THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, January 31, 1997 TAG: 9701300048
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E13 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: GROOVEY SAPIEN
SOURCE: BY SHEENA MANN, HIGH SCHOOL CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: 88 lines
FOURTEEN-YEAR-OLD Alveatta Ferebee calls her rap lyrics powerful and true:
``Versace and Armani,
was all this broad Sheree was into.
She clocked the money,
and the diamondz, but in the ghetto,
she couldn't pursue.
She had many dreams of modelin' rap magazines,
she met a drug king, said he
could give her all she need.
By day, she was a queen in pursuit of her dreams,
but by night, she was a pretty face with a body to the cars passing on the street. . . ''
The words sound crude and rough, but to Alveatta, a Norview High School freshman it's real.
``This is just what I see going on in my community and this world,'' she said.
Alveatta has been rapping since middle school. She even won a free-style rap competition at Blair Middle School when she was 11 and in sixth grade.
When she isn't mixing Notorious B.I.G. lyrics with some of rapper Lil' Kim's verbs, she is drawing.
Alveatta started drawing when she was around 6, mostly pictures of her older brother, Anthony Lee, who is eight years older and a Navy Seal.
``He was an inspiration to me in many ways,'' she said. ``He was a straight-A student, I really looked up to him. We're still very close.''
Today, Alveatta draws other subjects. Her portrait of Bob Marley won an honorable mention at the Heritage Museum. She draws pictures of people hanging around in the neighborhood and other real life scenes. And her pictures of rappers DA Brat, Tupac Shakur, Snoop Doggy Dog, along with R & B female groups Total and TLC have drawn the attention of her peers and friends. She attributes that to a Rosemont Middle School teacher who used to display them on the bulletin board.
She plans to use her artistic abilities to start her own multi-million dollar record company.
Full name: Alveatta Nicole Ferebee
Age: 14
School: Norview High School
When you have a crazy midnight craving, what do you want to eat? A honey bun
If you could give out personal Oscars, who would they go out to and why? My mother because she sticks up for me and she has been both my mother and father.
Favorite band or group: Wu-Tang Clan
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? My stubbornness.
Favorite restaurant: Applebee's
Favorite television show: ``New York Undercover''
Favorite movie: ``Scarface''
If you could visit anyplace in the world, where would it be? California
What do you see yourself doing in 10 years? I see myself as a multi-millionaire, producing my own records.
Who is your hero and why? Myself. I feel you should only place heroes within yourself, because when something happens, you can only blame yourself.
What's your pet peeve? Females who spread rumors.
What are your hobbies? Rapping, singing, drawing and writing.
If you could change one thing about America, what would it be and why? I would change the racial boundaries. The world has too many other problems to be stuck on racism.
What is your most embarrassing moment? I was performing a rap at Blair Middle School and I dropped a microphone and then I couldn't stay on beat.
If you could take any famous person to the prom, who would it be? Rapper Shyheim Franklin
What do you do when you're really bored? I talk to God.
If you could have dinner with any famous person dead or alive, who would it be and why? I'd have dinner with Tupac Shakur. I would have wanted to talk to him to change his views on life, especially the East Coast vs. the West Coast controversy.
If you could change something about your school, what would it be? I'd change the lack of school spirit.
Do you have any pets? A pitbull.
Who's No. 1 on your speed dial and why? Alchenaan. A very good friend. ILLUSTRATION: Sheena Mann is a freshman at Norview High School in
Norfolk.
Alveatta Ferebee, 14, writes rap music about "what I see going on in
my community."
KEYWORDS: PROFILE INTERVIEW