I Self Devine works to get his message across

I SELF DEVINE; PSALM ONE AND DJ SPONTANEOUS; P.O.S. FEATURINGDOOMTREE

- 8:30 p.m. Wednesday

- Abbey Pub, 3420 W. Grace

- Tickets, $10 in advance, $12 at the door (18-over show)

- (773) 478-4408

Minneapolis-based rapper I Self Devine is a socially consciousartist who truly knows that of which he speaks.

But he also knows that isn't enough.

Known as a member of the Micranots, I Self has built a reputationfor an almost militant social consciousness. Raised in South CentralLos Angeles to parents involved with the Black Panthers, he callshimself a "a person of deep consciousness." A coordinator at aMinneapolis community center, he's constantly in touch with thechallenges of urban living in 2005.

But while he's always had much to say, he says his work hassometimes been so rooted in analysis that he's lost the very audiencehe's sought.

"Sometimes when you do something, you get too analytical and youforget the basic necessities of what you need to do," he says. "Whena doctor writes his thesis, how many people read it? It's pretty muchfor people who talk shop. But the average, everyday person who mayneed that information is excluded because it's not written in alanguage they can understand. So if I want to come to you andconnect, I'm going to have to make the effort to come to where youare and bring you to where I'm at."

In other words, "I have to utilize the time I have on the mike tosay something, but if I come in a matter that is too preachy, peoplewill think, 'Man, that's bull.'"

His solo debut, "Self Destruction," seeks to tackle this problemby presenting I Self not as a greater-than-thou orator with all ofthe answers, but as flawed man who has struggled to get things right.The CD follows a storyteller born of great expectations into asociety that in many ways couldn't have cared less. It's a CD aboutwhere the thug life meets real life.

"I've come to the realization that prior to doing any agitation,there needs to be some relational things going on," I Self says. "SoI decided to deal with the everyday struggles of the people in themovement rather than [the abstraction] of the movement."

To do this, he said, he needed to evaluate himself and openhimself up more than he's ever done before, which meant being honestabout himself and his own vulnerabilities.

"Going into the Micranots, the persona I pushed was one or twonotches above who I really was -- as in when you aspire to dosomething you set the bar higher," I Self says. "But the feedback Igot didn't really acknowledge who I was a person."

But doing this was not easy, especially for an MC, a character whois supposed to be invulnerable, infallible and absolute, eitherpreacher or thug.

"I have been very scared and kind of terrified [of showing mywhole self]. I've always kind of done it halfway," I Self says. "WhenI watch cats in the game perform and fans are hanging on every wordand waiting for every release, that is a heavy responsibility. Ididn't necessarily want to take that, so I would set myself up forfailure."

So he refocused.

"As KRS-One said, 'It doesn't matter what your content is -- youhave to rock the mike.' I am an entertainer, but I'm also more thanthat."

David Jakubiak is a local free-lance writer.