elvis s. - it's bigger than hip-hop

photo by steed media service

Hip-hop culture has the ability to transcend racial and language barriers, influencing budding emcees from College Park to war-ravaged countries all over the world. Born in the midst of a war in Bosnia, rapper Elvis S. makes the powerful reach of hip-hop quite obvious.

"I was in Germany and didn't speak good English. [Rappers] sounded so cool," says Elvis, recalling his initial experiences with the culture. "When I was just a kid, I used to grab a radio, put batteries inside and me and my boys would go down the street listening to the radio. People used to laugh at us. I used to wear - in the summer -boots and lift my pant leg up." After leaving Bosnia, Elvis's family sought refuge in Germany. Being forced to survive on the meager assistance that Germany provided to refugees, Elvis resorted to robbing wealthier Germans and carrying a gun in his waistband at just 11 years old.

After some tough times, Elvis' path led him to America "In Europe, America is like a dream," he says. "They don't know when you come over here, not everybody is famous. Everybody thinks when you come to America, you're big already. You have to hustle hard." "I'm different from all of these other rappers," he adds. "I rap in three languages - Bosnian, German and English. I'm ready for three different albums in three different languages. I really keep it honest and [tell] the truth about my life and what's going on out there in the world."

In addition to recording music, Elvis is in the process of developing a clothing line and shooting a new video. "My next album is coming out pretty soon," says Elvis. "I'm working on my third video. It's going to be pretty big. I'm going to have airplanes . Lamborghinis. I [will] probably shoot it at the Velvet Room [nightclub]." -adam jones


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