My City: Providence Leads Us to Theo Martins Posted by Nathan S. on 03/19/10 | Filed under Top Stories, My City, Theo Martins

Rhode Island may be the smallest state in the country, but that just makes it's oversized contribution to hip-hop all the more impressive. Leading the charge to get put his hometown of Providence, Rhode Island, is Theo Martins, the eclectic producer and rapper who recently brought us his "Channel Surfin" mixtape. In this edition of our My City series, Theo explains Providence's musical diversity, the link between his work on the mic on the beat, and says that if you're looking for him, you don't have to look any further than Thayer St.

RefinedHype: It's safe to say that Rhode Island is seriously overlooked by hip-hop fans nationally. What's the hip-hop scene like in the Ocean State?

Theo Martins: Rhode Island in itself offers a lot of cultural diversity, so within that you have a range of artists who express music in different ways. For instance Rhode Island resident, Chachi embodies a worldly sound, for the people in the cities and states as well as oversees compared to an artist like Jon Hope who embodies a very soulful, golden-age-hip hop sound, so to say Rhode Island is diverse is an understatement.

RefinedHype: How do you think your career would be different if you lived in a "major" city like L.A., New York or Atlanta as opposed to Providence?

Theo Martins: The artistic influence that I've been surrounded with couldn't have been duplicated anywhere else, my expression as an artist derives from my roots as a resident of Rhode Island. Its full of great art, great food, beautiful people, all of which make this place what it is.

RefinedHype: How does your experience as a producer affect your vocals and vice-versa?

Theo Martins: Good question. Naturally I'm a stickler for particular things, but dabbling into production amongst such has just opened my ears to hearing things that I normally wouldn't have paid notice to. And I love that, its a great gift to be honest. You tend to always get in the habit of challenging your sound to step outside of your comfort zone, and so forth.

RefinedHype: If I'm rolling through Providence where can I find you?

You can find me right on Thayer St. I'll be sitting right inside East Side Pockets facing the window. Crazy I know.

RefinedHype: Last words?

RefinedHype: "Channel Surfin" (Mixed By DJ Wreckineyez) is out now (http://imjusttheo.com) and "You Can't Do That on Television" w/ Ohio producer $port is coming soon to a hi-resolution screen near you. I also have some collaborations on a movie and a television series that you're more than familiar with. Stay tuned.