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RAP SCENE SOFTENS IMAGE FOR TEENS

What: TeenFest 2006 with Lue Kane, Maceo, Pastor Troy, suga suga, Choppa and Mr. Bigg When: 6-10 p.m. Saturday, July 8 Where: Pensacola Interstate Fairgrounds, 6655 Mobile Hwy. Cost: $15 Details: 232-0545

It was a hard-knocks life for hardcore rapper Lue Kane. Growing up in the Lincoln Park section of Pensacola, or what he calls "da hood," he was in and out of trouble during school and was eventually carted off to juvenile detention for fighting when he was 14. Kane says thuggin', and violence in general, was a daily ritual and he was living a life that was slowly spiraling out of control.

Back then, the only positive thing Kane had was his raps.

"I grew up with the wrong crowd but I tried to go my own way," he recalls. "I had to change the direction my brain was going in. When I was put away, I realized that all of the stuff I was going through back then had to change. It's taken awhile, but I have a man's brain now."

The 19-year-old rapper, who was given the nickname "Chamillionaire" by his peers for his ability to switch up his flow like a chameleon, was locked away in the Escambia Juvenile Detention center for six months in 2000.

Now, armed with an arsenal of raps that feature beats from Perion, the Pensacola-based producer of Juvenile's "Way I Be Leanin'," and a new collaboration with Pastor Troy, he's sitting in the lobby of the Independent News with shades on and sporting a gold-encrusted, dollar-sign chain around his neck.

Sharing the stage at this weekend's TeenFest 2006 with some of the underground rap world's most wanted including Maceo, Choppa and Mr. Bigg, Kane says it was during his incarceration when he realized that he could fight back with his words, instead of his fists.

"When I first started rapping, I wasn't good at all," he says, explaining that he first honed in on his stylistic voice while behind bars. "When I'm writing music, it keeps me out of the streets. When I put my lyrics down on paper, I think about getting rich. And when I think about getting rich, it keeps me out of trouble."

Performing in clubs like the fallen Club *69 and Club Dimensions during his late teens, Kane spent years earning his street cred by harmonizing aggressive, hardcore verses coupled with non-melodic R&B hooks. His grimy, Crunk music testimonials—songs ranging from people hating on his car in "The Ride" to turf allegiance in "Where U From" —are punctuated with the N-word throughout and rattle off like a young man ferociously firing away at an unforgiving world—ultimately finding redemption through expression.

Until recently, Kane never looked at himself as much of a role model.

"It's not like I'm some big star, but I was at Church's (fast-food restaurant) a few weeks ago and this 8-year-old girl came up to me and was like, 'that's Lue Kane,'" he says, smiling. "I have no idea how she knows my music, but it really hit me. I can turn this whole thing into a positive and show people who have grown up with the wrong group or crowd that there is a way out."

Bill Marshall, Club Dimensions music promoter and life-long friend of boxer-turned-rapper Roy Jones Jr., had a similar epiphany when developing the concept for TeenFest 2006. By showcasing underground performers like Maceo, Pastor Troy and Kane to a younger audience, Marshall believes his event will have a positive impact on a community of teens, many who feel alienated by the mainstream.

"The kids want to fit in so much," he says, wearing a gold and diamond BHE (Body Head Entertainment) medallion. "When they go to places where they don't fit in—like the mall or movie theaters—eventually they end up doing something disturbing or disrespectful and I wanted to offer an alternative to all of that. If the teens find something that's truly theirs, they'll support it. Hopefully an event like this will keep them from going in the wrong direction."

The 35-year-old promoter insists that all of the rappers who've signed on to perform at TeenFest have agreed to tone down their lyrics, opting for radio-friendly versions of their rhymes versus the more explicit ruminations of turf wars, dope dealing and street hustling.

"There strictly will be no profanity, no lewd acts, none of that," he says. "All of the rappers and hip-hop artists I know in the industry portray this tough image and don't necessarily do all of what they talk about in their music—all of the violence, shooting and cussing and stuff. It's their entourage that's usually the problem."

Marshall says there's a downside to the thug image.

"I think many artists in the scene are starting to realize if you portray yourself as the big guy on the block, you're a target. That's how it started to work in rap and people were getting shot because of it."

Kane, who plans to film the video to his ode-to-clubbing track with Pastor Troy called "50 D," says that he now understands the impact his music is having on the under-18 crowd. But he's not necessarily going to alter his lyrics because of it.

"You can write songs that tell kids not to sell drugs, but you can't stop the next person in line wanting to sell," Kane says. "My music reflects what's really happening out there and kids identify with it because it's on their level. Until things change, my songs won't change."