PROJECT DEADMAN and TECH N9NE: Bring Their Show to Saginaw Following Successful U.S. Tour

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PROJECT DEADMAN and TECH N9NE:

Bring Their Show to Saginaw Following Successful U.S. Tour

By Robert E. Martin

It's been a memorable year for Saginaw's Steve Shippy (aka Prozak) - one half of the team known as Project Deadman that helped redefine Rap & Hip-Hop this past summer with their nationally released Self-Inflicted CD.

Along with partner Mike E. Clark, who's worked with such notable avatars as Kid Rock and Insane Clown Posse, the Project Deadman debut soared to #84 on the Billboard Magazine charts the first week of release on July 13th. Distributed by Sony Music, Self-Inflicted has sold over 30,000 copies to date and Prozak is 'home for the holidays' and fresh off the heels of a whirlwind 64 show tour that took to 14 different states over a 10-week period.

Relaxed and energized, Prozak is bringing Project Deadman to Saginaw on Thursday, December 2nd with a live performance at The Saginaw Comedy Club that will also showcase nationally known rapper Tech N9n3 along with local 'wicked-rap' pioneers, Bedlam. Tickets are only $15.00 and doors open at 7:00 PM.

"We got a great response out on tour," states Prozak. "I'd say 70% of the shows were sold out and those that weren't were held in huge 3,000 plus seat venues. There wasn't an instance where the crowd didn't like us. Sometimes they were shocked by us, but most already knew our songs and if they didn't bought our CD's, so it was great from that standpoint."

Self-Inflicted received a huge promotional push on Comedy Central, MTV, and The Howard Stern Show, and just when the hype of a major ad campaign started to slow down, the group wisely decided to embark upon their tour with Tech 9Nne.

"The reason why I put this show in Saginaw together is because we have a huge show at Harpo's in Detroit on December 3rd. Since we'll have Tech with us here early for a couple days, I wanted to bring him to Saginaw because Saginaw has no Hip-Hop scene whatsoever," asserts Prozak.

"I don't know why I refuse to simply accept that, but I keep bringing people to town. Last year I brought Bone, Thugs & Harmony and The Dayton Family and Breed so thought I'd try it again."
So what was Prozak's road experience like? Is it everything he imagined it would be?

"Touring all those states was crazy," he responds. "One thing I do remember is that I couldn't breathe in Colorado because of the mountains. We were in Denver and they call it the Mile High City and I'd feel it especially on stage - the air just wasn't there. Trust me, that was pretty unique."

"Colorado was the strongest market we performed on the entire tour," he continues. "We did three shows that were all sold out with 1,500 plus attendance per show and people being turned away, which was surprising. We did a show in Colorado Springs and those were some of the most hardcore fans I've ever come across."

"On the flip-side, Lawrence, Kansas was probably our toughest stop. Having Tech N9ne on the bill helped because he's classed as more mainstream and gets a lot of radio play out west. He tends to draw a huge audience but an underground type. We have these huge projectors with scenes of fog and heavy stuff showing and the audience looked at us like we were aliens in Kansas. They didn't turn their back to us or leave us hanging, but I think they were more shocked than anything.

What's funny is that Tech N9ne has a dark side, too. A lot of fans don't realize he's far from a typical mainstream rapper."

"Apart from the Colorado shows, Detroit was one of my favorites along with Indianapolis and Minnesota and Austin, Texas."

So did Prozak get homesick during the tour? "Towards the end I wanted to get back and start our next record. Self Inflicted has been out nationally 4 months now and we're already recording the second one. When you're touring and performing songs over & over, you get ideas about what to do next. With that in mind, I wanted to get into the studio. We have eight or nine tracks together now and are shooting for 17."

While touring did Prozak get the opportunity to meet and hang with many other national acts?
"Yeah, our last show was at The House of Blues in Hollywood on Sunset Strip. We stayed at the Hyatt - the 'riot' Hyatt from the film Almost Famous. We stayed there for six days before our show and met a lot of people there. I hung out with Anthrax one night and some dude named Baby Bash and met a lot of different people. If you get bored you sit in the lobby for 20 minutes and find a party to go to. In fact, of all the people, I met Robert Bradley while I was staying at the Hyatt. I didn't know he was from Saginaw. I had a few beers with him and it was unusual running into somebody from Saginaw out there."

As for the sound of the new tracks Prozak is recording, how is it evolving?

"It's got the same formula as the first one, but everything's more advanced. The tracks Mike Clark is producing are more complex now, with different tempos and speeds. He's doing a lot of crazy music and I'm changing my flows to match the beats. We're trying to find a 'signature sound' by mixing rock with rap and industrial with rap and wicked with rap - playing will all those elements, but taking it to a different level. We really want to shock people with the second album."

As for the December 2nd show, Prozak hopes people will support it. "It's the full blown road show that we toured with across America," explains Prozak. "I knew when I booked the show here it wasn't going to be a huge money opportunity, because Saginaw has no scene for Rap and Hip Hop. You'll see occasional spurts, but there's no steady following. I like bringing people to town that are big time, every time I get the chance. I like to expose people to what's going on."

For those unfamiliar with Tech N9ne, he has a huge history in Rap & Hip-Hop with 16 years in the game. "He's rapped with people like Tupac and Eminem and worked with the biggest people in the industry. People will be missing out on something if they don't check this guy out because he's on the verge of going huge. He's already huge. He has so many different records & side projects. Absolute Power and Angelic are his last two releases."

According to Prozak, what distinguishes Tech N9ne the most is his speed. "I'd say he's the fastest rapper in the United States. The only person I can think of that can somewhat keep up with his speed would be Twista. People think he's the fastest rapper, but I think Tech can outrap him. As a performer he will blow your mind."

"I got 20 times more pumped after I saw Tech perform," concludes Prozak. "In Rap that never happens. Usually a live show will feature one guy rappin' and another saying 'yo'. Tech's stage show is completely choreographed and planned out."

"In fact, the best way to see Tech is live. Buy his new DVD called T9X (Tech N9ne Experience) because it's a two-hour documentary of his entire life. There's four or five music videos and live footage from multiple concerts."

"The proof is right there. I sincerely hope people catch this show. It will be memorable."

Prozak in a concert shot from St. Louis
	Prozak & Tech N9ne signing autographs at an in-store promotion in Detroit

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