LIfe of a Prezident

Life of a Prezident

The President is black, and I am too,

I’ve been Black Prez before high school,

They sayin’ change your name, so what I’ma do

I’ma keep that shit the same cuz I gotta stay true

Black Prez - My President is Black

It’s doubtful Fort Collins has seen anything like Josh Madry aka “Black Prez.” The 22-year-old rapper has already been on tour with Wiz Khalifa, one of the hottest rappers around.

Madry, who is working on his masters degree in Counseling, said he enjoys the challenges of being a CSU student, working multiple jobs, and rapping all in the same day.

“It’s really difficult but I like it. I think I work best under pressure.”

Taking care of all his other responsibilities during the day, Madry has to wait to work on his music “until midnight and I’ll work on it until 3 or 4 a.m..”

With such a busy schedule, Madry has to make sure his priorities are in order. “I think I spend more time on my music than I do with school for sure,” he said.

One example of his work paying off came when he was working on his internship at Lincoln Middle School last year. He approached a student who looked like he was having a bad day. They started talking and the student said, “The only thing that gets me through the day is listening to your music.”

“Stuff like that makes me feel happy that I’m making an impact,” Madry said.

Madry’s story begins in Huntsville Alabama, the place of his birth. But that’s all he knows it as. When he was 6-months-old he moved to Paderborn, Germany where his mother had previously lived.

He moved to Colorado when he 6, but had already been rapping for three years.

“I started when I was 3, just free-styling and rapping along to Snoop Dogg.”

He soon realized he had a gift, so he started getting more serious about his music in middle school.

In eighth grade Madry was in a speech and debate class.

“I hated it and wanted out. I wanted to be in an aeronautics class where I could build planes.” His speech teacher allowed him to leave under the condition he gave a speech to the class explaining why he wanted to leave. After he presented his speech, his class gave him a standing ovation and one of the students in the back yelled, “You’re like a black president up there!”

The name stuck, but after the 2008 U.S. presidential election, Madry knew he wasn’t the only black president around.

“Half of me didn’t want Obama to win,” Madry said chuckling, “I didn’t want to have to change my name.”

But he holds no hard feelings.

“Honestly, it’s cool because people type ‘Black Prez’ into Google not even knowing about me, trying to find Obama, and I come up.”

Recently however, people have been searching for Black Prez on purpose. One of Madry’s most popular videos, Ima Tell Em, has over 28,000 hits on YouTube.

Madry relies mostly on the Internet to help expose his music to a larger audience, but he has a significant fan base in Colorado.

He originally went to Black Hill State University in South Dakota on a football scholarship. He then transferred to CSU after his freshman year. He has been trying to increase his exposure through CSU’s networks but has had a hard time doing so.

“When they hear a rapper wants to come do a show, it kind of has a negative connotation, and they kind of shy away from it,” he said, “I finally got to do the Ram Welcome Carnival after three years of being here.”

Madry said if he had more people behind him, more CSU student support, it might be easier to crack the administration.

“I’m just trying to do as many shows as possible, through CSU and through people I know, just to get a bigger following on campus.”

Vaughn Hood, a senior Buisness-Real Estate major shared his thoughts on the matter. “I think he should make a song and video for the football team,” Hood said, “He should try and tie his music into the community.”

Senior Buisness-Management major, Taylor Brisch, enjoys the fact that he can see one of his favorite artists walking around on campus.

“I was riding my bike listening to Black Prez, and I saw him walking in front of the Rec. Center. That was pretty cool,” he said.

Madry said after he finishes school, he plans on focusing on his music full time and see where it takes him.

“I feel like I’m pretty successful right now, and as long as I’m happy and it keeps paying my bills, I consider that a success.”

That is not to say that he doesn’t see room for improvement.

“I don’t really listen to my songs for pleasure,” he said. “I listen to them to critique myself and make myself better.”

There is no style of rap that Madry truly identifies with. In fact he said he doesn’t really listen to rap that much.

“I’m more into Stevie Wonder and Earth Wind and Fire.

As for his own personal genre, Madry said, “I can’t really categorize myself, I’m pretty spontaneous. I like to keep my options open and do what I feel is hot at the moment.”

Whatever he’s doing it seems to be working. Black Prez’s music can be found on Itunes, he also has several songs on YouTube and his mixtapes can be downloaded off the Internet.

Ram Pride

Adam Wagner

11/3/10

Ram Pride

Let’s face it; students don’t come to CSU expecting athletic excellence. The Florida Gators these Rams are not.

Ram fans have had little to cheer about recently. But that doesn’t stop them from filling up the cozy confines of Hughes Stadium, or the newly improved Moby Arena.

There is something to say for fan loyalty at CSU.

Nobody personifies that loveable loyalty better than 13-year-old Justin Stank. “He lives and breathes CSU,” said his mother Zoe Stank, “If he ends up going to another college I’ll be really surprised. He has been going to the games since he was 6-months-old.”

“I love that kid,” said Vaughn Hood, a CSU senior and self-professed obsessed CSU fan. “We need more fans like him.”The eighth grade student at Heath Middle School in Greeley, can be seen wearing his mascot costume in the front row of the CSU student section, right behind the Rams’ sideline at football games. He is also the ball boy for the CSU basketball and volleyball teams.

“You are the coolest little ram fan ever,” senior Sarah Murrow said to Justin at a recent football game.

Opposing fans don’t seem to think so.

Four years ago, Justin’s passion for the Rams put him in danger when the Rams football team played the University of Colorado at the Rocky Mountain Showdown.

As he was walking down to his seat, a CU fan, who, according to Justin was “way beyond drunk” grabbed Justin, just 10-years-old, by the throat.

“He started screaming ‘f- CSU, f-you, you mother f-er,’” Justin said. Justin was only in elementary school at the time and was helpless to fight back.

Justin’s mom quickly saw what was going on and reacted. “Big problem was, mom used to be a cop,” she said. “He didn’t know what hit him.”

“I had this kid on his knees, grabbing him by the throat, screaming, ‘you never touch a child. God help you if you touch mine.’”

Security realized what was going on and escorted the dazed CU fan out of the stadium. Three CSU students, who had seen what happened, followed him out. “I heard he ended up in the hospital,” Justin’s mom said unsympathetically.

It wouldn’t be the last time Justin was assaulted representing the Rams.

Last year Justin, who is in the Junior Olympic Archery Development Program, was having an archery competition in Las Vegas when the Rams women’s basketball team was playing UNLV.

Justin missed his archery tournament to go to the basketball game. It was a choice between the rams or archery. “Come on it’s CSU,” he said as if it were no choice at all.

When Justin went to one of the bathrooms at UNLV’s basketball arena, a UNLV fan jumped him.

“I just remember walking out of the bathroom stall and someone grabbing me and throwing me to the ground,” he said. “Nobody helped me, he just walked out.”

One place Justin’s mom doesn’t have to worry about him being harassed is CSU. “He’s got so many people protecting him over there,” his mom said. “I’m usually in the middle of it with him. I’m standing in the middle of all these kids screaming louder than any of them.”

No one asked Justin to be the Rams unofficial mascot. He does it simpy because, “It’s just fun,” he said. “A lot of my friends from other sports are in the student section.”

But Justin’s goal isn’t to watch the games from the bleachers; he wants to be on the football field, playing for his beloved Rams. “It would be cool, definitely,” he said.

Justin plays on the defensive line for his middle school’s team, the Heath Panthers. They just finished their season a perfect 6-0 with zero points scored on the defense, a school record.

“They can technically start recruiting him next year,” said his mom. “The regulars and the booster club have watched that boy grow up. If he does go to CSU, it’s going to be very loud his first day on the field.”

In addition to CSU and archery, Justin enjoys school, Boy Scouts, and hanging out with his friends who think, “It’s weird that I’m a ball boy for the volleyball team, but think it’s cool I know the basketball players,” he said.

It is doubtful that Justin could form these friendships with the student-athletes at a large university like University of Florida or even the University of Colorado for that matter. That is what makes CSU unique. It’s small enough fans can develop relationships with the players with relative ease.

Justin is a well-rounded young man who has his priorities in order, something few others his age can say. “I feel bad when I have to miss a game, but Scouts and school come first.”

“He is also a rodeo clown,” said his mom. In 2007, Justin took part in the Annual Kids Rodeo during the Greeley Stampede. He helped kids that had fallen off their sheep.

But Justin’s first love has always been the Rams. If getting beat up by opposing fans is the price he has to pay, he is willing to pay it he said.

Maybe Justin’s only qualm with CSU is the new costume for the mascot. “I really don’t like him. The old one fit in better.”