"He has the rare ability to incorporate humor
into his lyrics without losing street credibility." -David Morrissy
Elemental issue 24
"rocking mics in his creative, edutainment style" -Ben Osborne
XXL June 2002
Weathering the Storm
by Stacey Williams
If you didn't already know him, you would never guess that Dwayne
Henry is a mild-mannered Laboratory Coordinator for Montgomery College
by day, and a fierce rap artist by night. The unassuming 32-year old,
who goes by the name of Storm the Unpredictable, can give any national
rap star a run for his money with his lyrical flow.
During the release party for his debut set, "Amalgamation "
on Ty-She records, Storm surprised the crowd with a bandaged hand
(he received injuries in a minor laboratory accident earlier in the
day) and lighting quick, thunderous rhymes that flowed like a torrential
downpour.
Opening the show with "So Unpredictable," the 5'6"
powerhouse commanded the stage with snippets from tracks on the release.
The crowd went wild for "Stop Lying", in which Storm tries
to convince a fellow MC that he as dated and hobnobbed among entertainment's
power elite. "The One That You Love" had an infectious go-go
beat that had heads nodding in every corner of the room. Storm showcased
his quick tongue and lyrical spit in "Up in You in 2002".
A full-blown performance of "Get Your Weight Up (Big Girl Anthem)",
his homage to full-figured sisters everywhere had the audience's full
attention. "Get Your Weight Up" and a song entitled, "Darker
the Berry" captured first and second place respectively in the
Washington Songwriters Association's annual songwriting contest.
The rest of the world has been given Storm warnings and are taking
notice. The artist has been featured in the Washingtonian, and on
BET's "Rap City". Bibles of the hip-hop industry; Vibe,
Source, and XXL have also given "Storm Alerts". It's very
clear that Storm the Unpredictable is on the rise. You can either
run for cover or head straight for the eye of the Storm. In either
case, severe hip-hop is sweeping across the horizon.
Stacey Williams is a freelance writer and owner of Tone Deaf Entertainment,
an entertainment publicity and brand development company. For comments
and suggestions contact her at tonedeafe@aol.com.
