| | Paradime Shift | | The surfacing of an underground MC | | by Sandee Rager | | Back from the dead |
 | | Download Paradime MP3 files | | Just click the links to listen. Option-Click to download with Macintosh browsers or Right-Click to download with Windows browsers •Dime's Theme (live) •Vices  (So don't listen kiddies) | | |
"We are on the same page always," Mark Picano said. "We think alike." He, of course, is referring to himself and cousin, Freddie Beauregaurd - aka: Paradime. Picano, is DJ to the duo. It all started when they would hang around older kids when they were younger, listen to hip-hop, rap and MC's, and breakdance. Listening to old-school rap like Rakim, BDP, Run DMC, and Public Enemy left a deep impression on Paradime. "That shit's for me," Paradime said about his early influences. He was the loudmouth in high school, drew graffiti and started messing around and writing raps. Graduating high school in 1987 didn't "cure" him of his passion for ryhme.  "(It) just stuck with me. Now my influences come from the cats who surround me. The Almighty Dreadnaughtz, The Fat Killaz, Obie Trice, DIZ, the cats who I live and hang with and what we do and see influences me." Picano started spinning turntables in and mixing it up for fun with Paradime 1990. By 1993 he was doing the DJ thing at parties. "Our fuckin' around is hip-hop," Picano and Paradime said almost in unison. When Paradime got into a studio to cut a song he asked Picano if he wanted to put scratches to it. He agreed and they've been together ever since then. Before he inhabited the name Paradime, Beauregaurd had no previous stage name. Not a common state of being in the hip-hop world. When listening to a Soundgarden song one time in college, he heard the word "paradigm" in a lyric. He liked the way it sounded, altered it to make the word his own and became Paradime &endash; or sometimes just "Dime." In 1999 Dime was in the studio and encountered musician/rapper Kid Rock. The two hit it off immediately. Rock needed to listen to only half a Paradime song and signed him immediately to his label Top Dog. The realtionship lasted for two years before growing into their own label - Beats At Will. | 
| Since then, Paradime, DJ Picano and back-up band, P Rhyme #2, have been on a rampage. It's been a successful two years for them at the Detroit Music Awards. In 2001, they took awards for Best Hip-Hop Artist/Group and Outstanding Hip-Hop MC. 2002 brought them awards in all categories available for hip-hop music: Best Hip-Hop Album, Best Hip-Hop Artist/Group and Outstanding Hip-Hop MC. Not bad for a scene that suddenly seems to dominate the hip-hop world at large. "It's cool because the dude that lost would cry about it," Picano said. With as many new musicians breaking into the hip-hop and rap scene, some may worry about sounding to much like someone else already established and not having to much of their own sound/style. | Paradime feels very confident and isn't worried about it. "I've heard more than a few cats, no one who I know, but cats who have reviewed the album or whatever and compare me to Xzibit," Paradime said. "That's cool, I don't hear it, but Xzibit is dope to me, so I ain't crying. But, mostly I'm givin' my own category." And it has caught on and spread nationwide. "(It's) funny how some mother fucker in Hawaii knows who I am," he said and laughed. Paradime and Picano work full-time jobs that are very flexible around their always changing music schedule. Their families and girlfriends are equally supportive. Paradime and crew continue to break ground professionally. They have been featured in Revolver magazine, Newsweek, the Detroit News, Detroit Free Press, Hour magazine, Observer newspaper, Real Detroit, Metro Times. They have also been highlighted in an episode in the VH-1 program 'Driven' as a component in Kid Rock's rise to fame.  As well as his own music, Paradime has had a hand in co-writing two songs on Kid Rock's latest album, "Cocky" and can been seen in two of his videos. Dime loves what he does and doesn't get lost and caught up in the business end of it all. "I don't do music to make money," he said. "If I won the lotto today, I'd still do music." His latest album, "Vices", is currently in stores nationwide. | 
| Sandee Rager covers music and fashion for MarsDust Online in addition to writing non-academic feature articles for a number of neurology and brain-injury journals. If we weren't all fucking geniuses ourselves we'd be intimidated by her immense intellect. If you wanna write her, just send an e-mail to the address below: rager@marsdust.20m.com | | 
