Hip-hop hustling out West

Half of The Definition living in LA but pining for a trip home to Little Rock.

For more on Hunter Beard, visit his website at www.hunterbeard.com for music and videos.
For more on Hunter Beard, visit his website at www.hunterbeard.com for music and videos.

Hunter Beard can’t come home yet, but he’s making the most of his time in Southern California.

The Little Rock-bred, hip-hop artist made the move westward a few years ago, hustling for an opportunity at the big time. But since he moved, parole difficulties have made it impossible for the 30-year-old Beard to return home, even for a visit. (Beard did two different prison stints on robbery and then drug charges, spending seven years in Arkansas prisons starting at the age of 18. He was released at the age of 25 and has been on parole since.)

And so he creates music and fights for his break into the music industry while living in Hermosa Beach, a beachfront community along the Pacific Ocean to the south of Los Angeles. He is joined by two friends and fellow Arkansas rappers: Keddy Mac and Ant Dub.

“Everyone contributes and does things for the team that the others can’t do,” Beard says. “We’ve set up a solid foundation to make money as independent artists. The main thing now is just exposure.

“I am driven by a very strong need to make up for the negative things I’ve done with positive things and actions. If I don’t make it to the level I feel I should be on, then I am a failure in my own mind and that’s a hard thing to swallow.”

Following his prison time, Beard joined with friend Chad Kennedy, forming the Little Rock hip-hop duo The Definition. The duo’s first single “Want It With Us” received local radio play, but the pair realized greater fame lay beyond the borders of Arkansas so the two drove to Los Angeles in July 2007. By 2008, Beard had moved full time to California, setting up his website and even starting a clothing line.

But the main focus has always been the music, something Beard first started focusing on while in prison. He released the album Solar Bipolar last year as a follow-up to his self-titled album, and has performed at such famed Los Angeles venues as The Viper Room and the Whisky a Go Go. Currently, he is working on a new, currently untitled album that is about “75 percent” done.

Recently, Beard answered a few questions via email about his upcoming moves:

On how his music has changed since The Definition:
“I’ve learned how to structure a song better; not just hook, verse, hook. It’s definitely a little less violent. I’m growing as a person, and it’s reflecting in my music. As a writer I’ve learned how to put myself in other people’s shoes and also to write figuratively. I’m working on ghostwriting because I have written some songs that just aren’t for me. The album I released last year had a little of everything from rock to club to dark street songs. With the new album I’m dealing with some more issues such as the loss of a good friend, [and] being kept from visiting my daughter and my 94-year-old grandfather by my parole. I don’t know, it has been a struggle to stay positive. But they say the best music comes from angst. I won’t release anything that’s not better than my last, and I think this album is.”

On being an independent artist in Los Angeles:
“It’s interesting, I’ve gotten some opportunities that I wouldn’t have had otherwise. There is a lot of competition but also a sense of people working together out here. I’m working with a veteran publicist this summer for national exposure. I’ve been able to headline and sell out places that I never dreamed of being able to perform at. You just have to work hard to stay relevant and not get comfortable.”

On being away from family:
“I’m finally set to get off parole in November of this year so I will then be able to tour. And most importantly come home to visit. Ever since the first day my parole transferred here, I was told I would never again be able to return to Little Rock while on parole. I told them I have a daughter and a 94-year-old grandfather in Little Rock. They said they didn’t care. So for the last three years I have been flying my now 8-year-old daughter out here for Christmas, summer and spring breaks and such. I call her every week, and I have a great relationship with her but as you can see it is a big deal for me. I miss my family and friends.”

For more on Hunter Beard, visit his website at www.hunterbeard.com for music and videos.

Upcoming Events