“This is not a joke. Why is your mouth full of laughter?”

Many rappers at the school feel the same sense of frustration that senior Messaoud Kerris, who goes by the rapper name Young Mecco, alluded to in his single “Bonfire.” According to Kerris, despite the immense amount of hard work and time they invest in their music, rappers at the school struggle to receive the same amount of seriousness and respect that other artists enjoy.

Junior Martin Weissgerber, known to some as Manic, said that although he has been rapping for over six years, people still question his commitment to the art.

“It’s not a joke,” Weissgerber said. “Close friends of mine know that I spend hours writing, and I have nine notebooks filled with lyrics. I do take it seriously.”

Weissgerber said that after he finishes his homework, he spends about one hour every night writing lyrics. Furthermore, he allocates two to three hours of his week to recording his music in the studio.

Weissgerber raps in “Hour of Truth,” “My papers almost ripped with all the lyrics that I’m writing.”

According to Weissgerber, a lot of people do not feel he is qualified to rap because he has not been through enough of a struggle in his life.

“A lot of people come up to me and say, ‘Why are you rapping? You haven’t been through anything,’” Weissgerber said. “I see it as everybody having their own struggle. Everybody has their own trials that they have to go through, and rap is just illustrating that.”

Weissgerber said this is one reason why people are less inclined to listen to his music.

He raps, “I know that you refuse to listen to my preaching. I wanted to be teaching. My breathing is reaching only two people.”

According to many of the rappers at the school, rapping is more than just an extracurricular activity to them. Freshman Carson Murphy, who goes by the rapper name Chase Chowder, said although rapping started out as a hobby for him, he would not be surprised if he sees it in his future.

“It’s really just a fun thing,” Murphy said. “But whenever you’re doing something, there’s the chance of going professional or possibly making a living off of it. It’s just something I would want to try out.”

Murphy said he is starting to make nationwide connections with producers and other professionals who may help him advance his rapping career.

In “First & Foremost” he raps, “I’d rather work towards a dream than a salary.”

Kerris, much like Murphy, said he currently raps to have fun and pass the time. Weissgerber, on the other hand, said he finds more of an emotional release through his music.

“It’s a type of catharsis,” he said. “I can just rap about what I want when I want. Instead of getting mad or instead of getting frustrated, I just put it into a rap.”

Both Weissgerber and Kerris said much of the inspiration for their lyrics comes from the frustration that builds as a result of people not taking their work seriously. Kerris said his mixtape, “Welcome to Reality,” was dedicated to those who think that he cannot rap.

Kerris raps in the “Welcome to Reality” intro, “Success is measured by work and determination. Put your mind to what you want, you can even rule the nation.”

All three rappers said although doubters can be an obstacle to legitimizing their rap careers, they can also help to motivate them to work even harder.

“Haters are my motivators,” Kerris said. “They’re the ones that make me famous.”

Seth Coven can be contacted at [email protected].