and the ambition to do whatever it takes to reach it.

Dickerson, junior criminal justice major, is late to everything, but today he’s early, waiting and posted up at a table on the outskirts of the SURC Pit. When he spots me walking toward him he smirks, jumps up and sticks his hand out for a professional handshake.

“Thanks for meeting with me today,” he said. “I never miss an opportunity to meet with the press.”

Dark blue Chuck Taylors, a pair of 501 Levi jeans and a Seattle Mariners T-shirt complete his outfi t. He notices that I am checking out his clothes and puts his hands in the air.

“I’m swaggered out,” he says with a grin. “Like Old Spice.”

Dickerson explains that he has a laid-back college swag but to the tenth degree. He doesn’t wear conventional clothing that everyone else wears.

“While everyone is trying to blend in, I stand out,” Dickerson said.

INSPIRATIONWriting poetry is what spiked Dickerson’s

interest to start rapping. At Jason Lee middle school in Tacoma, he was always involved in poetry jams, an event where students would create poems and read them aloud to large crowds. He won every single poetry jam that he participated in. During Dickerson’s freshman year in high school, his brother Andre Dickerson began to rap.

“I would always write with him and

we would feed off of each other with our lyrics,” he said.

Back then Dickerson said he never got the chance to record but he told himself that once he did get the chance he would be the best at it.

Today he has recorded over 150 different tracks and has created his very own mix tape titled “Insurance Policy.” This is a project that Dickerson and his friend and partner in crime Josh Jameson, also known as Phenom, created together. This mix tape consists of 20 of their best tracks. There are instrumentals from artists such as Wiz Khalifa and T.I.

“I want to put my own spin on the music that I hear,” Dickerson said.

The inspiration behind the name “Insurance Policy” came from Dickerson watching C-SPAN. While fl ipping through the channels one day Dickerson came across C-SPAN where offi cals were talking about the different types of insurance that people have. It was mentioned that lower class people can’t get insurance and most of them don’t have health care.

“I come from that class,” he said. “Eventually I hope to make some money so that I can have a nice insurance plan.”

Nipsy Hussle is one of Dickerson’s favorite rappers. He loves Hussle’s story about how he changed his life around and gave up everything to follow his dreams.

In a way, Dickerson can relate to Hussle. He is putting everything on the line in hopes of being able to pursue his dream as a rapper.

“What people don’t understand is this,” Dickerson said. “Rapping is an art. Every day you have to slowly work on and master your craft.”

Dickerson realizes that he may not become famous overnight but he has to keep doing what he is doing everyday and eventually people will hear him.

BEHIND THE MUSIC

His older brother Andre is very proud of him. He says his little brother is a voice

that represents the current generation of hip-hop music.

“He represents a new emerging culture and face of music, that is bold, innovative and daring,” Andre said.

Andre said the sky is the limit for his brother - he just needs to stay focused and always plan before action and think before moving.

“Anything he wants to do he will,” Andre said. “But he needs to do it with thought and preparation behind it.”

Like any successful artist, Dickerson has had his fair share of haters. He said that whatever you do in life, whether it is music, sports or school there are always going to be people that doubt you.

“You have to use that to fuel your fl ame,” he said.

Dickerson wants to tell all of those people who doubt him to worry about what they are doing not what he is doing.

“Hating ain’t hurting me, it’s only killing you,” he said.

The music industry is a very competitive fi eld. There are people out there trying to make it every single day. Dickerson says there are a lot of people out there who are trying to become rappers but they are doing it for the wrong reasons. Those people do it for the money, fame and girls but he is not one of them.

“I don’t go into the studio to rap and think about how many hoes I can get,” Dickerson said. “Because after the hoes are gone, then what? What do you have left?”

Dickerson said that you have to do it for yourself and yourself only.

Struggling to become a rap artist is just one of the road blocks that Dickerson has encountered. He has been kicked out of school and has had run ins with the law since he was 15. If there was one thing in his life that he could change it would be his troubles with the law. He said he realizes that whether it’s two months from now or two years it will always affect him.

“If you’re behind bars you can’t make music,” Dickerson said.

The fi rst time that he performed was at an open mic in Tacoma. He said he was nervous, but once he got past the butterfl ies there was no turning back. “If you know your music is good, there is no reason to be nervous,” he said.

UPCOMING PERFORMANCE

WHERE: CLUB 301WHEN: MAY 18

RAPPER'S DELIGHTCENTRAL STUDENT SETS HIS SIGHTS ON CONQUERING THE RAP GAME

BY KELSEE DODSON-CARTERSENIOR REPORTER

(Above) Alfred Dickerson. (Photos Right) Alfred Dickerson, also known as Yotti, and

Josh Jameson, also known as Phenom, during a photoshoot.

Photos by Andy Layman