By NIKOLAJ LASBO
UW News Lab

Leaning back in a chair in what he calls his “lab,” hip-hop artist Wizdom — his mother calls him David Mazzeo — imparts how his music has changed since he first started writing lyrics in high school but how he has also stayed true to his roots.

Wizdom, a UW Communication Department alumnus has gone on to release two studio albums since he graduated in 2004. A video for his single “Salud” is currently in post-production and he is planning to release an EP and possibly a full-length CD in 2010.

But coming up in the Seattle hip-hop scene was no cakewalk, as Wizdom can attest.

“Between the first song that I recorded and when I actually wanted to put out an album, a lot of change had to happen,” Wizdom said. “I didn’t understand the politics and what went on behind the scenes.”

He added that making connections with other local hip-hop artists was key to gaining acclaim.

“Seattle is small enough that after you have been to 10 shows, you know 85 percent of other hip-hop artists,” said Clayton Holman, a.k.a. Notion, a 2009 UW graduate. “When I first med Wizdom, we did a show together and exchanged CDs.”

Since that first show, Wizdom and Notion’s working relationship has grown and the two are planning on collaborating next year on a couple of songs.

Wizdom said his interest in hip-hop began sitting in the back of class in high school, writing bars of lyrics with friend Njuguna Gishuru — who has since gone on to emcee under the moniker Monk Wordsmith with the local hip-hop group The Physics.

“We developed our styles together, writing and freestyling. I saw a spark in him and I supported him,” Monk Wordsmith said, adding that he helped Wizdom record his first song. “He has provided us (The Physics) with a lot of support too. He comes to shows and gives us positive feedback. We even have get-togethers at his place. This is why he is a great artist; he tries to connect with people.”

Wizdom often raps retrospectively to point out how he has changed and how absurd his lyrics and rapping style was when he was just getting started. He raps in “Bring It back” off his EP of the same name:

“I remember when I started to rhyme/
cocky flow off the back cause I was asinine.
But as time passed I wanted to get back to it…”

Although Wizdom acknowledges the ridiculousness of his early music he also tries to stay true to his roots when writing new content — as the last bar of lyrics above states. For example, he uses a lot of sports metaphors in his songs, from his first album where he brings “the heat like D[wyane] Wade and Shaq” to when he raps on his new EP that he is “bringing it back like Michael Jordan in his prime.”

“I have always been really personal with my lyrics,” he added. “I have never had a problem sharing deep dark secrets. I couldn’t care less.”

Wizdom said that creating a personal style is also important in gaining recognition. He has come up with a couple of unique stage antics that he said set him apart from other artists. For instance, sometimes he will take a beat from an old song that most of the audience will know and freestyle lyrics over it. Once, he even put on a Mario outfit to rap over the Super Mario theme.

“It is important to get into it and make sure you include everyone in the audience,” he added.

Wizdom said his time at the UW whetted his appetite to rap that had begun in high school. He said that one class in particular, Speech Communications, greatly helped his performance skills. The class required students to give three speeches to peers — one of his was about the censorship of hip-hop — culminating in an oratory in Red Square.

“You are saying stuff that some people might not agree with,” Wizdom said of the speeches. “You have to learn to roll with the punches and adjust to your audience, just like when I am up on stage.”

As for the future, Wizdom is looking to move beyond the local hip-hop scene and reach out to broader West Coast audiences.

“It is all about paying dues,” he said. “I will probably have to open shows for someone more popular. It is just something you have to do.”

But he added that he doesn’t plan to leave behind the city that raised him. He said that his video for “Salud” is shot in locations around the city because he wants others outside Seattle to see how beautiful it is.

“I can’t imagine living anywhere else,” Wizdom said.

Nikolaj Lasbo is a student in the University of Washington Department of Communication News Laboratory.