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university dean's rapper night job


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http://www.kmov.com/localnews/M_IMAGE.f29cc483ba.93.88.fa.7c.4e9aafaa.jpg'> http://www.kmov.com/localnews/M_IMAGE.f29cc483ba.93.88.fa.7c.4e9b8d46.jpg'>http://www.kmov.com/localnews/M_IMAGE.f29cc483ba.93.88.fa.7c.4e9b07b6.jpg'>

 

http://www.kmov.com/localnews/kmov_enterta...r.4c65d417.html

 

 

(KMOV) -- The world of rap music has many stars including St. Louis' own Nelly. But you may not know that St. Louis is home to another up and coming rapper. We found him in a place many would never even think to look.

 

 

St. Louis native Henry Biggs, 37, is new to the music world. He has the rap, the fancy clothes and all the right moves. He also has a day job.

 

 

"I'm a very sick man, no question," Biggs says.

 

 

Biggs is the man behind the music and the Assistant Dean of Students at Washington University.

 

 

"What I get a lot of is people coming up to me and saying, 'Yo, yeah, you rap like that,' and that's not at all what I'm interested in. I'm very serious about it," he says.

 

 

Biggs is Harvard educated and has a PhD from UCLA in romance linguistics. He is a master of several languages, including the language of the street.

 

 

"For me, I see in language a lot of similar things going on and these are ideas," he says.

 

 

Devoted to his first career, Biggs uses his knowledge of language to write his songs and carve out hidden word puzzles in his music, sometimes confusing his students.

 

 

"They sort of listen to it and say, 'Wow, that's pretty good.' And you go, 'Yeah. Can you solve it?' And they went, 'Huh?' 'Can you solve this song?' And they go, 'What do you mean solve the song?'" Biggs says.

 

 

But it's the music that got Biggs to record two CDs and a new video where Biggs transforms from a nerd into a cool rapper.

 

"Was that autobiographical -- are you nerdy by day and cool by night?" Matt Sczesny asks.

 

 

"No, I'm pretty much always nerdy. I think I'm comfortable. I know I'll never be cool, and I don't really worry about that," he says.

 

 

The video was shot entirely in St. Louis along with the help of some students, a couple babysitters and Washington University.

 

 

"The administration has been generous, very nice about it. I don't think they understand. They're sort of like, 'Wow, you do that? That's great. Good for you,'" he says.

 

 

Biggs was offered a record contract several years ago in Los Angeles, but he told the record company he needed to finish his doctorate first. H is new CD, "Puzzles" is available at Euclid Records or on Amazon.com. He is also performing for the first time on April 3 at Blueberry Hill.

 

HERES A SLIDESHOW OF HIS NEW VIDEO!

http://kmov.com/slideshows/030122_headmess..._slideshow.html

 

VIDEO OF THE STORY!

http://playlist.yahoo.com/makeplaylist.dll?SID=3660782

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