Music

Hip-hop's unlikely entrepreneur

Aside from Eminem and the Beastie Boys (who are all white), hip-hop has been dominated by inner- city, African-American artists -- right? Enter Devin Lazerine. The aspiring rap impresario from suburban L.A. happens to be white and a teenager. His Web site and glossy Time Warner-backed fan 'zine "Rap-Up" is sort of a G-rated take on "The Source". Aimed at Gen-Y, hip-hop's fastest growing fan base, the first issue sold an impressive 200,000 copies; a second debuts this summer. This month, Lazerine, 19, was named to "Fast Company" magazine's new list of "Fast 50" Champions of Innovation whose achievements are changing companies and our culture. We spoke to him:

How does a white Jewish kid from the burbs get into hip-hop?
Growing up, my parents listened to a lot of classic R&B, like Al Green, Tina Turner and Aretha Franklin. When I was 10, I heard my first hip-hop song, Cypress Hill's Insane in the Membrane. I didn't understand the lyrics, but I loved the beat and started paying attention to bands like Cypress Hill, Run-DMC and L.L. Cool J on the radio and in music videos.

Was it considered cool at your school?
No, kids at my school weren't listening to hip-hop; they were into pop and alternative. Nirvana was huge. Even when I went to high school, they'd all be talking about their rock artists and I'd be out of the loop. So I kind of kept it to myself at first.

It's one thing to like something...but to start a magazine?
I know, I never thought it would happen at such a young age.

But you had a bumpy start ... right?
I started a website when I was 15, Rap-up.com. My plan was to write for Vibe or the Source when I got older and work my way up to getting my own. But a couple days after I launched the website, I pitched the magazine idea to a few publishers thinking hey, it can't hurt. The next day, a publisher from H&S Media in Chicago called and was interested. (H&S went bankrupt shortly after publishing the first issue).

Is it hard to get respect, being so young?
Yes. I met that publisher at the Beverly Hills hotel, and he apparently thought I'd be much older. The first thing he said was, "What, is that you?" I had brought my mom with me, which is really embarrassing now when I look back. I was only 16 at the time.

You've interviewed megastars like P. Diddy and Destiny's Child. Weren't you scared to death to talk to them?
The first intervew I pursued was Destiny's Child. I told [their rep] about the magazine, and she was really interested. We were going to do a cover story, an interview, a photo shoot, everything. The next day I came home from school, and my mom told me the woman had called again and she told her I was in school! The rep said ŒWhat? I thought he's the editor of this magazine.' She didn't know how young I was, and they were put off by that. They thought it was a joke, that this 16-year-old kid was trying to set up an interview for a cover. Eventually I got the interview -- over the phone while they were doing a Rolling Stone photo shoot.

Who are your writers?
I've hired writers from Rolling Stone, Vibe, the Source and XXL. I found them through the Internet.

Where do you think rap is headed?
When it first started, people thought it was just a fad that would end in a couple years. But now it's mainstream, constantly in the top 10 singles. Rock artists are incorporating hip-hop into their music. We'll see more music that's influenced by hip-hop and R&B. Even artists that aren't rap artists are using hip-hop oriented beats and hip-hop producers.

What do you say to people who rap your background and credentials?
I say look at David Mays, the CEO and founder of the Source -- he's a white, Jewish guy who went to Harvard, and he started what's now the biggest, most-respected hip-hop magazine. I don't think age or color or anything like that should make a difference, as long as you enjoy the music, you're not ignorant towards it and you respect it. If you have a love for something, I don't think any of that should matter. If I can contribute something positive, why not?

-- Frappa Stout