Courtesy OBX, aka Jason Avalos, says hip-hop has become more about material things than about giving hope to the people.

He is: OBX, aka Jason Avalos, 27

The sound: Hip-hop

The Web: myspace.com/dbdfamily

The background: A native San Antonian, OBX was the founder of Death Before Dishonor, a street hip-hop group that also includes JP (OBX's brother), Sel, Kuse, Insane and Profet. He recently formed Common Men with seven other MCs and a DJ. OBX hopes to change the state of hip-hop, which he feels has lost touch with its roots. “It's all about who has the most money and who's driving the best cars, when it's really not about that. Hip-hop came from the streets. It's an art form. I feel like a lot of art is missing,” he said. “I don't think hip-hop is dead like people are saying. I just think it's being mistreated. I think hip-hop is lost. It's like, ‘Please find me.'.”

Currently: OBX has launched a solo career with Once Upon a Time in San Antone, which was released in September. OBX's solo work is more political than his work with DBD, he says; the album deals with the war in Iraq and class struggles, among other topics. “S.O.S.A” (Sound of San Antonio) addresses everything from the city's misuse of taxes to the prevalence of drugs and poverty; the refrain includes the line, “We go nuts for the Spurs/but we gotta be known for more.” The CD includes recorded snippets of telephone conversations OBX had with his fellow rapper Sel, currently in the county jail on robbery charges.

Influences: Kanye West, Joell Ortiz, Big Pun, Common

His words: “I think hip-hop should be about uplifting our people and giving them hope. I just want to be that voice. I just want to be that poet, to speak for my people that can't do it.”

Where to see him: OBX will do a West Coast tour with San Antonio hip-hop collective Lotus Tribe in December.

The 210 take: OBX tells it like it is. Carefully crafting social and political commentary with memorable phrases and an infectious beat, he might soon be a reason San Antonio is known for more than the Spurs.

Jessica Belasco | 210SA Contributor