Inside the Trama campaign

Fielding questions like a seasoned politician, Twin Cities rapper Trama stood behind a podium plastered with campaign-style posters displaying his face. However, the audience at his recent listening party in Minneapolis avoided such topics as the Iraq war and illegal immigration, focusing instead on lyrical content and collaboration choices for his newest mixtape, "Barack-Otrama," being released Tuesday.

Dressed in a powder blue blazer, baggy jeans and Timberland boots, he seemed at ease as the center of attention, leaning against the podium and hassling his friends between songs. Although his manner might suggest a laid-back approach to his music career, that certainly isn't the case. Trama has released four albums and one previous mixtape, and has another full-length disc, "Viet Tram," coming out later this year. (He works his name into all of his titles, inspired by hip-hop veterans EPMD.)

"Barack-Otrama" actually was an unplanned project that sprang into being while Trama followed the Democratic presidential race this winter. Almost as soon as the title popped into his head, he created a flyer -- even before recording started.

"I like putting myself on a deadline. I like that pressure," said Trama, who's a freelance video editor by day.

Since moving to Minnesota in 1999, the New York City native has gained a reputation as a hustler -- someone who works endlessly to advance his career. He does it all, from writing lyrics and picking producers to designing graphics and directing videos.

"At the end of the day, if the project fails, I like to blame myself," he said.

A king from Queens

This year marks his 20th anniversary as a rapper. He grew up in the New York City borough of Queens during the 1980s, the golden era of hip-hop. He started out as a break dancer, then moved on to DJ-ing and graffiti, and finally started rapping. He remembers when only two radio stations in New York played hip-hop, and only on Friday and Saturday nights. He would record those shows and play the tapes throughout the following week, he said.

"I grew up when there was no money involved," he said. "There was no blueprint but we did it because it was cool and we wanted to be different than our parents."

When he moved here, he knew next to nothing about the Twin Cities. He was given a choice by his then-employer: Relocate to either Connecticut or Minnesota. He decided against Connecticut because it was too close to home.

"All I knew about Minnesota was that it was cold," he said. Although he didn't have many acquaintances to help him make the transition to Midwestern life, one friend soon introduced him to the Twin Cities' hip-hop scene, which impressed him.

"Everyone is real open about working together -- no one has an ego; everyone comes to the table and does what they do best," said Trama, whose collaborators on the new mixtape include Muja Messiah, Carnage, Mastermind and St. Paul Slim. The album also features a new take on "For the Fam," the legendary collaboration between Jay-Z, Memphis Bleek, Beenie Sigel and female rapper Amil. Trama's version features N.I.G. and Ike Treeze, both regulars ("supa delegates") from his TramUnit crew, plus the newest member, female rapper Katana, who proves she can hang with the boys.

"That's how you're supposed to make hip-hop; it's a collaborative effort," he said. "That's what I love out here. In New York, there are a bunch of people that are actually trying to do it. And even if they're not good, they think they're good, so there are a bunch of critics. Here, there are still people who come to the shows. They support the artists, but they don't think they're artists themselves."

'I'm going to war'

The campaign for Trama's new mixtape has been in high gear since early April, when he started e-mailing new songs to DJs and media outlets every Tuesday -- "Supa Tuesdays," as he calls them.

Beyond the personal inspiration, Trama said he thinks this election cycle has renewed the country's engagement with politics.

"In the past, people didn't really care," he said. "They didn't think their vote mattered. It does matter, because you really don't know where this country is going to go if this same regime stays in power."

He's already looking ahead to his next big push, for the full-length album coming this fall: "On 'Viet Tram,' I'm going to war," he said. "War against the beats, war against other MCs, war against the industry. I'm just going to go to war and let you see my soul."

Trama, whose name stands for "These Rhymes Are My Armageddon," said he wants his music to bare raw emotions and tell universal truths.

"Hip-hop is like soul music. I just want to make it real soulful so you can feel every emotion to the fullest. I want to feel like the apocalypse."

Megan Kadrmas is a University of Minnesota student on assignment for the Star Tribune.