CO.. yvonne otero Idriys Allah Muhammad is an American hip hop artist from New York, USA known under the name Unique as Radasunlord or Ra Da Sunlord.Though he currently lives in Harrisburg Pa,USA, he was born in Brooklyn NY, and has traveled east to west coast from New Jersey to California. Unique got his artist name from the ancient Egyptian sun god 'Ra' who is considered to be the creator of everything. In his youth he read about Egyptian history and 'Ra'. Unique became so attached to 'RA' that he took the name and made it his own. He switched the 'Re' to 'Ra', and changed the to da, last he changed sun god into Sunlord. It all fit his persona and style, when he performed he wore a yellow clothes to represent the sun. Unique has always been surrounded by talented people that influenced him musically.He himself was an African drummer for 10 years, and he played seven different instruments, so music has always been a big part of his life. One of his biggest sources of musical inspiration Come from the group the Wu - Tang Clan which consists of 3 first cousins"RZA", "GZA", ODB, On his father’s side, and Ghostface Killah a cousin through marriage. It was the RZA and GZA that inspired him to write music and rhyme.Before that he kept himself in the background making beats, watching, and learning from them, he was eventually able to make them see him. He's been on tour with Ol´Dirty Bastard, and later went on to tour with the whole Clan.He was around when RZA made his "Bobby Digital" album,and when Ghostface made "Supreme Clientele". In 1995 Unique formed his own crew named Secret Society that consists of the members Oron Da Wicked Warrior, Ish/Blesz and Heavenly Earth Asia. Together they have recorded music, performed on stages, and have gone on tours. Unique was at the peak of his career when he was involved in a five car accident in 2003 that left him injured for life. His initial injury left him paralyzed from the neck down (medical term: quadriplegic) but since then he has worked hard, and with the help of therapy, the support of his family, and friends his injury has been reclassified. He is now paralyzed from the mid-chest down (medical term: tetraplegia or tech-Quad) which means that he has regained movement. Before the accident he modeled for Converse, American All-Star and CK1. Musically he had great successes but all that was put aside when the tragic accident occurred. About his accident he says: - “Since my accident it sort of changed my life in ways where I was not able to make beats and do productions for my music because the accident left me paralyze from the neck down. I was not able to make music let alone writing the music. A lot of close friends, fans, and close family told me that I still got my voice to speak therefore I can bring positive words throughout my music that can help enlighten the next person. Plus my rap group Secret Society was well known so from having to deal with the life changes and the things that I could not do I had to change and focus my mind on the things that I could do.” It was around that time that Unique started to work on his first album “Sharplikasword” that consists of songs that were recorded in 2000-2002, and was set to release in 2003 when the accident occurred. The album features his crew Secret Society and Wu artists like Prodigal Sun, 12 O´Clock and Madaam Scheez. The track "Chrome Wheelz" features the RZA. The album was recorded in RZA´s Wu - Tang studio on the west coast in Los Angeles, California. RZA also produced "chrome wheels",and "Beats Out Da Basementz". Uniques second album “Uniques Shattered Dreamz” deals with the fact that it was going to take time and effort to continue on that path. The thing that makes the album even more special is that he doesn’t speak on the accident in just one song,but in every song mixed through the album in different verses. In 2015 RadaSunlord released his third album named “Fresh Outta Rehab” the mix tape, which has a slightly different, but special approach. The album was recorded after Unique as RadaSunlord and other artists like Bagga Bones, K.P, Yung E., Blac, General Jazz, Born Unique, Ish/Blesz, Ahmad, Sharozic Locksmif, Don Twon "jitta Bug", M.Shadus, Samira Ali, Heavenly Earth Asia, Tony Tone, Shipwreck, Oron,all completed therapy at M.S.I. (Mental Studio Institution). There the artists had to work on themselves and focus their creative energy.After the therapy sessions Unique talked to all the involved artists about a album where he wanted to blend music that they grew up listening to with music that is played on the radio today. The result became the album 'Fresh Outta Rehab" the mixtape. Uniques future plans are to reach out to artists that do rock music, and mixed that with African music, hip hop, pop ect. to create a whole new style of music. He will also work hard to transform his underground label Secret Society Recordz into a major record label. About Being Unique How Rapper Unique crafts Life Into Lyrics by Alicia R Thomas You've heard his tracks on iTunes. You've seen his videos on YouTube. You've purchased his albums and admired the cover art, even learned the lyrics. Maybe you've even seen him peform. Idryis Muhammad, known as Unique, is one of the very few flourishing rappers Harrisburg can claim as it's own. He worked with artisits like 12'o'Clock, Prodigal Sun, and Rza, making music that was a mixture of rap, soul, hip-hop and R&B. "a li'l bit of everything," Unique said. He created two music videos, each at least year long projects, for the songs "Someones at the Door"and "Get off Me" both of which are now up for public view online. And even as his rap career skyrocketed, Unique stayed grounded, performing for his home community; he and the other half of his rap duo Secret Society wrote inspiring lyrics at the Harrisburg AIDS Prevention Society, using music as an educational tool to inform younger people of the risks of HIV and AIDS. Unique was swept up in the rap game, recording in four states and eight studios to put out his first album "Sharplikasword" with five of his major tracks. He started modeling for companies like Converse, American All-Star and CK1. he even went on tour with Wu Tang Forever, a member of which is a relative of his. everything he had been searching for, was finally within his reach. and he loved every second of the lifestyle that he had created for himself. Unique was on top, no doubt about it. Then, Seemingly just as all of his dreams were coming to fruition, they were shattered. On June 28 his life changed forever. Unique was paralyzed in a car accident that took him from stardom to congestive heart failure. but his music brought him back. On the way home from a concert in North Carolina,Unique was in a gruesome five-car pile-up. He died at the scene. Somehow he was resuscitated and was taken by helicopter to a hospital. Upon arrival, Unique was hit with the aftermath of the tragedy he had just barley lived through- his doctors informed him that he would be paralyzed from the chest down for the rest of his life. He would never walk into a studio to record again; he would never pen his own rhymes, let music flow from his hands to paper. He'd never again partake in martial arts, something he had been avid about since childhood. The lifestyle he had spent years creating was torn away from him in one tragic instant. This devastating blow would be enough to make anyone else want to throw in the towel. but those who knew and loved Unique would let him do no such thing. His family stood by, including his little sister "Heavenly Earth Asia" and little brother "Bless" who were musically talented enough to bring Unique out of his shell to start at least free-styling again. His girlfriend, Yvonne- "She's my girlfriend, my wife, my life, my MacGyver,' Unique said. She sticks by his side, assisting him with anything his body won't allow him to, from getting a drink of water, to getting into bed at night. With love and support, Unique was able to get out of his post-traumatic rut and back into creating music. He found within him a drive to move forward, and moved away from the secluded self he'd become, ignoring a lot of what he heard about what he couldn't do. He was told he needed to speak up, continue using the voice that had gotten him this far in the rap game, as he said,"a quiet mouth won't get fed," and he resolved not to stay quiet, but to share his story and continue to making music. Unique starting dictating the rhymes that filled his head. though the practice was newand a lot less personal, it led to the sae result. with help from Heavenly Earth Asia and Bles, he concocted the tracks that fill his 'Shattered Dreamz." Unique said that even though his dreams may have been shattered, his life isn't over. He's still here, and he's still got a mind bent to music, so that's what he's going to do: make music for a community that really needs it. The message behind the rap Unique writes is uplifting and inspiring, not the negative stuff of some other artisits. He said that what started as a downfall, or a step in the wrong direction, took him two steps forward; maybe for the first album "Sharplikasword" he was on his feet, but for his album "Shattered Dreamz," he's grown. Unique isn't a successful Handicapped rapper. He's successful rapper.He's done more with the burden of a disability than most rappers dream of doing without one. Through the adversity and hard times, Unique kept fighing, and he's pushed himself to an even greater success than he, or anybody else, could have imagined. 'You should enjoy the gift that Unique was able to be here to give you,' he said of himself. Listen to 'Shattered Dreamz' and you'll hear the inspiring passion that laces every one of his tracks. Unique has been on top, has hit bottom and has been dragging himself back to rap glory one track at a time. The only thing that's different is that along with the glory, he has earned respect from rappers and listeners for triumphing over a heart-wrenching circumstance and coming out of it with such impressive accomplishments and clarity. His anticipated follow-up album, called something like 'Unique's Fresh Out of Rehab," is expected to be released around 2014. His tracks are available on iTunes, Rhapsody, Traybit,and Amazon, and his music videos are up on Youtube. for more information on Unique's musical styling, or if your just looking to be inspired, go to _Website not available. Sign in: https://www.twine.net/signup_/uniqueallah36 or _Website not available. Sign in: https://www.twine.net/signup_/secretsocietyrecordz717 Secret Society Recordz Unique as ra da sunlord ,After this album with in a three year period of time to come out with the best for the best and different styles and types of sound for many different listeners .I also i have been in five different states and many of studios to try to come out right and to tell the truth Im still not happy but I also listen to the feed back that other people around me give me negative or possitive either way it comes I try to make it balance out right .Also special guest appearances by the Rza,12o'clock,and prodical sun.Rza also did the production of too tracks off the album(beatz out the basement)and(move da hitz) Ra da sunlord is the executive producer of the (sharplikasword) Since my accident it sort of changed my life in ways where I was not able to make beats and do productions for my music because the accident left me paralyze from the neck down. I was not able to make music let alone writing the music. A lot of close friends, fans, and close family told me that I still got my voice to speak therefore I can bring positive words throughout my music that can help enlighten the next person. Pulse my rap group Secret Society was well known so from having to deal with the life changes and the things that I could not do I had to change and focus my mind on the things that I could do so throughout the time I slowly started working on my first album “Sharplikasword” which I released Sep. 23 2009, Originally that album was suppose to be released 2004. So a lot of those songs that was on that album we done in 2002 and 2003 so it’s like we made the music before our own time. The music world got water down to me from the early 90’s to the present so my first album I felt like it was already time for me to release it even though a lot of the music I done right after 2000 if you was to hear the song today you would think I would have worked on that song that year. So my next Album “Uniques Shattered Dreamz” it took me three years to put that together, What gave me the idea for the album was because my life changed and it was hard dealing with change so this album was basically to prove to myself that I can still accomplish something even though I wasn’t physically up on my feet to put every piece together so I did what I could which was coming up with the rhymes I used some old beats I had and asked a couple of artist that I had been working with if they wanted a piece of it I also reached out some other producers to give me beats to listen to which I used 1 or 2 but mostly I used my beats. I sat down and talked to everyone that was on the album and told them I wanted to do this album because my life changed, I had a lot of dreams in my life that I wanted to accomplish with running with the Wu Tang Clan to working with CK1 and American All stars Converse doing modeling with different agency, That was my dream. So the album is basically telling my fans and people that know me Here I go again I still got the gift of gulb showing you that Unique got more game than begger’s on trains so I wanted to have fun with the album and tell the truth and not lie sometimes curse words catch attention for you to wake up and hear the truth but not cursing you out or pointing out to no specific person Unique as Ra Da Sunlord I’ve been doing this since 95 and still going strong by the year 2014 I am going to release another Album called “Unique Fresh Outta Rehab” because I’m about go under a lot of occupational therapy, physical therapy and Whirlpool therapy to help get me back on my feet after my car accident. So Uniques Shattered Dreamz talks a lil bit about my accident things I was going through and to prove to everyone that “Unique won’t stop spitting Hip Hop even when I get old like a pop rocking flip flops” My style is unknown to let yall know about my past I done shows all over P.A. and I walked with Wu Tang Clan went on tour with them when they dropped the Wu Tang Forever double cd Rza is my first Cousin Old Dirty Bastard is my First Cousin and Gza is my cousin and that gave me a lot of exposure to the rap world locally in 1999 I performed in Harrisburg P.A. at the African Family Festival ,2009 I performed at the Arts Festival on front st in Harrisburg P.A. I have done a few talent shows like bridge the Gap, John Harris High school, and Camp Curtain. and in 1998 I had my first video broadcasted out of York P.A. called “Blow up Tv” So it’s like really now I’m trying to get myself out there looking for a record deal or a chance to further this dream that I thought was shattered. unique as Ra da sunlord aggressive style of rapping was only to show his mc,mic abilities down below is more articles about Secret Society shows we have donor RAPPERS TO BE AT FAIR JUST FOR HEALTH OF IT JEFF MCGAW PATRIOT NEWS THEY SOUND LIKE PUBLIC ENEMY- THEY SING ABOUT PUBLIC HEALTH. THEY ARE Idriys Muhammad (Ee-driss),OR AS HE PREFERS,”RA –DA SUNLORD,” AND TAJI ABDULLAH, ALSO KNOWN AS “ORON DA WICKED WARRIOR”-TWO HALVES OF THE HARRISBURG-BASED RAP DUO KNOWN AS SECRET SOCIETY-AND THEY ARE COMING TO A PUBLIC HEALTH FAIR NEAR YOU. THE DUO AGES 19 AND 20, RESPECTIVELY, ALONG WITH MUHAMMAD’S BROTHER AND PRODUCER, ISHMAEL “APOCALYPSE” MUHAMMAD, 17, WILL PERFORM THEIR LATEST WORK, “GET YOUR SHOTS,” AT THE BE WISE IMMUNIZE HEALTH FAIR,” BEING HELD FROM 3 TO 7PM TODAY AT ROWLAND MIDDLE SCHOOL, AT 842 DERRY ST. THE HOPE IS THAT THESE BUDDING RAPPERS, THROUGH THE MUSIC THAT THEY HOPE WILL MAKE THEM AS WELL KNOWN AS THE RAP GROUP PUBLIC ENEMY WILL CONVEY THE IMPORTANCE OF VACCINES IN PROTECTING AGAINST A HOST OF POTENTIALLY DAMAGING DISEASES FROM MEASLES AND MUMPS TO INFLUENZA AND HEPATITIS B. THEY’LL ATTEMPT TO DO IT WITH A THUMPING BACK BEAT, AND LYRICS INSPIRED BY A WEB SITE ABOUT VACCINES AND VARIOUS FORMS OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE. “ GET ALL YOUR SHOTS FROM A TO Z / NEPHEW FELL OFF THE BIKE AND SCRAPED HIS KNEE/ CHICKEN POX SPREAD EASY/ SNEEZE AND COUGHING CONTAMINATED/ LIVER DAMAGE THREE SHOTS TO PREVENT IT/ BE WISE AND IMMUNIZE SO YOU WOULDN’T GET IT IF SECRET SOCIETY SAID IT…” OF THE ROUGHLY 8,200 STUDENTS IN THE DISTRICT, SAID WILLIE BREEZE, HEALTH COORDINATOR FOR THE HARRISBURG SCHOOL DISTRICT, AT LEAST 1,000 OR MORE PROBABLY NEED ALL OF THOSE SHOTS.” ALL STUDENTS ARE REQUIRED TO HAVE A SECOND DOSE OF THE MEASLES , MUMPS, AND RUBELLA VACCINE,” SHE SAID, AND HEPATITIS B SHOTS WILL BE REQUIRED NEXT YEAR. HIRING THE RAPPERS WAS A SHOT WORTH TAKING, BREEZE SAID,” I REALLY WANT TO GET THE MESSAGE TO THE CHILDREN THAT THEY REALLY NEED TO GET THEIR SHOTS. BREEZE HOPES THE FAIR’S THREE ON THREE BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT AND OTHER EVENTS WILL ALSO HELP DRAW STUDENTS AND THEIR PARENTS. THOUGH NOT A HUGE RAP FAN , BREEZE ADMITTED THAT IN A PREVIEW PERFORMANCE HELD AT JOHN HARRIS HIGHSCHOOL LAST WEEK, RA-DA SUNLORD AND ORON DA WICKED WARRIOR CONNECTED WITH STUDENTS ON A LEVEL THAT GUYS WITH BOW TIES AND MEDICAL SCHOOL DEGREES MIGHT NOT CONCIEVE. “THEY HELD THEIR ATTENTION ,” BREEZE SAID. THE STUDENTS”LIKED THE BEAT AND IT DREW THEM INTO WHERE WE WERE SO THAT WE COULD TALK TO THEM, SO FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE IT WAS SUCCESSFUL.” THE HEALTH FAIR WILL NOT BE THE GROUPS FIRST FORAY INTO HEALTH AND MEDICINE RAP-OR WHAT OTHERWISE MIGHT BE DESCRIBED AS CHICKEN-SOUP HIP-HOP. LAST SEPTEMBER , AT AN AIDS CONFERENCE AT HARRISBURG AREA COMMUNITY COLLEGE, SECRET SOCIETY PERFORMED TWO ORIGINAL SONGS – “BOBBY RICHARDSON” AND “ RESPECT YOURSELF” – THAT DELVE INTO THE PERILS OF UNPROTECTED SEX, AND THE RESULTING HORROR OF AIDS. ON JULY 28,1999, THE DUO PERFORMED AN ORIGINAL SONG ABOUT THE DANGERS OF LEAD PAINT AT A CITY SPONSORED FUNCTION HELD IN RECOGNITION OF NATIONAL LEAD AWARENESS WEEK . A FOLDER STUFFED WITH NEWSPAPER CLIPS AND PICTURES CONTAINS THE LETTER OF THANKS THEY RECEIVED FROM HARRISBURG MAYOR STEPHEN R. REED. “THE MAYOR IS DELIGHTED TO HEAR OF THEIR SUCCESS,” SAID REED’S SPOKESMAN, RANDY KING. “ THE MAYOR FELT UPON HEARING THEM FOR THE FIRST TIME THAT THEY HAD GREAT POTENTIAL FOR SUCCESS IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY.” WE TRY TO STAY ON THE POSITIVE OF THINGS,” MUHAMMAD SAID. “WERE TRYING TO SEND OUT MESSAGES. KEEP POSITIVE. STAY OFF THE STREET. WATCH THE NEGATIVE. DON’T BE OUT HERE HAVING WILD, CRAZY SEX. WATCH YOUR CHILDREN. The mission is awareness. not just knowing or being informed, but really making people aware - understanding the potential impact, realizing the personal affect, connection, or danger - that's the level of awareness HAPS (Harrisburg AIDS Prevent Society) is shooting for. As a matter of fact, if the hair on the back of your neck stands up when you hear it, That is the intention! " I don't know what to do! I'm trying everything I can to reach ya'll! But ya'll don't wanna hear me! you must think this is a game. This is No game! This is No game! That's the bottom line and final call in a song called "The Plague", contributed by local rap group Gravel Group to the upcoming HIV/AIDS awareness initiative CD, slated to be released in late June/ early July. HAPS, a cooperative group comprised of members of local groups Gravel Ground and Secret Society, welcomed the opportunity to team up with Ngozi inc. and Metro Arts to hit Harrisburg's 10 to 16 - year-old Hip Hop fans right where it counts- between the ears- with rap lyrics, appealing chorus verses, and head bobbing beats. Each group came to the table with their own creations to be approved, performed, and recorded for distribution their target audience. The young men involved, all between the ages of 17 and 21, are prime candidates to serve as role models to their peers, as well as the youth of Harrisburg. The City of Harrisburg's AIDS/HIV statistics show that, particularly in the African American community, many young men aren’t living beyond the age of 25. "We don't need a focus group, we need a group that is focused" said one person at the early drawing board of the project. Along the progress of the project, HAPS members have proven that they are not only focused on the CD project, but also on the long term commitment to raise this kind of AIDS/HIV awareness. Bob Welsh of Metro Arts, for one ,was impressed with the engagement of the group - How they talked about all aspects of the terrifying statistics, and how they hoped they could influence people to be more responsible. The seriousness of HApS group is evident by the inclusion of so many hard facts and statistics in the lyrics. They had to attend a workshop and do some home work to have the proper back ground info for this project. As Secret Society's Taji Abdullah(a.k.a Oron the Wicked Warrior) learned, the accuracy of those hard-core facts was critical, as reviewers from the Greater Harrisburg Foundation inspected inspired by the statistic that reports that one out of five African American males in the city of Harrisburg is infected with an STD or STI, sexually Transmitted Disease or Sexually transmitted Infectious Disease. " There’s a message in the chorus, a message in the lyrics..." says Idriys." It's straight, clean, to the point...no cursing' " He says. Obviously confident with the project and their skills, members of Secret Society bring their own unique strengths to the table. Abdullah says he's surrounded by kids, which helps him stay young at heart and young in spirit, gives him the edge to "know what kids like" Idriys calls this a "unity project " as he worked with his cousin, Rza of Wu Tang Clan, to create the beats. The group's Ishmael Muhammad (a.k.a Apocalipz) brings his perspective of "there are different styles of Hip Hop", - an important consideration, since the HAPS project target the young HIP HOP fans of the city. As an artist Ishmael sees this particular projects as a way to show the public that we (Secret Society) can do more - expand [in collaboration with other artist.] " He also credits his mother Rafiyqa Muhammad of Ngozi inc. - with getting them though this point ( in the recording studio.) " We put secret Society in her hands far a minute" he says, " With out her, we probably wouldn't be here". Bringing a slightly different perspective to the project, poet Gina Edwards was called on to contribute to HAPS CD. Edwards material is hard hitting, especially when she speaks in the voice of AIDS, threating, " If I don't get you on the first try, I'll get you on the next." Obviously, HAPS, as a group, has pulled out all the stops and removed the candy flavoring from the facts for this critical lesson. As a mother of two children , Edwards says, " with children, we tend to sugar-coat things. We tell them, if you do it, OK if you don't, OK – your young". But in this case , it's a matter of life or death, which calls for a more direct approach, Edwards, for one , intends to use HAPS CD as a teaching tool for her own children. Even though her position in the HAPS circle is unique, Edwards didn't want to come into the project as the older person. she sat back, watched with respect for the younger men's rap and musical skills, and waited for them to ask her opinion - an opinion she knows they appreciate. being invited to join the project was " an honor to me " she says. Of course, the most critical aspect of the HAPS project is the impact to the target audience. The truest measurement will be future AIDS/HIV statistics, but on a more immediate basis.... Mode Magazine An article by: Lisa Hummel June, 1999 If you attend the 9th annual African Family Festival, you'll have the opportunity to catch Secret Society in action. Secret Society is Harrisburg's answer to the rap industry, a genre that's been making an impact on the music scene since acts like the Sugar hill Gang ,and Grandmaster Flash, and the Furious Five began recording in the late 1970's and early 1980's. Together for two years, Ra Sunlord and Oron the Wicked Warrior joined forces after spending time in numerous other groups in the Harrisburg area. Although they grew up "right around the corner" from eachother, it never occur to the duo to perform together until they heard each other's work ,reevaluated their exsisting situations and, according to Ra, decided they were " better off collaborating ourselves." Only 19 and already rapping for 10 years, Ra and his partner, Oron, have spent 2 years positioning themselves as newcomers in the rap industry. With a little luck and a lot of hard work, the two have found themselves working hands- on with one of rap music biggest and most influential acts, the Wu Tang Clan. The Wu tang Clan, formed by 10 artists who perform and act as heads of their own record label, Razor sharp Records, has been a part of the music industry since their break through album was released in 1993, and , as luck would have it, one of the most prominent members of the group, the Rza, is Ra's cousin - a connection that serves as a doorway from the Harrisburg scene to the rap world at large. Ra, who has had the privoilege of touring with the Wu Tang Clan for the past five years, has taken the opportunity to learn the ins and outs of the rap industry. Acting as a sort of jack-of -all-trades, Ra has been The Clan's body guard and assistant, among other titles. Although he's sure to emphasize that working on tour takes a lot of time and energy and is not "all fun", he has met enough people and music insiders during those experiences to know that a recording career is the one for him. According to him rapping has become such a passion for the duo not only because of their love for the industry, but also because it is - first and for most - "their hobby" Right now, Secret Society is hard at work developing a video, recording tracks for a Greater Harrisburg Foundation CD and honing their skills by performing as much as they can. The performance at the Festival will be the groups second and, from all accounts, is expected to be a successful one. Last year, the duo performed in front of 17,000 people and with an approving audience base in the area such as that and a connection to the rap industry, it might not be long before we can catch Secret Society traveling the world on a tour of their own. One on one Interview with Unique as Ra Da Sunlord about Secret Society future plans Daisha Daiwu Hunter I GOT A CHANCE TO RELAX A SATURDAY IN THE BURG WITH IDRIYS ALLAH MUHAMMAD. UNIQUE OR RA- THE SUN LORD ARE HIS OTHER TITLES. "BACK IN SCHOOL I WAS ALWAYS BEING TAUGHT ABOUT EGYPTIANS,LIKE PEOPLE WHO WAS HERE BEFORE US,PEOPLE WHO WERE HERE BEFORE CHRIST. "UNIQUE," THAT WAS JUST A METHOD I GOT LIKE FIVE YEARS AGO. IT WAS A STYLE I GOT FOR MYSELF. MY WHOLE DIFFERENT PERSONALITY AND APPROACH IS SOMETHING AMAZING," SHINES RA-SUN ABOUT THE ORIGIN OF THE NAMES HE'S CHOSEN. HE IS 50% OF SECRET SOCIETY, A LOCAL RAP GROUP, ALONG WITH ORON DA WICKED WARRIOR. "ORON AND RA COLLABORATIONS- WHEN WE COLLABORATE ON A TRACK, DAT SHIT IS DEADLY. WE ARE LIKE SILENT NINJAS EVERYTHING IS ON the LOW /LOW. RA-SUN EXPLAINS," SECRET SOCIETY BASICALLY CAME FROM MIND MATTERS,LIKE THEY SAY 'TWO HEADS ARE BETTER THAN ONE' SO ITS LIKE THIS WASN'T A ONE MAN THOUGHT. IT DIDN'T COME OVER NIGHT IT TOOK A WHILE FOR THIS TO COME TOGETHER. FIRST WE HAD TO GET US TOGETHER, NAH MEAN? WE COULDN'T JUST COME OUT LIKE EVERYBODY WHO WANTED TO RAP,JUST TO RAP. JUST TO BE PUT OUT THERE THAN BEFORE YOU KNOW 'WHERE THEY AT? ITS LIKE SECRET SOCIETY, WE BASICALLY LIKE TO KEEP THINGS A SECRET. ITS LIKE A SOCIETY BECAUSE WE ROLE AS A SOCIETY CLICK." RA-SUN, NOW 19 YEARS OLD, IS THE SECOND OLDEST SON, BUT THE FIFTH OF TEN CHILDREN. HE IS A CLOSE RELATIVE OF THE WU-TANG CLAN-(RZA, GHOSTFACE,KILLARMY,AND OL'DIRTY BASTARD). HIS AUNT ALWAYS TOLD HIM,"YOU KNOW YOU HAVE A RAP GROUP OUT THAT ARE YOUR COUSINS.HE DIDNT KNOW THEM AS BIG ARTISTS, HE JUST KNEW THEM AS FAMILY. RA STATES " I KNEW MY COUSINS, BUT WHEN THEY ACTUALLY CAME OUT AS WU-TANG THE GROUP, I DIDN'T HAVE ANY IDEA THAT THEY WERE MY SAME RELATIVES,UNTIL I ACTUALLY LOOKED AT A POSTER AND WAS LIKE 'OH SHIT,THESE ARE MY COUSINS!" A LOT OF HIS GUIDANCE COMES FROM RZA AND FAMILY ON DIFFERENT BUSINESS ISSUES. BROOKLYN,NY WAS HIS BIRTHPLACE BUT HBG,PA IS WHERE RA-SUN WAS RAISED." I TRAVELED STATE TO STATE,LAND TO LAND,CLAN TO CLAN , MET PEOPLE. I STARTED GETTING ON THE ROAD WHEN I WAS FOURTEEN, SO THAT WAS REALLY LIKE A YOUNG AGE." HE WAS NINE YEARS OLD WHEN HE FIRST STARTED RAPPING AND FIRST RECORDED A SONG WITH HIS YOUNGER BROTHER CALLED "THE CHIEF". FUTURE PLANS FOR UNIQUE ARE TO START A LOCAL RECORD LABEL, "ORON AND RA COLLABORATIONS'. RA-SUN WANTS TO COME OUT WITH HIS ALBUM OF 22 TRACKS FEATURING ARTISTS LIKE METHOD MAN,DMX,RZA,AND OL' DIRTY BASTARD ETC.-"HE'S A CRAZY CAT IN PERSON." SECRET SOCIETY ISN'T ABOUT THE VIOLENCE EITHER NO DRUGS AND NOT A LOT OF PROFANITY AT THE SAME TIME WERE HITTIN YA'LL WIT KNOWLEDGE AND ENTERTAINMENT,"RA SAYS. "BASICALLY , I WANT TO SEE EVERYTHING. I ONLY LIVE ONE LIFE SO ITS LIKE WHY NOT ENJOY IT? DO WHAT I CAN DO SEE WHAT I CAN SEE, LEARN WHAT I CAN LEARN AND MEET LOTS OF PEOPLE," RA PLANS TO ACHIEVE MANY GOALS FROM HIS FUTURE TRAVELS. WE CAN LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING AND LEARNING MORE ABOUT SECRET SOCIETY IN THE NEAR FUTURE. RA SHINES, "COME SEE US JUNE 27,1999 AT THE AFRICAN FESTIVAL,RESERVOIR PARK-HARRISBURG,PA." WRITTEN BY DAISHA "DAIWU"HUNTER PEACE TO ALL....$$ (Edit)…CO.. yvonne otero Idriys Allah Muhammad is an American hip hop artist from New York, USA known under the name Unique as Radasunlord or Ra Da Sunlord.Though he currently lives in Harrisburg Pa,USA, he was born in Brooklyn NY, and has traveled east to west coast from New Jersey to California. Unique got his artist name from the ancient Egyptian sun god 'Ra' who is considered to be the creator of everything. In his youth he read about Egyptian history and 'Ra'. Unique became so attached to 'RA' that he took the name and made it his own. He switched the 'Re' to 'Ra', and changed the to da, last he changed sun god into Sunlord. It all fit his persona and style, when he performed he wore a yellow clothes to represent the sun. Unique has always been surrounded by talented people that influenced him musically.He himself was an African drummer for 10 years, and he played seven different instruments, so music has always been a big part of his life. One of his biggest sources of musical inspiration Come from the group the Wu - Tang Clan which consists of 3 first cousins"RZA", "GZA", ODB, On his father’s side, and Ghostface Killah a cousin through marriage. It was the RZA and GZA that inspired him to write music and rhyme.Before that he kept himself in the background making beats, watching, and learning from them, he was eventually able to make them see him. He's been on tour with Ol´Dirty Bastard, and later went on to tour with the whole Clan.He was around when RZA made his "Bobby Digital" album,and when Ghostface made "Supreme Clientele". In 1995 Unique formed his own crew named Secret Society that consists of the members Oron Da Wicked Warrior, Ish/Blesz and Heavenly Earth Asia. Together they have recorded music, performed on stages, and have gone on tours. Unique was at the peak of his career when he was involved in a five car accident in 2003 that left him injured for life. His initial injury left him paralyzed from the neck down (medical term: quadriplegic) but since then he has worked hard, and with the help of therapy, the support of his family, and friends his injury has been reclassified. He is now paralyzed from the mid-chest down (medical term: tetraplegia or tech-Quad) which means that he has regained movement. Before the accident he modeled for Converse, American All-Star and CK1. Musically he had great successes but all that was put aside when the tragic accident occurred. About his accident he says: - “Since my accident it sort of changed my life in ways where I was not able to make beats and do productions for my music because the accident left me paralyze from the neck down. I was not able to make music let alone writing the music. A lot of close friends, fans, and close family told me that I still got my voice to speak therefore I can bring positive words throughout my music that can help enlighten the next person. Plus my rap group Secret Society was well known so from having to deal with the life changes and the things that I could not do I had to change and focus my mind on the things that I could do.” It was around that time that Unique started to work on his first album “Sharplikasword” that consists of songs that were recorded in 2000-2002, and was set to release in 2003 when the accident occurred. The album features his crew Secret Society and Wu artists like Prodigal Sun, 12 O´Clock and Madaam Scheez. The track "Chrome Wheelz" features the RZA. The album was recorded in RZA´s Wu - Tang studio on the west coast in Los Angeles, California. RZA also produced "chrome wheels",and "Beats Out Da Basementz". Uniques second album “Uniques Shattered Dreamz” deals with the fact that it was going to take time and effort to continue on that path. The thing that makes the album even more special is that he doesn’t speak on the accident in just one song,but in every song mixed through the album in different verses. In 2015 RadaSunlord released his third album named “Fresh Outta Rehab” the mix tape, which has a slightly different, but special approach. The album was recorded after Unique as RadaSunlord and other artists like Bagga Bones, K.P, Yung E., Blac, General Jazz, Born Unique, Ish/Blesz, Ahmad, Sharozic Locksmif, Don Twon "jitta Bug", M.Shadus, Samira Ali, Heavenly Earth Asia, Tony Tone, Shipwreck, Oron,all completed therapy at M.S.I. (Mental Studio Institution). There the artists had to work on themselves and focus their creative energy.After the therapy sessions Unique talked to all the involved artists about a album where he wanted to blend music that they grew up listening to with music that is played on the radio today. The result became the album 'Fresh Outta Rehab" the mixtape. Uniques future plans are to reach out to artists that do rock music, and mixed that with African music, hip hop, pop ect. to create a whole new style of music. He will also work hard to transform his underground label Secret Society Recordz into a major record label. About Being Unique How Rapper Unique crafts Life Into Lyrics by Alicia R Thomas You've heard his tracks on iTunes. You've seen his videos on YouTube. You've purchased his albums and admired the cover art, even learned the lyrics. Maybe you've even seen him peform. Idryis Muhammad, known as Unique, is one of the very few flourishing rappers Harrisburg can claim as it's own. He worked with artisits like 12'o'Clock, Prodigal Sun, and Rza, making music that was a mixture of rap, soul, hip-hop and R&B. "a li'l bit of everything," Unique said. He created two music videos, each at least year long projects, for the songs "Someones at the Door"and "Get off Me" both of which are now up for public view online. And even as his rap career skyrocketed, Unique stayed grounded, performing for his home community; he and the other half of his rap duo Secret Society wrote inspiring lyrics at the Harrisburg AIDS Prevention Society, using music as an educational tool to inform younger people of the risks of HIV and AIDS. Unique was swept up in the rap game, recording in four states and eight studios to put out his first album "Sharplikasword" with five of his major tracks. He started modeling for companies like Converse, American All-Star and CK1. he even went on tour with Wu Tang Forever, a member of which is a relative of his. everything he had been searching for, was finally within his reach. and he loved every second of the lifestyle that he had created for himself. Unique was on top, no doubt about it. Then, Seemingly just as all of his dreams were coming to fruition, they were shattered. On June 28 his life changed forever. Unique was paralyzed in a car accident that took him from stardom to congestive heart failure. but his music brought him back. On the way home from a concert in North Carolina,Unique was in a gruesome five-car pile-up. He died at the scene. Somehow he was resuscitated and was taken by helicopter to a hospital. Upon arrival, Unique was hit with the aftermath of the tragedy he had just barley lived through- his doctors informed him that he would be paralyzed from the chest down for the rest of his life. He would never walk into a studio to record again; he would never pen his own rhymes, let music flow from his hands to paper. He'd never again partake in martial arts, something he had been avid about since childhood. The lifestyle he had spent years creating was torn away from him in one tragic instant. This devastating blow would be enough to make anyone else want to throw in the towel. but those who knew and loved Unique would let him do no such thing. His family stood by, including his little sister "Heavenly Earth Asia" and little brother "Bless" who were musically talented enough to bring Unique out of his shell to start at least free-styling again. His girlfriend, Yvonne- "She's my girlfriend, my wife, my life, my MacGyver,' Unique said. She sticks by his side, assisting him with anything his body won't allow him to, from getting a drink of water, to getting into bed at night. With love and support, Unique was able to get out of his post-traumatic rut and back into creating music. He found within him a drive to move forward, and moved away from the secluded self he'd become, ignoring a lot of what he heard about what he couldn't do. He was told he needed to speak up, continue using the voice that had gotten him this far in the rap game, as he said,"a quiet mouth won't get fed," and he resolved not to stay quiet, but to share his story and continue to making music. Unique starting dictating the rhymes that filled his head. though the practice was newand a lot less personal, it led to the sae result. with help from Heavenly Earth Asia and Bles, he concocted the tracks that fill his 'Shattered Dreamz." Unique said that even though his dreams may have been shattered, his life isn't over. He's still here, and he's still got a mind bent to music, so that's what he's going to do: make music for a community that really needs it. The message behind the rap Unique writes is uplifting and inspiring, not the negative stuff of some other artisits. He said that what started as a downfall, or a step in the wrong direction, took him two steps forward; maybe for the first album "Sharplikasword" he was on his feet, but for his album "Shattered Dreamz," he's grown. Unique isn't a successful Handicapped rapper. He's successful rapper.He's done more with the burden of a disability than most rappers dream of doing without one. Through the adversity and hard times, Unique kept fighing, and he's pushed himself to an even greater success than he, or anybody else, could have imagined. 'You should enjoy the gift that Unique was able to be here to give you,' he said of himself. Listen to 'Shattered Dreamz' and you'll hear the inspiring passion that laces every one of his tracks. Unique has been on top, has hit bottom and has been dragging himself back to rap glory one track at a time. The only thing that's different is that along with the glory, he has earned respect from rappers and listeners for triumphing over a heart-wrenching circumstance and coming out of it with such impressive accomplishments and clarity. His anticipated follow-up album, called something like 'Unique's Fresh Out of Rehab," is expected to be released around 2014. His tracks are available on iTunes, Rhapsody, Traybit,and Amazon, and his music videos are up on Youtube. for more information on Unique's musical styling, or if your just looking to be inspired, go to _Website not available. Sign in: https://www.twine.net/signup_/uniqueallah36 or _Website not available. Sign in: https://www.twine.net/signup_/secretsocietyrecordz717 Secret Society Recordz Unique as ra da sunlord ,After this album with in a three year period of time to come out with the best for the best and different styles and types of sound for many different listeners .I also i have been in five different states and many of studios to try to come out right and to tell the truth Im still not happy but I also listen to the feed back that other people around me give me negative or possitive either way it comes I try to make it balance out right .Also special guest appearances by the Rza,12o'clock,and prodical sun.Rza also did the production of too tracks off the album(beatz out the basement)and(move da hitz) Ra da sunlord is the executive producer of the (sharplikasword) Since my accident it sort of changed my life in ways where I was not able to make beats and do productions for my music because the accident left me paralyze from the neck down. I was not able to make music let alone writing the music. A lot of close friends, fans, and close family told me that I still got my voice to speak therefore I can bring positive words throughout my music that can help enlighten the next person. Pulse my rap group Secret Society was well known so from having to deal with the life changes and the things that I could not do I had to change and focus my mind on the things that I could do so throughout the time I slowly started working on my first album “Sharplikasword” which I released Sep. 23 2009, Originally that album was suppose to be released 2004. So a lot of those songs that was on that album we done in 2002 and 2003 so it’s like we made the music before our own time. The music world got water down to me from the early 90’s to the present so my first album I felt like it was already time for me to release it even though a lot of the music I done right after 2000 if you was to hear the song today you would think I would have worked on that song that year. So my next Album “Uniques Shattered Dreamz” it took me three years to put that together, What gave me the idea for the album was because my life changed and it was hard dealing with change so this album was basically to prove to myself that I can still accomplish something even though I wasn’t physically up on my feet to put every piece together so I did what I could which was coming up with the rhymes I used some old beats I had and asked a couple of artist that I had been working with if they wanted a piece of it I also reached out some other producers to give me beats to listen to which I used 1 or 2 but mostly I used my beats. I sat down and talked to everyone that was on the album and told them I wanted to do this album because my life changed, I had a lot of dreams in my life that I wanted to accomplish with running with the Wu Tang Clan to working with CK1 and American All stars Converse doing modeling with different agency, That was my dream. So the album is basically telling my fans and people that know me Here I go again I still got the gift of gulb showing you that Unique got more game than begger’s on trains so I wanted to have fun with the album and tell the truth and not lie sometimes curse words catch attention for you to wake up and hear the truth but not cursing you out or pointing out to no specific person Unique as Ra Da Sunlord I’ve been doing this since 95 and still going strong by the year 2014 I am going to release another Album called “Unique Fresh Outta Rehab” because I’m about go under a lot of occupational therapy, physical therapy and Whirlpool therapy to help get me back on my feet after my car accident. So Uniques Shattered Dreamz talks a lil bit about my accident things I was going through and to prove to everyone that “Unique won’t stop spitting Hip Hop even when I get old like a pop rocking flip flops” My style is unknown to let yall know about my past I done shows all over P.A. and I walked with Wu Tang Clan went on tour with them when they dropped the Wu Tang Forever double cd Rza is my first Cousin Old Dirty Bastard is my First Cousin and Gza is my cousin and that gave me a lot of exposure to the rap world locally in 1999 I performed in Harrisburg P.A. at the African Family Festival ,2009 I performed at the Arts Festival on front st in Harrisburg P.A. I have done a few talent shows like bridge the Gap, John Harris High school, and Camp Curtain. and in 1998 I had my first video broadcasted out of York P.A. called “Blow up Tv” So it’s like really now I’m trying to get myself out there looking for a record deal or a chance to further this dream that I thought was shattered. unique as Ra da sunlord aggressive style of rapping was only to show his mc,mic abilities down below is more articles about Secret Society shows we have donor RAPPERS TO BE AT FAIR JUST FOR HEALTH OF IT JEFF MCGAW PATRIOT NEWS THEY SOUND LIKE PUBLIC ENEMY- THEY SING ABOUT PUBLIC HEALTH. THEY ARE Idriys Muhammad (Ee-driss),OR AS HE PREFERS,”RA –DA SUNLORD,” AND TAJI ABDULLAH, ALSO KNOWN AS “ORON DA WICKED WARRIOR”-TWO HALVES OF THE HARRISBURG-BASED RAP DUO KNOWN AS SECRET SOCIETY-AND THEY ARE COMING TO A PUBLIC HEALTH FAIR NEAR YOU. THE DUO AGES 19 AND 20, RESPECTIVELY, ALONG WITH MUHAMMAD’S BROTHER AND PRODUCER, ISHMAEL “APOCALYPSE” MUHAMMAD, 17, WILL PERFORM THEIR LATEST WORK, “GET YOUR SHOTS,” AT THE BE WISE IMMUNIZE HEALTH FAIR,” BEING HELD FROM 3 TO 7PM TODAY AT ROWLAND MIDDLE SCHOOL, AT 842 DERRY ST. THE HOPE IS THAT THESE BUDDING RAPPERS, THROUGH THE MUSIC THAT THEY HOPE WILL MAKE THEM AS WELL KNOWN AS THE RAP GROUP PUBLIC ENEMY WILL CONVEY THE IMPORTANCE OF VACCINES IN PROTECTING AGAINST A HOST OF POTENTIALLY DAMAGING DISEASES FROM MEASLES AND MUMPS TO INFLUENZA AND HEPATITIS B. THEY’LL ATTEMPT TO DO IT WITH A THUMPING BACK BEAT, AND LYRICS INSPIRED BY A WEB SITE ABOUT VACCINES AND VARIOUS FORMS OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE. “ GET ALL YOUR SHOTS FROM A TO Z / NEPHEW FELL OFF THE BIKE AND SCRAPED HIS KNEE/ CHICKEN POX SPREAD EASY/ SNEEZE AND COUGHING CONTAMINATED/ LIVER DAMAGE THREE SHOTS TO PREVENT IT/ BE WISE AND IMMUNIZE SO YOU WOULDN’T GET IT IF SECRET SOCIETY SAID IT…” OF THE ROUGHLY 8,200 STUDENTS IN THE DISTRICT, SAID WILLIE BREEZE, HEALTH COORDINATOR FOR THE HARRISBURG SCHOOL DISTRICT, AT LEAST 1,000 OR MORE PROBABLY NEED ALL OF THOSE SHOTS.” ALL STUDENTS ARE REQUIRED TO HAVE A SECOND DOSE OF THE MEASLES , MUMPS, AND RUBELLA VACCINE,” SHE SAID, AND HEPATITIS B SHOTS WILL BE REQUIRED NEXT YEAR. HIRING THE RAPPERS WAS A SHOT WORTH TAKING, BREEZE SAID,” I REALLY WANT TO GET THE MESSAGE TO THE CHILDREN THAT THEY REALLY NEED TO GET THEIR SHOTS. BREEZE HOPES THE FAIR’S THREE ON THREE BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT AND OTHER EVENTS WILL ALSO HELP DRAW STUDENTS AND THEIR PARENTS. THOUGH NOT A HUGE RAP FAN , BREEZE ADMITTED THAT IN A PREVIEW PERFORMANCE HELD AT JOHN HARRIS HIGHSCHOOL LAST WEEK, RA-DA SUNLORD AND ORON DA WICKED WARRIOR CONNECTED WITH STUDENTS ON A LEVEL THAT GUYS WITH BOW TIES AND MEDICAL SCHOOL DEGREES MIGHT NOT CONCIEVE. “THEY HELD THEIR ATTENTION ,” BREEZE SAID. THE STUDENTS”LIKED THE BEAT AND IT DREW THEM INTO WHERE WE WERE SO THAT WE COULD TALK TO THEM, SO FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE IT WAS SUCCESSFUL.” THE HEALTH FAIR WILL NOT BE THE GROUPS FIRST FORAY INTO HEALTH AND MEDICINE RAP-OR WHAT OTHERWISE MIGHT BE DESCRIBED AS CHICKEN-SOUP HIP-HOP. LAST SEPTEMBER , AT AN AIDS CONFERENCE AT HARRISBURG AREA COMMUNITY COLLEGE, SECRET SOCIETY PERFORMED TWO ORIGINAL SONGS – “BOBBY RICHARDSON” AND “ RESPECT YOURSELF” – THAT DELVE INTO THE PERILS OF UNPROTECTED SEX, AND THE RESULTING HORROR OF AIDS. ON JULY 28,1999, THE DUO PERFORMED AN ORIGINAL SONG ABOUT THE DANGERS OF LEAD PAINT AT A CITY SPONSORED FUNCTION HELD IN RECOGNITION OF NATIONAL LEAD AWARENESS WEEK . A FOLDER STUFFED WITH NEWSPAPER CLIPS AND PICTURES CONTAINS THE LETTER OF THANKS THEY RECEIVED FROM HARRISBURG MAYOR STEPHEN R. REED. “THE MAYOR IS DELIGHTED TO HEAR OF THEIR SUCCESS,” SAID REED’S SPOKESMAN, RANDY KING. “ THE MAYOR FELT UPON HEARING THEM FOR THE FIRST TIME THAT THEY HAD GREAT POTENTIAL FOR SUCCESS IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY.” WE TRY TO STAY ON THE POSITIVE OF THINGS,” MUHAMMAD SAID. “WERE TRYING TO SEND OUT MESSAGES. KEEP POSITIVE. STAY OFF THE STREET. WATCH THE NEGATIVE. DON’T BE OUT HERE HAVING WILD, CRAZY SEX. WATCH YOUR CHILDREN. The mission is awareness. not just knowing or being informed, but really making people aware - understanding the potential impact, realizing the personal affect, connection, or danger - that's the level of awareness HAPS (Harrisburg AIDS Prevent Society) is shooting for. As a matter of fact, if the hair on the back of your neck stands up when you hear it, That is the intention! " I don't know what to do! I'm trying everything I can to reach ya'll! But ya'll don't wanna hear me! you must think this is a game. This is No game! This is No game! That's the bottom line and final call in a song called "The Plague", contributed by local rap group Gravel Group to the upcoming HIV/AIDS awareness initiative CD, slated to be released in late June/ early July. HAPS, a cooperative group comprised of members of local groups Gravel Ground and Secret Society, welcomed the opportunity to team up with Ngozi inc. and Metro Arts to hit Harrisburg's 10 to 16 - year-old Hip Hop fans right where it counts- between the ears- with rap lyrics, appealing chorus verses, and head bobbing beats. Each group came to the table with their own creations to be approved, performed, and recorded for distribution their target audience. The young men involved, all between the ages of 17 and 21, are prime candidates to serve as role models to their peers, as well as the youth of Harrisburg. The City of Harrisburg's AIDS/HIV statistics show that, particularly in the African American community, many young men aren’t living beyond the age of 25. "We don't need a focus group, we need a group that is focused" said one person at the early drawing board of the project. Along the progress of the project, HAPS members have proven that they are not only focused on the CD project, but also on the long term commitment to raise this kind of AIDS/HIV awareness. Bob Welsh of Metro Arts, for one ,was impressed with the engagement of the group - How they talked about all aspects of the terrifying statistics, and how they hoped they could influence people to be more responsible. The seriousness of HApS group is evident by the inclusion of so many hard facts and statistics in the lyrics. They had to attend a workshop and do some home work to have the proper back ground info for this project. As Secret Society's Taji Abdullah(a.k.a Oron the Wicked Warrior) learned, the accuracy of those hard-core facts was critical, as reviewers from the Greater Harrisburg Foundation inspected inspired by the statistic that reports that one out of five African American males in the city of Harrisburg is infected with an STD or STI, sexually Transmitted Disease or Sexually transmitted Infectious Disease. " There’s a message in the chorus, a message in the lyrics..." says Idriys." It's straight, clean, to the point...no cursing' " He says. Obviously confident with the project and their skills, members of Secret Society bring their own unique strengths to the table. Abdullah says he's surrounded by kids, which helps him stay young at heart and young in spirit, gives him the edge to "know what kids like" Idriys calls this a "unity project " as he worked with his cousin, Rza of Wu Tang Clan, to create the beats. The group's Ishmael Muhammad (a.k.a Apocalipz) brings his perspective of "there are different styles of Hip Hop", - an important consideration, since the HAPS project target the young HIP HOP fans of the city. As an artist Ishmael sees this particular projects as a way to show the public that we (Secret Society) can do more - expand [in collaboration with other artist.] " He also credits his mother Rafiyqa Muhammad of Ngozi inc. - with getting them though this point ( in the recording studio.) " We put secret Society in her hands far a minute" he says, " With out her, we probably wouldn't be here". Bringing a slightly different perspective to the project, poet Gina Edwards was called on to contribute to HAPS CD. Edwards material is hard hitting, especially when she speaks in the voice of AIDS, threating, " If I don't get you on the first try, I'll get you on the next." Obviously, HAPS, as a group, has pulled out all the stops and removed the candy flavoring from the facts for this critical lesson. As a mother of two children , Edwards says, " with children, we tend to sugar-coat things. We tell them, if you do it, OK if you don't, OK – your young". But in this case , it's a matter of life or death, which calls for a more direct approach, Edwards, for one , intends to use HAPS CD as a teaching tool for her own children. Even though her position in the HAPS circle is unique, Edwards didn't want to come into the project as the older person. she sat back, watched with respect for the younger men's rap and musical skills, and waited for them to ask her opinion - an opinion she knows they appreciate. being invited to join the project was " an honor to me " she says. Of course, the most critical aspect of the HAPS project is the impact to the target audience. The truest measurement will be future AIDS/HIV statistics, but on a more immediate basis.... Mode Magazine An article by: Lisa Hummel June, 1999 If you attend the 9th annual African Family Festival, you'll have the opportunity to catch Secret Society in action. Secret Society is Harrisburg's answer to the rap industry, a genre that's been making an impact on the music scene since acts like the Sugar hill Gang ,and Grandmaster Flash, and the Furious Five began recording in the late 1970's and early 1980's. Together for two years, Ra Sunlord and Oron the Wicked Warrior joined forces after spending time in numerous other groups in the Harrisburg area. Although they grew up "right around the corner" from eachother, it never occur to the duo to perform together until they heard each other's work ,reevaluated their exsisting situations and, according to Ra, decided they were " better off collaborating ourselves." Only 19 and already rapping for 10 years, Ra and his partner, Oron, have spent 2 years positioning themselves as newcomers in the rap industry. With a little luck and a lot of hard work, the two have found themselves working hands- on with one of rap music biggest and most influential acts, the Wu Tang Clan. The Wu tang Clan, formed by 10 artists who perform and act as heads of their own record label, Razor sharp Records, has been a part of the music industry since their break through album was released in 1993, and , as luck would have it, one of the most prominent members of the group, the Rza, is Ra's cousin - a connection that serves as a doorway from the Harrisburg scene to the rap world at large. Ra, who has had the privoilege of touring with the Wu Tang Clan for the past five years, has taken the opportunity to learn the ins and outs of the rap industry. Acting as a sort of jack-of -all-trades, Ra has been The Clan's body guard and assistant, among other titles. Although he's sure to emphasize that working on tour takes a lot of time and energy and is not "all fun", he has met enough people and music insiders during those experiences to know that a recording career is the one for him. According to him rapping has become such a passion for the duo not only because of their love for the industry, but also because it is - first and for most - "their hobby" Right now, Secret Society is hard at work developing a video, recording tracks for a Greater Harrisburg Foundation CD and honing their skills by performing as much as they can. The performance at the Festival will be the groups second and, from all accounts, is expected to be a successful one. Last year, the duo performed in front of 17,000 people and with an approving audience base in the area such as that and a connection to the rap industry, it might not be long before we can catch Secret Society traveling the world on a tour of their own. One on one Interview with Unique as Ra Da Sunlord about Secret Society future plans Daisha Daiwu Hunter I GOT A CHANCE TO RELAX A SATURDAY IN THE BURG WITH IDRIYS ALLAH MUHAMMAD. UNIQUE OR RA- THE SUN LORD ARE HIS OTHER TITLES. "BACK IN SCHOOL I WAS ALWAYS BEING TAUGHT ABOUT EGYPTIANS,LIKE PEOPLE WHO WAS HERE BEFORE US,PEOPLE WHO WERE HERE BEFORE CHRIST. "UNIQUE," THAT WAS JUST A METHOD I GOT LIKE FIVE YEARS AGO. IT WAS A STYLE I GOT FOR MYSELF. MY WHOLE DIFFERENT PERSONALITY AND APPROACH IS SOMETHING AMAZING," SHINES RA-SUN ABOUT THE ORIGIN OF THE NAMES HE'S CHOSEN. HE IS 50% OF SECRET SOCIETY, A LOCAL RAP GROUP, ALONG WITH ORON DA WICKED WARRIOR. "ORON AND RA COLLABORATIONS- WHEN WE COLLABORATE ON A TRACK, DAT SHIT IS DEADLY. WE ARE LIKE SILENT NINJAS EVERYTHING IS ON the LOW /LOW. RA-SUN EXPLAINS," SECRET SOCIETY BASICALLY CAME FROM MIND MATTERS,LIKE THEY SAY 'TWO HEADS ARE BETTER THAN ONE' SO ITS LIKE THIS WASN'T A ONE MAN THOUGHT. IT DIDN'T COME OVER NIGHT IT TOOK A WHILE FOR THIS TO COME TOGETHER. FIRST WE HAD TO GET US TOGETHER, NAH MEAN? WE COULDN'T JUST COME OUT LIKE EVERYBODY WHO WANTED TO RAP,JUST TO RAP. JUST TO BE PUT OUT THERE THAN BEFORE YOU KNOW 'WHERE THEY AT? ITS LIKE SECRET SOCIETY, WE BASICALLY LIKE TO KEEP THINGS A SECRET. ITS LIKE A SOCIETY BECAUSE WE ROLE AS A SOCIETY CLICK." RA-SUN, NOW 19 YEARS OLD, IS THE SECOND OLDEST SON, BUT THE FIFTH OF TEN CHILDREN. HE IS A CLOSE RELATIVE OF THE WU-TANG CLAN-(RZA, GHOSTFACE,KILLARMY,AND OL'DIRTY BASTARD). HIS AUNT ALWAYS TOLD HIM,"YOU KNOW YOU HAVE A RAP GROUP OUT THAT ARE YOUR COUSINS.HE DIDNT KNOW THEM AS BIG ARTISTS, HE JUST KNEW THEM AS FAMILY. RA STATES " I KNEW MY COUSINS, BUT WHEN THEY ACTUALLY CAME OUT AS WU-TANG THE GROUP, I DIDN'T HAVE ANY IDEA THAT THEY WERE MY SAME RELATIVES,UNTIL I ACTUALLY LOOKED AT A POSTER AND WAS LIKE 'OH SHIT,THESE ARE MY COUSINS!" A LOT OF HIS GUIDANCE COMES FROM RZA AND FAMILY ON DIFFERENT BUSINESS ISSUES. BROOKLYN,NY WAS HIS BIRTHPLACE BUT HBG,PA IS WHERE RA-SUN WAS RAISED." I TRAVELED STATE TO STATE,LAND TO LAND,CLAN TO CLAN , MET PEOPLE. I STARTED GETTING ON THE ROAD WHEN I WAS FOURTEEN, SO THAT WAS REALLY LIKE A YOUNG AGE." HE WAS NINE YEARS OLD WHEN HE FIRST STARTED RAPPING AND FIRST RECORDED A SONG WITH HIS YOUNGER BROTHER CALLED "THE CHIEF". FUTURE PLANS FOR UNIQUE ARE TO START A LOCAL RECORD LABEL, "ORON AND RA COLLABORATIONS'. RA-SUN WANTS TO COME OUT WITH HIS ALBUM OF 22 TRACKS FEATURING ARTISTS LIKE METHOD MAN,DMX,RZA,AND OL' DIRTY BASTARD ETC.-"HE'S A CRAZY CAT IN PERSON." SECRET SOCIETY ISN'T ABOUT THE VIOLENCE EITHER NO DRUGS AND NOT A LOT OF PROFANITY AT THE SAME TIME WERE HITTIN YA'LL WIT KNOWLEDGE AND ENTERTAINMENT,"RA SAYS. "BASICALLY , I WANT TO SEE EVERYTHING. I ONLY LIVE ONE LIFE SO ITS LIKE WHY NOT ENJOY IT? DO WHAT I CAN DO SEE WHAT I CAN SEE, LEARN WHAT I CAN LEARN AND MEET LOTS OF PEOPLE," RA PLANS TO ACHIEVE MANY GOALS FROM HIS FUTURE TRAVELS. WE CAN LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING AND LEARNING MORE ABOUT SECRET SOCIETY IN THE NEAR FUTURE. RA SHINES, "COME SEE US JUNE 27,1999 AT THE AFRICAN FESTIVAL,RESERVOIR PARK-HARRISBURG,PA." WRITTEN BY DAISHA "DAIWU"HUNTER PEACE TO ALL....$$ (Edit)WWWW…