Thursday, April 30, 2009
John Westbrook Jr. doesn’t use his legal name when he gets on stage. It doesn’t have the pop or swagger of a standard rapper’s alias. That’s why, when Westbrook gets on stage, he is Stik Figa.
Westbrook didn’t always go by that name. “My first rap name was Tomfoolery and that was just because I like to cut up. I’m a fool,” Westbrook says. Stik Figa stuck, though, because it was a way to keep him levelheaded.
The skinny: Rapper Stik Figa got his name because his mom would always comment on how skinny he is.
“I was walking around without my shirt on and she (my mom) was giving me a hard time. She was like, ‘You think you look cute. You think you look good and everything, and really you just look like a stick figure,’” Westbrook says.
Westbrook is from Kentucky, and he tries to stay true to his Southern roots musically. He says his music is soulful and progressive with a similar feel to the music of UGK and Outkast.
Westbrook started rapping in high school. He says it was easy for him to become a rapper because he had always been a writer. “I always had a writing background. I liked to write short stories,” Westbrook says.
Any concert is a fully social experience for fans, and Westbrook says he really tries to keep his performances in that level by interacting with fans. A performance is a conversation to him. “Ya’ll drinking; I’m talking,” Westbrook says.
Westbrook has a new project coming out May 5. Mental Liberation is the collaborative CD that Westbrook is a part of and will be available on his MySpace at www.myspace.com/stikfiga.
Westbrook works a full-time job, but the plan is to eventually be solely a rapper. Right now, Westbrook will keep writing, because it comes so naturally for him, and looking for producers he wants to work with, because he isn’t part of a label.
Stage presence: Stik Figa
Local musicians, feel free to swoon.
Rhyming in the far east
On a study abroad trip to Japan, KU student Travis Tewes took ...
Rap music sales decline
The hip-hop and rap industries are losing fans and sales. Sales dropped ...
G. Loves spreads the love
G. Love talks about his Lawrence and his musical influences.
Lysen: Being proud of your roots
The rapper XV shows us that there is no shame in loving ...
Forget what you heard
The Kansan's four part series showcasing hip hop's impact on a mix ...
Stage presence: My Brother, the Vulture
Local musicians. Feel free to swoon.
Stage presence
Ben Markley
Hello, my name is Mandy Patinkin
Letter: ‘Red and Blue’ story not deserving ...
Reader takes issue with Kansan's placement of story.
Morning Brew: Local rapper reps KU hoops
Kansas City rapper B Double E’s latest album references Bill Self and ...
Local DJ finds a home for his ...
After working for venues in Kansas City and Topeka, Ken Soap returned ...
Q&A: Cisco Adler
Because we have questions. Celebrities have answers.
Dance troupes, rappers compete
Members of the KU basketball team judged the rap portion. Emcee cuts ...
Author makes a case for hip-hop and ...
Author Adam Bradley delivered a message that rap should be considered a ...
No Strings Attached
One KU grad shows why we aren’t on Sesame Street anymore...
Making alternative music
Ditch the rhythm guitar and pick up a ukulele for an easier ...
Q & A with Common
Common raps about his acting career and musical collaborations.
Professor to compose for Berlin Philharmonic
James Barnes was commissioned to write a piece for the Berlin Philharmonic ...
Musician reconciles past with present
With blues in his soul, Buster will play with his two bands ...
Rock on
Open mics let all musicians share their sounds
Blog: Social Media and Music
Why music needs the Internet.
Morning Brew: Q&A with Tech N9ne, Krizz ...
Montemayor gets up close and personal with the KC rappers.
Coldham: Hip-hop versus rap
Thoughts straight from the hip-hop head.
KJHK music competition needs entries
Eight bands will compete in Farmer’s Ball to win recording time and ...
William Elliot Whitmore
The musician with roots in Kansas is coming to Lawrence on Friday, ...
Hipster, reborn
Is anti-mainstream trending?
Donald Glover enamors students
The talented comedian from the show “Community” covers several topics.
Belting out some noise
Exploding engines and a wall of noise
Guitars and Grace
At Open Swim, worshippers get down with God
Stage Presence: Tyler Gregory
Rising stars. Feel free to swoon.
Taking the Stage
Tanner Walle, the lead singer for Lawrence cover band The Wobbly H, ...
Peaks and valleys
A look at how local bands keep local venues alive — as ...
What Do You Know About... Jazz music ...
Going beyond the sounds.
Stage presence: Rooftop Vigilantes
Local musicians. Feel free to swoon.
“Crank That” craze hits local venues
If you’re looking for hip-hop dancing in Lawrence, chances are you’ll hear ...
Stage Presence: Rusty Scott
Local musicians. Feel free to swoon.
LIfe after the split
How to handle the end of a relationship
Pins and pompadours: The return of rockabilly
Few genres of music attract the kind of rabid fans that evolve ...
Reliving the music dream
Mark Gottschall, journalism resource center supervisor, recorded an album in Spain 35 ...
Kansas Jayhawk fans hold aloft a reproduction of ...
2 comments
Erin Saupe, a Ph.D. student from St. Cloud, ...
1 comment
0 comments
Armed robbers continue to threaten.
3 comments
Lecture from Greg Mortenson, co-author of New York ...
0 comments
KUnited presidential candidate Libby Johnson and vice presidential ...
1 comment
Comments
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.
Sign in to comment
Or login with:
OpenID