Nightlife / Music

Draft Pick ready to get into the rap game

By David Burke | Thursday, October 09, 2008 | () comments

>>> From the minute Jason Huffman began playing football-themed video games, Jason Huffman referred to himself as the “First-Round Draft Pick.”

Shortened to “Draft Pick,” Huffman has tackled rap music with his eye on the big leagues.

“It’s going to take me giving 110 percent. I’m the biggest believer, the biggest fan, in myself,” he said.

Huffman, a Davenport native who moved to Las Vegas when he was 15 and moved back in 2005, is releasing his first album as Draft Pick, called “Feel Good Music,” on Nov. 8. He also will be a part of a multi-act rap show Saturday night at the Chorus Line in Davenport.

Currently a welder for Deere & Co., the 26-year-old said he wasn’t into rap during the time he lived here.

“When I moved out to Las Vegas, it was a real big cultural shock,” he said. “I had a lot of good people who really helped me as far as my confidence level.”

Thanks to an internship at a Vegas radio station that was heavy on rap, he got to know some rappers, including Candyman, who had a hit in the 1990s.

“I met a lot of people who do the music and behind the music. I saw what you’ve got to do,” he said.

Since returning to the Quad-Cities, he has made himself part of the local rap scene.

“You’ve got so many different flavors here as far as rappers and rap artists,” he said. “I feel like this is Baskin-Robbins and I’m just one of the 31 flavors you can try.”

Several area rap acts are featured on his album, as well as Minneapolis-St. Paul rapper Michael Berens, Vegas rap act Blaze 5 and British rapper Michael Scarlett.

The album includes the song “Kissing Game,” which samples the 1992 R&B hit “I Like the Way (Kissing Game)” by Hi-Five.

While he compares his rap style with LL Cool J or Candyman — “It’s commercial, catchy. It’s not bubblegum, but it’s something you’d hear on TV” — Huffman said he admires the tenacity of Nelly and Ludacris, who worked for several years before making a name from themselves locally, much less nationally.

“You’ve got to keep knocking on the door. People are going to slam the door in your face, but you’ve got to keep trying,” he said.

Huffman said he’s tried to learn as much about the business side as about the performing side of rapping.

“If you want to make it in this industry, you’ve got to know the business side. I tell people all the time, ‘Do you want to be a rapper or do you want to be an artist?’ If you’re a rapper, you’ll just stay where you’re at,” he said.

The career highlight for Draft Pick so far was being on the same bill as Ja Rule at a concert in San Antonio, where Huffman got what he calls the VIP treatment.

“I want to get back there,” he added.

David Burke can be contacted at (563) 383-2400 or dburke@qctimes.com. Comment on this story at qctimes.com.

IF YOU GO

What: Cool G Jam, including Draft Pick, B-Rock, Cribs, Big Bake and St. Nick

When: 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 11

Where: Chorus Line, 4128 N. Brady St., Davenport

How much: $10

Information: (309) 631-1168 or MySpace.com/draftpickakbrannew