Tyson Pumphrey, stage name
Othello, recorded his first tracks as an emcee when he was in elementary school in Seattle, Wash. On a karaoke machine. In his living room.
Now, he’s 28 years old and living in DeWitt. His latest album,
The Required Taste, was released last month. While still a sample of home recordings, it’s clear the artist has come a long way, in both miles and experience. And he’s got plenty of thoughts about the concentrated and rich Lansing hip-hop scene.
From the BeginningPumphrey organized his first rap group when he was just a boy. He’d goad local kids in Seattle to join him, promising that he’d write their lyrics for them if they’d perform them into his karaoke machine mic.
By high school, he was turning his thoughts into profits by selling copies of his tracks to other students.
At 18, he and his first official group, Lojique, got signed to the San Diego-based record label,
Syntax. Later that year, he headed on tour with
MG! The Visionary, a fellow hip-hop artist. They traveled together from Seattle to Pompano Beach, Fla., and back again, playing in various venues along the way.
Eventually, his dream of making money by making music took him to Portland, Ore. That’s where he first heard of a place called Lansing, Mich.
Within a few years, in 2008, he had moved here, and set up his home and work in Dewitt with his wife, Rebekah, a Westside Lansing native, and their son, Asa.
The Learning ExpressIn ‘Active Balanced’, a stand-out track from his new album, Pumphrey raps about the difficulties of finding the right amount of time for each aspect of his adult life.
“The song’s about the active, balance of being an artist,” he says. “Being a family man, being a musician and being a responsible adult—and about trying to wear those different hats and find the balance.”
He must have found the center he sought, because in addition to holding down two jobs, rapping, producing, promoting and being a husband and dad, Pumphrey finds time to participate in programs like Detroit’s traveling workshop,
The Learning Express.
He and other area artists, in collaboration with the program, bring jazz and hip-hop to elementary and middle schools, using the music as an interface to teach the kids about subjects as diverse as astronomy, conservation and bike-safety.
The program has proven stimulating for students and adults alike. Teachers are inspired to use new methods in the classroom; parents learn that their children's heroes need not be as-seen-on-TV.
Pumphrey himself says it's the most fun and fulfilling thing he’s done in his music career so far.
The Rhyming ExpressAmid all the other work, Pumphrey hasn’t allowed his own production to slip between the cracks, either. Last month, he came out with his fifth album,
The Time Required, featuring him under his pseudonym, Othello, along with guest emcees and beats produced by
DJ Vajra from Boulder, Colo.
The melodies were produced and recorded at home — part in Portland, part in Dewitt — and dance symbiotically over the album’s very classic hip-hop style. The lyrics, which are lightning-fast but smooth and meaningful, are sampled over jazzy and brassily instrumental beats.
The album’s themes are philosophical and familial. Pumphrey raps about the meaning of life; the importance of his wife and son; the strength and folly found in love; and the peace we all should choose over violence.
His music has always harkened back to the style he grew up with in the early and mid '90s, with its jazziness and fledgling rappers-with-a-message like
De La Soul,
Mos Def, and
Outkast.
But Pumphrey is interested in going more
avant-garde with his next album. His time in Lansing has turned him on to styles associated with Detroit.
“Now, I really like the Detroit sound — birthed out of Motown, old soul and new-wave fusion,” he says. “The drums are still big, the pocket of the drums are rappable, but the sounds of the synthesizers and old samples and the marriage between the two is very soulful.”
Using a term borrowed from Ypsilanti, Mich., artist Kendall Tucker, better known as
14KT, Pumphrey suggests that his new work will be “hip-hop electrosoul.”
The Lansing Scene
Though Lansing may not be the obvious choice for an aspiring hip-hop artist with big ambitions, Pumphrey sees a bright future for himself and others in the Capital region.
He points out that after the recent economic downturn, Lansing is primed for a fresh start in local arts, and says that the mid-Michigan area is full of dynamic hip-hop artists.
He mentions, among many others,
P.H.I.L.T.H.Y. and
JYoung The General, a host on
The Cultural Vibe on
Impact 88.9 FM. There are also showcases for local talent, like events such as
RE:Definition, held the first Wednesday of every month at
Mac’s Bar on Lansing’s
Eastside.
Successful events like RE:Definition and Pumphrey’s own semi-annual beat battle — where local beat-makers gather to compete for a cash prize — promote the value of staying around the Lansing area, both for artists and audiences.
They also seem to shake loose new artists from the seemingly never-ending supply of local Lansing talent.
Dewitt’s emcee hopes that mid-Michigan will continue to recognize what it has locally and that programs like The Learning Express will teach children to grow into artistic-minded adults.
“Every major society in the history of mankind had arts as a focal point. In order for this place to thrive, the arts in general need to be more than a peripheral thing,” Pumphrey explains.
“We need to get youths excited about the arts and especially those happening right here.”
You can buy Pumphrey’s new album at humblebeast.com and catch the video for his song, Active Balanced, by clicking hereTo receive Capital Gains free every week, click here.
Julianne VanWagenen spent eight years away from Lansing and is happy to be back. She is a pillar of the community, providing folks with food and drink at Crunchy's of East Lansing, spreading local info through Capital Gains and getting people acquainted with the Lansing sky at Abram's Planetarium's weekend shows.
Dave Trumpie is the managing photographer for Capital Gains. He is a freelance photographer and owner of Trumpie Photography.
Photos:
Tyson Pumphrey in his home studio, performing at SCENE Metrospace in East Lansing and with his family.
All Photographs © Dave Trumpie