Show some love

In a town known more for rock and country, there is a sound coming from the underground. Through its Old West facade and dust-blown roadways, the Truckee Meadows rap scene is overflowing with MCs and DJs just waiting for a chance to be heard.

One such rapper is Paul Walker, or P-Dub.

P-Dub, who has been rapping for more than 10 years, is just one of many Reno-based rappers who are reaching out to the highly profitable hip-hop world. While no local rapper has yet gotten national attention, P-Dub doesn’t think that fact will remain true for long.

“I have no doubt that it’s going to happen soon,” P-Dub says. “There are a lot of people in Reno that rap. They are going to find that out. I think Reno’s on the verge.”

Obviously, P-Dub says, he hopes his new album, The Biggest Little City, will help him reach that point. Another event that may propel P-Dub into the limelight is his show with rap superstar Ja’ Rule—whose current album hit No. 1 on the Billboard charts—at Lawlor Events Center April 12 as part of the KWNZ Spring Jam.

While a distinct sound is apparent on the album, traces of various influences pop up throughout. The album shows P-Dub isn’t afraid to expand beyond one style of rap. Some of its smooth sounds are reminiscent of Snoop Dogg, but it also has the more frantic delivery associated with some East Coast rappers. The music brings in touches of ‘70s funk, jazz and even some gospel to its beat-laden grooves.

One thing you won’t find on the album is swearing or violent themes. P-Dub says he understands why they are present in much of the rap marketed today, but that’s just not his style right now.

“We are confronted with decisions every day,” he says. “ Decisions that are difficult. I rap the way I do because that’s the way I feel. I want people to feel that in my album.”

On “Something New,” P-Dub raps about how people are growing tired of the stereotypical rap songs and videos with nice cars, nearly naked women and lots of jewelry.

“There are lots of gimmicks that sell records,” he says. “The glitz, the glam—that’s all cool, to an extent. But we’ve got all the children growing up and that’s all they see.”

But to get his message out, P-Dub, like many other Reno musicians, has to get his name out there. But while Reno supports the rock scene, rap struggles to even get small shows. P-Dub admits that there are some violent elements in the Reno rap scene that keep shows from being common.

“A lot of people don’t go because they don’t feel safe,” he says dejectedly. “There is also not a lot of backing. That hurts the artists, and we often have to go out of town. If we can’t get no love from our own city, there’s a problem.”

P-Dub wrote “Ain’t No Love” about this problem. While he says he loves Reno and calls it home, it’s hard for him to gain a footing as a musician because of the lack of support in Reno for the hip-hop community. But he says he has noticed a few positive steps for the local scene, including KWNZ 97.3 featuring local rappers and spinning their records on the radio.

“Coming out of Reno is really tough," P-Dub says. "But coming out of Los Angeles or New Orleans or Atlanta—it was all tough once."