PAT24seven emerging as different kind of Memphis MC

img/photos/2010/04/20/pat24seven.png "My first time in front of an audience, I was really nervous, but it was actually a good performance, though," says Memphis rapper PAT24seven.

Memphis' Patrick Johnson is a natural performer. It started in childhood when Johnson and his sister would put on shows that their mother would videotape. And it continued through high school and college, when the star athlete competed in track and field.

Now Johnson, who under his hip-hop handle PAT24seven will perform Friday at the second Idify Entertainment showcase at the New Daisy Theatre on Beale Street, has taken to the stage proper, and the effect, he says, has been transformative.

"My first time in front of an audience, I was really nervous, but it was actually a good performance, though," says Memphis rapper PAT24seven.

"When I get up on a stage, I'm like a different person," says Johnson. "Normally I'm just laid back and chilled, but on a stage I don't even recognize myself."

Unknown to most Memphis hip-hop fans, Johnson is planning Friday's show as a grand coming-out party, the prelude to a slew of releases he is putting out in the next few months that he hopes will position him among the city's top rap talents. After previously having released a couple of little-heard, unofficial mix tapes, this week Johnson is putting out two singles on iTunes, "I'm On" and "All I Know." In the next few weeks a full-length mixtape, The Studio The Stage, The Life, will follow with a second mixtape, the conceptual Cheap Thrills and Expensive Tastes, coming in June.

Both mixtapes feature Johnson collaborating with a host of the city's most talented producers, including Yo Gotti partner Hot Rod and Young LC and Chicken of Sweat Da Trac Productions, as well as Timbaland protégé Wizz Dumb. What has attracted these studio heavyweights is the raw talent of an uncommonly poised young rapper who exudes confidence and skill (and an uncommon artistic flair), despite being relatively new to the game.

"He has a different style for a Memphis artist, more what you would call a backpack rapper," says Mr. Modest, who booked Johnson on the first Idify showcase after seeing him just once. "I got good feedback on his performance from the first show, so other people enjoyed him as well."

Johnson was born in Savannah, Ga. His family moved here when he was in junior high school, but despite the late arrival, the city and its music scene have had a deep impact on him.

Still, during high school, Johnson was more concerned with running than rhyming. After starring on the track team at Cordova High School, he attended Wallace State Community College on an athletic scholarship. But in his freshman year, he suffered a career-ending injury.

"If I didn't break my foot, I'd probably still be running track," he says. "I might not even be doing music."

Switching gears, Johnson enrolled in the music program at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro. It was there that the novice rapper, inspired by artists like Lupe Fiasco and Kanye West, made his first forays into performing.

"I started doing little talent shows around campus," says Johnson, who is probably still better known in the middle of the state than in his hometown. "My first time in front of an audience, I was really nervous, but it was actually a good performance, though. I didn't know I was a good performer until then."

Since then Johnson has quickly placed himself as a rising star in the local hip-hop community. After his performance at last month's Idify showcase, none other than 8Ball came backstage to express his admiration.

Even so, Johnson, whose iPhone is loaded not just with Kanye and The Dream but also with Corinne Bailey Rae and Michael Jackson, has positioned himself with those on the scene who are trying to break free of the all-pervasive influence of crunk on Memphis hip-hop.

"People in Memphis kind of want something different because mainstream hip hop has changed," says Johnson. "It's no longer rapping about the hood. The most popular artists are Drake, Kanye and Jay-Z, and they're more of an enlightened type of hip-hop. I think the people of Memphis are looking for a Memphis artist like that."

PAT24seven with Snyper, Mister Modest, Sensational Global Music Group and Blow

Friday at the New Daisy Theater, 330 Beale St. Doors open at 8 p.m. Cover: $10. For more information, call (901) 214-5192 or www.idifyent.com.

© 2010 Go Memphis. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.