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The Daily Northwestern

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Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881

The Daily Northwestern

Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881

The Daily Northwestern

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Answers: rebel with a cause

Name: Seandale PriceStage Name: Rebel XDAge: 34Hometown: Chicago, ILAchievement: This Chicago native and three-time Guinness World Record holder took back his title last year as the fastest-rapping emcee in the world by rapping 852 syllables in 42 seconds, or more than 20 syllables per second, at Regiment Studios

I rap and I produce, and I’ve worked out of a studio since 1987. I learned to rap from poetry class back in the fifth grade, which was probably three years before I traveled – I used to write poetry. They were typical poems; I actually won a poetry contest from something online. I wouldn’t make a big deal about it though. I used to enter poetry contests and stuff like that.

I got into rap because a friend of mine was so impressed by some of the rappers back in 1987 that I wanted to prove to him that what they were doing wasn’t so hard. That was the reason for making my very first rap. After that, I realized that it was pretty good and people actually really liked what I was spittin’ so it just sorta stuck with me.

I have little to no difficulty when rappin’ fast. My technique is a secret. No, really, it’s just total dedication and getting through the insane amounts of training to rap as fast as 20 syllables a second, and a tremendous amount of concentration. I usually practice in loud distracting conditions just to enhance my focus capabilities. That’s not just limited to fast rappin’, but any style of rap that I practice. I have a lot of them.

For breaking the Guinness record, my goal is always to rap as many syllables as possible in as quick a time possible while at the same time rapping about something that makes sense and sounds good, so it is a combination of both. When I make songs outside of breaking Guinness records, my main and only focus is to make songs with the best possible lyrics a creative mind can conjure.

I know this may sound like I’m full of myself, but my biggest competition I see is myself. The way I do things and come up with songs and techniques. It is sometimes difficult to outdo myself, but still I manage.

Outside of rapping, I make beats that are very unique in sound. I still occasionally revisit my poetry roots and write poems. I also write anything from articles to movie scripts. I draw, I am a very hardcore gamer, I collect Japanese anime, use various forms of martial arts to keep in shape, I seduce the ladies and, as much as I have to correct people’s bad grammar at times, I should be an English teacher – a subject that I’ve always received high marks in.

Outside of breaking the Guinness record for fastest rapper and constructing mentally complex rhymes, I have styles that no one else has. I call the basis of my secret styles collection my Tri-Style tactics: they include a clicking technique, which is rapping with consistent clickin’ sound effects, an echo style where I rap and convincingly echo words, not just repeating them, and a beat-box style where I rap and beat box at the same time. Sometimes I put them all together to form a style I call “SpeechBox.” These are styles that I developed in 1991.

XD is short for e(X)tremely (D)ope.

I definitely see myself as an innovator, and could never be a follower; it’s not in my blood. But at the same time I don’t care for being a leader, though I don’t see that stopping others from taking the liberty to study and try to follow my influence.

I have many things in the works and anyone interested in gettin’ up-to-date info on my developments need only to come and visit my YouTube page in which I will keep everyone thoroughly informed through a show I am starting in June called Ask Rebel XD Questions.

Be sure to check me out on WGN (channel 9 in Chicago) on June 4. I will be on the morning show. I will be dropping something really unique.

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Answers: rebel with a cause