Detroit resident Tyrell “Young Slapz” Slappey practices his rap at the basement of Phi Gamma Delta at 131 Bogue St Thursday evening after finishing a joke with rap member Sylvester “Johnny Cage” James at the background. The two are part of High Royalty, a group of solo artists who are mostly MSU Alumni and will perform Friday night in East Lansing.
MSU alumni Tyrell Slappey and Marcus Edwards were tired of hearing the same repetitive songs on the radio in their days on campus.
When the pair began creating their own hip-hop beats three years ago in their Hubbard Hall dorm room, they knew it was the start of something big.
After graduating from MSU, Slappey and Edwards became part of a group of eight hip-hop artists called High Royalty.
The group is slated to perform a showcase at 7 p.m. Friday at Metrospace, 110 Charles St., a city-funded art gallery and performance venue.
The event, which the group titled High Score, also will feature Blat! Pack, another hip-hop group composed of artists JYoung the General, Zel LaFlare and Mauri Tauri.
Slappey — who goes by the name Young Slapz — said High Royalty isn’t a boy band but a combination of two groups of solo artists — Sky High and Royalty Entertainment.
The two separate groups met, and after some collaboration formed one large group, taking a part from each group name and creating High Royalty.
When High Royalty expressed their interest in performing there for the first time, (SCENE) Metrospace Director Tim Lane welcomed the new talent.
“We try to make the programming as diverse at possible,” he said.
Before High Royalty came into the picture, MSU alumnus and High Royalty performer Sylvester James, Jr., felt MSU was lacking in the hip-hop scene.
“(Hip-hop) wasn’t really out there,” he said.
“People didn’t have a real knowledge of it.”
As the group gained recognition by performing at fraternities across campus, James felt a new base of hip-hop music was established in East Lansing.
“I feel like we (now) are the hip-hop scene at MSU,” he said.
The group’s first performance was at Saint Andrew’s Hall, 431 E. Congress St., in Detroit.
James, who is known as Johnny Cage, said many famous artists also have performed at this location, including Eminem and Royce Da 5’9.
James said he is excited for the opportunity to perform at the (SCENE) Metrospace.
He hopes his experiences in Detroit will aid him in such local performances.
“Taking that (performance) from the inner city to a college campus, it’ll be a more diverse group,” he said.
For Lane, working with hip-hop artists and groups, such as High Royalty, has been a breeze.
“All the hip-hop producers and artists I’ve worked with have been really upstanding individuals,” he said.
“All the shows in the past have had a really positive message.”
James said the originality in his music stems from influence from other artists around the world.
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“I listen to a lot of foreign and international music, and I draw inspiration from that,” he said.
“I’m not a conventional hip-hop artist.”
Slappey said each member brings a crucial aspect to the group, and he represents the assertive, get-it-done personality.
“I’m the most aggressive talker when it comes down to getting business,” he said.
The overall connection each solo artist in the group shares is the love for the stage.
When it comes down to putting on a show, for Slappey, the numbers don’t matter.
“I’ll perform in front of 5,000 (people), or I’ll perform in front of five (people),” he said.
“It still feels the same.”
