03 Jun NiteCap Journal: Discovering a Righteous Rap Star in St. Paul

My most recent NiteCap Live show in St. Paul reminded me why I continue to celebrate the mantra, “Don’t be a slave to perception”. When I first uttered this signature phrase one of my peers found it profound, but what didn’t strike me was the power derived from what those words meant.

While celebrating the Memorial Day holiday at a barbecue in Como Park with the family of Valerie Littles-Butler, assistant principal of St. Paul’s storied Central High School, the impassioned educator told me one of her students asked her if he could perform at NiteCap Live.

“He’s so talented. I think this is a great opportunity for him to build his confidence,” she said. “He can sing, dance and pretty much do it all”.

Robin Hickman, James Walsh, Peter Bailey, Shawntera Hardy and Valerie Littles-Butler share a moment at NiteCap Live St. Paul.

I was introduced to Valerie, a life long Minnesotan and die-hard advocate of her students, by Robin Hickman. Robin, the niece of the iconic photographer and filmmaker Gordon Parks, who attended Central, is a stalwart of the civil rights movement in Minnesota.

We were looking for a student to perform a spoken word piece to open the NiteCap show. As is NiteCap tradition, each show opens with a theatrical performance embodying a larger societal theme followed by a film presentation. On a prior trip to St. Paul, Robin took me the memorial where Philando Castille was shot and killed by an officer in front of his fiancé and child. I decided police brutality should take the lead.

So when Valerie mentioned Terrell, I figured if he could sing and dance he could also act. After all, our student performers are the highlight of the show that connects newsmakers with high school students in an entertaining yet educational format.

“I can’t wait to see what he can do,” I told Valerie, but I was anxious.

We were unable to rehearse the day before the event due to the holiday so this, my first NiteCap Live show at a high school on the US mainland, would be the first show orchestrated with no rehearsal.

Adding to my frustration was the fact that my featured act, a professional entertainer, disappeared on me. The guy literally turned his phone off when I got to St. Paul even though he was being paid a comfortable talent fee. It left me scrambling and having to write a new script several hours before showtime.

Mayor Melvin Carter shares a moment with student performers at NiteCap Live St. Paul.

Then while designing the shirts to be worn by student performers myself and my producer Chantal ran out of paint. The plan was for each student to wear a lettered shirt which spelled, H-E-R-O. We got as far as R. At 3 am we rushed to the nearest 24-hour store some ten miles away with a 7 am call time at Central.

Murphy’s law was having a field day.

Needless to say, myself and none of our NiteCap crew slept. When I arrived at Central around 7:15, Valerie and another student Victoria, our NiteCap songstress, stood at the school’s entrance beaming a broad smile.

“It looks like you need to wake up Mr. Bailey,” Valerie joked.

If she only knew.

Valerie then introduced me to one of our student emcees, “La La”. The bright and bubbly senior would have to master the opening lines in less than 3 hours before 10 am when the show was slated to begin.

Shortly after Terrell Fountain, my featured star, the student Valerie so emphatically spoke of walked in.

“Hi, Mrs. Butler told me to come see you?” Terrell asked me.

I looked him up and down, his lanky frame and blonde cornrows told more on a skateboarder than performer.

“Yeah, what you do rap, sing, dance?” I asked. “I rap,” Terrell replied. “I’ll play my song for you”.

He hit play on his phone and started bobbing his head. I drew close.

As I heard the heavy bass line and signature sound echoing the “mumble rap” this generation has taken mainstream, I immediately shook my head.

“What are you saying? It sounds like a bunch of mumbo jumbo to me,” I shot back. “No, it’s a positive message, I’m saying ‘I…gotta make the best out my life’ on the hook”.

Terrell explained that his cousin was killed by a drunk driver in a car accident a little over a month ago and the song which centers around being great was a promise to his cousin that Terrell would live the most promising life he could in his honor.

I went backstage to ask La La if Terrell was for real.

“You’ll see. The students love it. He’s only performed it once, not on a large stage like this, but they went crazy,” she affirmed.

Officer Charles, played by Peter Bailey, exchanges words with Terrell Fountain in the opening scene of NiteCap Live.

Now Terrell’s acting chops would have to be put to the test. I created the character of Officer Charles inspired by a high school classmate who’s a cop back home in my native St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. The script called for Charles, played by yours truly, to interrupt Terrell’s performance depicting how young black men are harassed by police. However, there was a twist.

Unlike the painful images flooding our social media timelines, Officer Charles portrays a good cop, trying to bond with Terrell and his peers and offers a window through which they can see how negative hip hop lyrics is helping to destroy their community.

Before we could really get into character, St. Paul mayor Melvin Carter who was scheduled to give the show’s opening speech arrived. Guest speaker Shawntera Hardy, Minnesota’s commissioner of employment and economic development, signaled that we have to begin the show given his tight schedule.

Before speaking, Carter, the city’s first black Mayor, came backstage to share a moment with myself, La La, Terrell and the other performers. Turning to me Carter said, “My dad was observing in the back while you were rehearsing. He’s a retired cop. He told me, ‘I like what that good brother is doing up there”.

The kind words offered inspiration. I turned to Terrell and asked him, “You ready bro?” He replied. “I got this”.

James Walsh and Shawntera Hardy share their keys to attaining success with Central High students.

Several minutes later he had a packed auditorium of high schoolers yelling “Gotta make the best of my life!” as if they were at their favorite rap superstar’s concert. Hardy, and our other guest speaker, Star Tribune veteran journalist James Walsh also got in on the action.

I even joined the righteous raucous, head bobbing and two-stepping on stage chanting, “Gotta make the best out my life!”

La La smiled at me backstage as I tried to catch  my breath, “I told you he gets everyone turnt up”, she said with a grin.

Terrell also shined as an actor during the theatrical exchange with Officer Charles. 

At the end of the show, I thanked Terrell. He nodded, most likely unaware of the magnitude of what I meant so I put my hand on his shoulder and peered into him and said:

“You’re a star bro”.