The year 2004 was the year of the college dropout n multi-Grammy man Kanye West. But, if rapper Woo Child has his way, 2005 will be the year of the college graduate.
On May 10, 2002, Mark Scott graduated from Washington University with a degree in philosophy. On May 11, 2002, his alter ego, Woo Child, began his full-time quest to get heard.
Born May 5, 1980, Woo, a native of Flint, Michigan, was always surrounded by music. “My dad sang on the soundtrack for Breakin’ 2 n Electric Boogaloo. I can remember breaking with the older kids back when I was like 4. I wanted to be in the movie,” he said.
“Every artist, no matter what level of their career, wants to be heard by as many people as they can possible reach,” said Woo. “When all is said and done, I want everyone to have heard of who I am and make the choice for themselves whether they dig what I’ve got to say.”
Anyone who has heard this MC rock a mic knows he has a lot to say. After all, the dude has a philosophy degree from one of the top universities in the nation.
“Philosophy can give you a perspective on life, just like hip-hop. It can be reflective; it can penetrate many different cultures,” Woo said, who noted that Immanuel Kant was the philosopher with which he connected the most.
“Philosophy, though, is not hip-hop. Hip-hop is a way of life.”
He explains that philosophy is “the science of life, but living isn’t science. Hip-hop is living for me.”
In his quest to be heard, Woo Child has released a full-length CD, U.R.O.A. (Under Rated Over Achiever), and a 23-track mix tape, The Industry Takeover, and has another finished CD in the can. The mix tape, which was released in January, is available for free download at www.woochild.com.
“The mix tape was a year in the making,” Woo said. “I was just making random tracks over beats that different producers on the internet gave me. I was expecting to use the mix tape as promotion for my album.”
But it has taken on a listening life of its own, with 1,500 downloads of the entire album. “People keep telling me that I should have sold it,” he said, “but just I want to get as many people to know about it as possible.”
While he embraces the internet as a marketing tool, he refuses to be defined by it. “To call me an internet MC would be to assume that I have never rocked for a crowd,” Woo said.
“I have performed everywhere from Madison, Wisconsin down to Macon, Georgia, from here in St. Louis to Detroit. I’ve been rocking a lot of mikes. I do this for real. This is not for play. The internet can be harsh, but it still leaves a glass wall where you don’t get those boos. You’re not really putting yourself on the line.”
You are, however, putting your self out there n at times way out there.
“Through the internet, I have sold CDs to people in Africa, Japan, Australia. It’s crazy. People all over the world are getting put onto my music.”
For more information and free music, visit HYPERLINK http://www.woochild.com www.woochild.com.