Freeman of Speech: Dee-1 outperforms Akon at Groovin' on the Grounds

For West Africa-born Akon, Saturday was a paycheck.

For New Orleans native Dee-1, Saturday saw the continuation of a new movement in rap and a transformation in terms of hip-hop and the Big Easy.

Born David Augustine, Dee-1 opened Students on Target's annual Groovin' on the Grounds concert, preaching "a good time not wasted."

And Dee-1's performance should have merited the top spot in the lineup.

Dee-1 was to Akon what Wyclef Jean was to Chamillionaire at last year's performance. Wyclef tore it up, not just with theatrics, but with substance, while Chamillionaire proved to be antithetical to Students on Target's message.

While Akon screamed about grenadine in his drink and how much he wanted to make love to strippers — after starting a chant that divided the crowd into two sections screaming "Fuck that side" — Dee-1 rebelled against mainstream rap by delivering an uplifting message of empowerment, defining himself as a "One Man Army."

Dee-1 earned his spot at Groovin' by winning Battle of the Bands on his third chance last fall. But he earned my respect long ago.

David and I both went to Audubon Montessori School, a K-8 public school with a French immersion program in New Orleans. He was in the grade above mine in the regular program while I attended the French program for seven years.

Back then, David was all about basketball. When our middle school organized a basketball team — appropriately named the Toucans after the school's namesake, John James Audubon — David was a starter with a sick crossover that made other students (namely, myself) insanely jealous.

Meanwhile, I felt somewhat ostracized from the rest of the school. But I joined a gifted program called Resource along with David, and the two of us shared a love of New Orleans rap, routinely blasting the newest singles from Juvenile, Lil' Wayne and the rest of the Cash Money Millionaires. But being influenced by Cash Money didn't affect his selfless sense of purpose.

He includes the big rap labels of New Orleans — both No Limit and Cash Money records — in his influences. But his rap style and topics are light years ahead of both labels when it comes to a message that matters.

His rhymes include no swearing or evidence of being under the influence, showing gentlemanly respect in his song "Queens" while rebelling against music orthodoxy in "I Hate Money."

He's never been one to turn his back on those by his side since the beginning. When I saw him backstage before his sound check, surrounded by pretty ladies and security guards, I shouted his name and he immediately jumped up and ran over to chat with me.

I would argue his career hasn't really started yet. When his movement makes it to the national level — his upcoming April 13 release "David and Goliath" should help — anyone who went to Groovin' on the Grounds will be telling their kids how they got to see Dee-1 when he was still a teacher, embodying the movement he wants to spread around the world.

Before the show, I asked him what he wanted people to get out of his show, and we both talked about how the audience — not he — was the most important part of his set.

"They gotta be in it as much as me. I can't work without them," he said. "It's about preaching positivity, you know. I need people to know this ain't about me. This is about them."

Eric Freeman Jr. is a 22-year-old political science junior from New Orleans.



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Contact Eric Freeman Jr. at efreeman@lsureveille.com