6 feet high and rising

Hip-hop artist Madgesdiq puts another spin on his game

By Michaela Bancud

The Portland Tribune, Nov 29, 2002, Updated Oct 30, 2009

When he walks into a neighborhood coffee shop, the kid behind the counter tells him: “Yo, your album is sik!” As he walks down the sidewalk, another calls out, “Hey, that’s É”

He’s got one of the coolest names out there right now. It is, quite simply, Madgesdiq.

That’s majestic, for anyone having trouble.

He used to have another name, one that might ring some bells Ñ Antoine Stoudamire. His cousin Damon is the Blazer point guard.

Stoudamire-cum-Madgesdiq is a hometown boy. He grew up in Northeast Portland and graduated from Jesuit High School. After high school, he attended Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., for a year and a half on a basketball scholarship. He transferred to the University of Oregon Ñ “My major was sociology and business, but I studied the social life,” he says with a shy smile Ñ and after graduating played professional basketball in Europe and Asia.

When he walked away from the court and buried his hoop dreams, Madgesdiq was born.

“Basketball opened a lot of doors for me, but this is what I love to do now,” he says, talking about his debut disc, “The Rebirth,” and his love for hip-hop.

No cussin’

“Rebirth” was released to college radio stations three weeks ago and is expected to break through on College Music Journal’s hip-hop charts. The album was produced by B. Braun, aka Speechless, with help on the dancey song “Dreamz Meet Reality” from Jumbo Da Garbageman and on “BragArt Meets Sony Fortune” from Rev. Sheinz, both of the local act Lifesavas.

Madgesdiq’s friends met for an in-store sample of cuts from “The Rebirth” at Music Millennium recently, where the 6-foot-3 emcee works selling Nelly and Ludacris to the less enlightened hip-hop consumer. His mom and two sisters also were there, snapping pictures and showing their support.

Duray Thirdgill backed Madgesdiq up on the microphone that day.

“This isn’t not your typical hip-hop album where people are bragging and really dissin’ folks, cursing and using a whole lot of expletives,” Thirdgill explains. “It’s more an insight into Antoine. I think the album’s awesome, and it’s something that people can really look into it and figure out what hip-hop is supposed to be about.”

Madgesdiq, it’s safe to say, is a bit of a moralist and chooses to emphasize hip-hop’s spiritual dimension. This is an aspect of hip-hop that’s been lost in the deluge of acts that record companies release at warp speed.

The 31-year-old Madgesdiq has loved hip-hop since 1979, when he was sitting in a car at an 88-cent store on then-Union Avenue and heard “Rapper’s Delight” on the radio. But he’s only dedicated himself to its full-time pursuit for the last three years, and he doesn’t consider it the be-all and end-all:

“I’m just an infant in terms of my development. It’s always hit or miss when you start. But I’m patient and I’m realistic.”

Afro-granola

Madgesdiq’s lyrics and poems are delivered in a slow monotone. At times he’s difficult to understand. Call him Afro-granola, because he raps about Boca Burgers, Bikram yoga and the environment. Oh, yeah, and pot. He lets listeners know it’s always 4:20. The liner notes, too, illustrate Madgesdiq holding a blunt, the ashes falling onto the decrepit logos of MTV and BET.

“The record labels are pushing the same old garbage. What’s being portrayed through the media is only a portion of hip-hop,” Madgesdiq explains smoothly. He’s wearing Timberlands Ñ one tan, one blue Ñ an inside-out Adidas T-shirt and baggy patchwork pants. The tattoos on his long arms remind him to stay on message: the Lion of Judah and the words “One Love” and “Carpe Diem.”

Madgesdiq seems to want people to avoid quick fixes and dig a little deeper.

“There’s a lack of inspiring music out there. It’s all about the physical, but we’re each made up of mind, body and soul. What’s this other stuff Ñ sex, drugs and cars Ñ doing to enhance your life?”

That image of hip-hop creates a misconception about black men, he says: “And it’s happening at the expense of our culture, our youth, and at the expense of improving relations with other races.”

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