HIGHBRIDGE — Bronx rapper Deshawn Supreme lives minutes from the birthplace of hip-hop, a point of pride and a source of inspiration for the young MC.
“It’s more of a priority for me to do it correctly because of where I’m from,” said Supreme, 24, adding that no matter where he performs, he feels pressure to represent his home.
"You can’t go to another state and be like, 'Yo, I'm from New York,' and you sound terrible," he said. "It just makes you look bad. Very bad. Like, what are you doing?"
Supreme, whose real name is Lamar Foster, grew up in Highbridge and has been rapping since he was 10 years old.
Supreme still lives in The Bronx, with his family, a short trip away from 1520 Sedgwick Ave, commonly credited as the birthplace of hip-hop, where DJ Kool Herc held dance parties in 1973.
He speaks proudly of how his uncle and father were around to witness the genre in its infancy.
His brother introduced him to hip-hop culture over his mother's worry that the music was too rough.
"He just taught me how to write a 16 bar verse, and from there it was over. I was writing my own verses," he said. Over the years, he said, his relatives have grown to accept his passion.
"They’re definitely on board now," he said, "especially my mother."
Though Supreme has performed in cities across the country, he said New York's demanding crowds make it his favorite place for a show.
"They expect the worst first. The crowd will watch you like, 'OK, what are you going to do? What do you have to bring to the table?'" he said. "It's more like they're against you first because they don't know you, but then if you sway them, they'll be with you."
Supreme's main influences — Nas, The Notorious B.I.G. and Bronx native Big Punisher — are homegrown as well.
He complimented the hip-hop coming out of places like California and Chicago but maintained that they are just following New York's lead.
"The witty metaphors, the punchlines, similes, wordplay schemes … it came from here," he said.
He released his first project, "The Demonstration," last January and is currently at work on his first official album.
The record will be titled "Home Run Derby" after Supreme's aim to make every track a classic.
"There are big hitters, and every time they hit, it’s out the park," he said. "So that’s the whole concept of 'Home Run Derby:' every record[ing] on here is out the park."
WARNING: EXPLICIT LYRICS
His rapping has earned the approval of Reph Star, a member of the hip-hop duo Circa '95 who got to know Supreme during his trips to open mic nights.
“I think he’s an amazing MC and a storyteller,” Star said. “When you listen to his last album, it featured a lot of stories in the same vein as another amazing Bronx storyteller, Slick Rick. So he’s keeping that legacy alive.”
He has appropriately ambitious goals for a rapper, saying he would like to go down as one of the greatest.
"But if not, right now it's just to maintain," he said, "and just change people's lives."
