THIS SONG IS A BIG STEP TOWARDS MANY OF MY GOALS!! IF YOU KNOW YOUR HIP-HOP MUSIC, AND VIDEO PRODUCERS OUT THERE... THEN YOU KNOW WHO "MYSTER DL" OF "ILL MANNERED FILMS" IS!! PRODUCING VIDEOS BY SOME BIG NAMES IN THE GAME SUCH AS "STICKYFINGAZ" OF "ONYX", "MR. GARTH CULTIVADER", BANG-EM SMURF, SEAN PRICE, AND MANY MORE!! HE IS A VERY MULTI-SKILLED INDIVIDUAL, WHO I AM EXTREMELY BLESSED TO BE WORKING WITH ON PROJECTS SUCH AS THIS ONE!! PLEASE SUPPORT MY MOVEMENT, AND PUT .99 CENTS TOWARDS IT PLEASE... THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME!! -DCP ARTIST BIO: When David Pedersen started high school in Oakland, the small town didn't offer much in the way of entertainment. More than a decade later, Pedersen lives in the neighboring town of Sutherlin where, he said, the situation remains the same. By utilizing skills he acquired during the 10 years after high school — during which he bounced from Bend to Eugene and to other various pockets of Oregon — Pedersen plans on changing that. In his toolbox, the universal language: music. Throughout his youth, Pedersen's mother played in bands and he would jot down lyrics. He was also exposed to some of the hardships experienced by children of single parents. Financially, life was less than perfect. About 10 years ago, after making the transition from Bend to Eugene, he discovered underground hip-hop. The style of music shies away from mainstream hip-hop played on the radio. Pedersen found his place in the scene and before long, he was recruited to WOW Hall's street team and handed out fliers prior to each hip-hop show. Pedersen gradually morphed the musical talents of his youth to fit the new style of music and started jotting down lyrics again. "When I had opportunity to evolve into hip-hop and speak what I feel,” he said, “it was a good way to express myself.” With the floodgates wide open, Pedersen's pen was in constant motion. He wrote about the financial problems of his youth, the death of his sister's baby, living in the present, changing his environment and breaking the negative stereotypes of hip-hop music by introducing a new wave of lyrical positive energy. “Lyrics mean more to me than just rhyming, it's thinking about what they're saying,” he said. He wanted his lyrics to be real and relatable for other youth who are experiencing similar trials in their lives. The 31-year-old said he mostly thinks about his own two young children while crafting his lyrics. “I know I wouldn't let my kids listen to anything on the radio these days,” he said. “It's all about how if you don't have a million dollars and a big car with big wheels, you're not worth anything.” Pedersen decided to put into effect his lyrics about positive change. Influenced by the underground hip-hop scene in Eugene, he worked up the nerve to perform and began promoting his own shows under the stage name Drama Causin' Poet. His first show was at a Roseburg bar on New Year's Eve. His second — for which several fellow rappers traveled from Eugene — was at a bar in Sutherlin. Another was a benefit concert for the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Umpqua Valley. "He donated his time, didn't charge us anything and when he left, he offered to come back and do more shows,” said Daniel Bailey, teen coordinator for the Boys and Girls Clubs. Bailey said he was hesitant at first to let Pedersen perform because of rap music's bad rap. “I checked his MySpace; even his MySpace page is very family friendly,” Bailey said. “He seemed to be a clean guy all around —not that my opinion matters — but when you're dealing with parents of 11-year-olds ...” Bailey said Pedersen was very accommodating and had no problems with letting Bailey demo the music before the dance, which was on June 5. About 250 to 300 kids attended. “The one thing that stuck out to me most about David is he's really generous with the kids,” Bailey said, adding that Pedersen signed the hat on his own head and gave it to one excited fan. With the success of his first couple of shows behind him, Pedersen is determined to keep the hip-hop train flowing. He has plans to build a recording studio in his yard. He's trying to raise funds for building permits and materials. Pedersen plans to offer scholarships to area youth. If they're going to school and maintaining good grades, he'll let them have studio time free of charge. Friend and fellow hip-hop artist Danny Admire, met Pedersen at the first show in downtown Roseburg. Admire also grew up in the area and has dabbled in music most of his life. He agreed with Pedersen about the lack of positive outlets for Douglas County youth. And while hip-hop may seem an unlikely avenue for change, it's a start. “The kind of music that's pushed in everyone's faces is not that good nowadays and that's the view that people get of hip-hop,” Admire said. “We're definitely trying to do something completely different.” •Cara Pallone