Deaf rapper builds buzz

Adam Graham / Detroit News Pop Music Writer

When Sean Forbes brags about being deaf, he's not using the term in the traditional hip-hop sense. The Ferndale rapper is truly deaf.

"I'm deafer than Def Jam, I'm so so deaf," Forbes raps in his debut single, "I'm Deaf." The song's catchy chorus also makes allusions to Def Leppard and being tone deaf, and shows Forbes isn't shy about making light of being deaf.

Several years ago, Forbes co-founded D-PAN, the Deaf Professional Arts Network, a nonprofit dedicated to helping promote creative arts within the deaf community. Now Forbes -- who is signed to Web Entertainment, the early home of Eminem -- is stepping out on his own with a solo career. He performs tonight at Memphis Smoke in Royal Oak at the release party for the "I'm Deaf" single, his debut CD/DVD release.

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"This is something to start the hype, get the word out and get people aware of what I'm doing," says Forbes, seated inside the Ferndale offices of D-PAN.

He performed last year in more than 20 cities across the United States, and says the response to his material has been strong.

"I'm Deaf," with the B-side "Let's Mambo," is being released on CD and DVD, as well as limited-edition 7-inch vinyl. The DVD comes with the video for "I'm Deaf," which Forbes says is just as important as the song itself.

"I wanted to create a video that had all the lyrics right there on screen," says Forbes, 28. "I wanted it to be an element that was in the video, not an afterthought."

The lighthearted video, which racked up 11,000 views on YouTube in less than a week, features Forbes in a variety of silly costumes and spells out the song's lyrics on screen, an important element for deaf audiences.

Forbes already has recorded more than 30 songs for his debut album -- many with Jake Bass, son of Jeff Bass, one-half of one-time Eminem production team the Bass Brothers -- which he hopes to release along with a DVD featuring music videos for each song.

"I'm a visual artist, you have to see me to understand me," says Forbes, who uses a hearing aid and can communicate with hearing people without the use of an interpreter. "I think the songs are great, but I think the visual element takes it to that next level, which is where I want to be."

He hopes "I'm Deaf" -- being released online as well at deafandloud.com -- sparks enough buzz to get the ball rolling on the album project. He says he's already got the backing of the deaf community.

"They want to see somebody succeed in something that nobody ever thought they would," he says.