“Please take me back home-to Mis-sis-sip-pi.” Any fan of the rapper Afroman knows the words of the anthem well, and these days he’s back in his home state, occasionally stopping in Starkville.
Afroman will perform at Rick’s Caf Thursday night, playing for a crowd that loved him before “Because I Got High” became a nationwide hit.
“Starkville is the first town that treated me like a star,” Afroman said.
The rapper is well-known for combining humor with sexuality and drug references in his music.
After his success with his 2001 release The Good Times, Afroman split with Universal Records. He will release his second double disc album this spring, Afroholic: The Better Times, on his independently owned Hungry Hustler record label. He said he hopes that by releasing his second album independently he can find the genuine Afroman fans.
Afroman, whose real name is Joseph Foreman, has also taken his music into a slightly different direction.
“When I first started rapping it was cool, but now it’s perfected,” he said. “Now I’m really going to bring it to the stage-I’m more band oriented.”
Afroman has added stick guitarist and keyboardist Darrel Havard to his rapping clan. He also added one of 2 Live Crew’s original members to his group. He said DJ Mr. Mixx will add to the group’s new ‘more into the music’ vibe.
Rick’s Caf owner Rick Welch has had Afroman perform in his bar several times before.
“Afro played here and at Dave’s before all of his singles went worldwide,” Welch said. “Afro is a really nice, very talented musician who is fun to talk to.”
Afroman has always had an affinity for Mississippi State University. As well as playing here before he found fame, he sported a maroon Mississippi State T-shirt on the cover of his first album. He said he chose to wear the school’s T-shirt because it was the only one he could find that actually had “Mississippi” spelled out.
“I think he’s great because all of his songs are easygoing and laid back,” freshman Anthony Fondren said.
Fans can still expect the same humorously profane lyrics as on The Good Times, but with a little more musical depth.
Afroman said he keeps his music humorous because of the influence ’80s rap had on him.
“I like to rhyme and have fun,” he said. “I come from the ’80s when rap was fun.”
He said releasing the album independently is a big step for him. Ultimately, he said, he wants to find real Afroman fans that will stay with him so he can keep people happy and keep making good music.
For more information on Afroman, visit www.afromanmusic.com.