See more B-more

>>There’s more to MC Rye Rye’s
hometown than The Wire

SHOW STEALER: Rye Rye

by SCOTT C

M.I.A.’s protégé Rye Rye, aka Ryeisha Berrain, has already been accused of stealing the show while on tour with her Sri Lankan girlfriend more than once, with crowds going bonkers over the 17-year-old Baltimore club music star’s fancy footwork and helium-voiced lyrics, rapped over DJ Blaqstarr’s jack-in-the-box beats. B-more’s gritty stutter-step is getting a playful rinse at the hands of this young one, who the Mirror reached by phone at her home.

Mirror: When did you first realize that Baltimore club music was making noise outside of your city?

Rye Rye: Honestly, I never knew that it was making waves outside of my city. I started realizing it as I started performing outside of the city, seeing people’s fucking reaction, and seeing the crowd wilding out while Blaqstarr was DJing was all a shock!

M: Were you always confident about getting on the mic, or is it something you had to work at?

RR: Oh, definitely something I had to work at. Man, sometimes I used to be so nervous, but I had confidence in myself so I just did the shit (laughs). As I started performing a lot, I got more and more used to it, and found myself. I watched others perform who’ve been in the game longer than me, and it helped. M.I.A. was a person that strengthened me, real talk!

M: Who would you say is the most influential artist to come out of Baltimore, and what impact did they have on you?

RR: Dru Hill, because they did their thang to the fullest (laughs), and those dudes were amazing! They already gave me that feeling that I can do it, because most people from Baltimore say nobody never comes and discovers talent from here. I always agreed but didn’t fully believe, and Dru Hill left that hope in me.

M: I know you’ve been on the road with M.I.A., putting in work, but don’t you find a lot of people just want to ask you about The Wire?

RR: Sometimes. Well, mostly people be anxious to know if Baltimore is just like The Wire (laughs), so I do get asked about it a lot. But I mean, it’s an interesting show, so I am prepared for it.

M: So then who do you identify with the most on The Wire? If I had to boil it down, I would probably say that Bunk Moreland is my man, but what about you?

RR: I watch it of course, it’s a fucking amazing show! But I really don’t identify myself with no one from The Wire, that’s hard to do (laughs).

M: Would you encourage other young female MCs to get involved in the music industry so young?

RR: No (laughs), because sometimes it’s tiresome, and definitely a lot to handle. So I would say finish school first.

With Diplo, DJ Sega, Peer Pressure and
Nu Ravers DJs, and D.L. Jones at Club 1234
tonight, Thursday, April 3, 10 p.m., $15