Icue160 attacks hip-hop

Too often does that same exasperated sigh escape one's lips when switching from radio station to station, barely managing to hang on to the shred of hope of catching a new sound amongst a sea of played-out music.

With an ambition matching the size of the love for his craft, student Ivan "Icue160" Maxwell is ready to introduce a style all his own.

"In order to make it in something that you like, you have to be great in it," Maxwell said. "I want to stay doing great things, so I can make it to the top."

The 27-year-old, born in Memphis, Tenn. and raised in Arkansas, has created a genre blending his southern roots with Bay Area flair.

"Everybody usually sticks to their (own) genre, but (Maxwell) kind of mixes it all up," nursing major Nailah King said. "(He has) a different style to listen to."

In addition to absorbing hip-hop musical influences since his move to the Bay Area in November 2008, Maxwell said a more accurate way to describe his sound is to visualize a "homemade plate of southern cooking."

"You can hear the realness and the authority of my voice when I rap," he said.

While keeping in touch with his southern origin, Maxwell also has created an identity showing his progress as a person.

The name "Icue160" was inspired by Maxwell's representation of himself as a musician and intellect.

"I wanted something to symbolize that yes, I am a rapper, but I also have education," he said.

As a writer of all his own songs, Maxwell hopes to convey political messages to listeners, as well as "feel good" music that is relatable to others, he said.

"(I want to) keep people aware of what's going on and also just have fun," Maxwell said. "I'm speaking for people, and I like to say things in my music that people think but don't want to say aloud."

Already he has performed shows in Oakland and San Francisco and recorded songs in studios based in Alameda and Vallejo.

"I don't consider this a dream. I consider this a goal," he said. "This is something I was born to do."

While living in the Bay Area, Maxwell has expanded his career, actively working on his networking by becoming acquainted with a variety of artists, directors and studios.

"(My career) seemed like it kicked off from zero to 100 miles per hour," he said. "It seems like I've been getting blessings to meet different people, (and) I'm just trying to keep that circle and continue (learning) my craft."

Currently Maxwell is working on filming a music video for his "club banger" song, "Where Dey Do Dat At," which features local artist Yung Tray, he said.

"I wanted to make a crunk song of something that we always say down south," Maxwell said. "(The video) just shows the energy in my music."

Video production, which began Feb. 18 in Vallejo, will continue to be shot in various other local areas and will later feature animation to provide "a lot of eye candy," director for VTV Entertainment Rod Wagner said.

Utilizing his passion for music to fuel his determination, Maxwell has the makings of a successful artist, Wagner said.

"He (knows) the three P's: prepare, present and persuade," he said. "(These are) three elements to being successful, and (Maxwell) demonstrates all three channels."

By utilizing popular social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook and MySpace, as well as having his music played on Ozcat Radio, an independent music radio station, Maxwell remains adamant on promoting his name to the public.

"I'm doing the footwork to accomplish this goal," he said.

Maxwell has worked to advance his career by leaving promotional fliers and free copies of his CDs at local record stores, gas stations and other venues helping make "Icue160 a household name," he said.

With such a magnitude of ambition, the rising artist began building his skill doing freestyles and tongue twists in the back of school buses at the age of 9, he said.

When he reached 12, Maxwell began to grow a passion for writing poetry and later published a book of poems, titled "Inspired Vibrations," in 2007.

After graduating high school at West Memphis High School, Maxwell joined the U.S. Navy and served on active duty from 2001-05.

During his stay in the Navy, Maxwell traveled to locations such as Australia, Japan, India, Singapore, Dubai and many others around the world.

It is through these experiences that Maxwell understands how to target his audience.

"By going to all these places, I see many different (parts) of life," he said. "I just saw a whole different world, so now I know a lot."

After leaving the military, Maxwell enrolled in San Diego Mesa College, where he earned an associate degree in liberal arts.

Maxwell later transferred to Utah State University to play football when he was 24 years old, but left to return to Arkansas after his father lost an arm from a broken power line incident at work.

Though he returned to Utah with the intention of getting into school, he later made the decision to travel to California for a change of pace, he said.

In search for work, he decided to move to the Bay Area and enroll at Contra Costa College as a student with a double major in political science and mathematics.

While Maxwell's focus is on expanding his music career, he earns his money working as an intelligence analyst for the Navy Reserve and as a part-time police aide for the CCC.

"By any means necessary, (I'm) headed for the top with no wrong turns," he said.

Contact Asia Camagong at acamagong.advocate@gmail.com