supervision the ray charles of rap

Blind Ambition

Most people cannot imagine what it would be like to be unable to see, but for the new rap sensation Supervision (aka Damin Bordenave), being blind hasn't been as much as an obstacle as one might assume. In fact, on his hot debut album Supervision Presents 20/20, Supervision had no trouble rounding up a handful of heavyweights to help him deliver his musical message. Among them are Timbaland, who produced the CD's first single, "Superstar"; Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, who join Supervision on "Music Makes Me High"; and the rap's current Midas man, Ja Rule, on the cut "My Crew."

"With the album, I'm straight-dippin'. It's just me, coming from the windows of my soul and voices in my mind," says Supervision, who recently wrapped up the 43-city Seagram's Gin Live tour with Mystikal, Jagged Edge, and City High. "With this album, I wanted to deliver a wide gamut of hip-hop. I wanted to put hardcore hip-hop along with other types of music. I wanted a diverse blend of music. I not only want the thugs to listen, but also the beautiful young ladies just out of college who are working in corporate America to pick up the album. I wanted to paint a picture like Pac and Biggie used to do. They always gave you a few dimensions."

This may sound like a tall order, but Supervision is definitely confident regarding his skills. "I'm going to deliver sight to these blind fools. I'm a Jetson. I'm the new-millennium rapper. I leave the Flintstone n-ggas behind," boasts the newcomer who, much to his delight, is becoming known as the " Stevie Wonder of hip-hop." In fact, Supervision even decided to rework Wonder's signature tune "Superstitious." Explains the rapper, "I'm the blind wonder of hip-hop, just as Stevie is the blind wonder of R&B and Ray Charles is the blind wonder of the blues," he explains matter-of-factly.

Although Supervision acknowledges that main thing that makes him stand out in the rap scene is his blindness, he doesn't want to be singled out because of his disability. "I want people understand that Supervision is a true MC who happens to be blind, not a blind MC," he explains.

It's been a long journey for this MC who happens to be blind. Born June 24, 1977 in the 7th Ward of the St. Bernard Projects in New Orleans, at age 3 he moved to South Central L.A. with his mother and two older brothers. Two years later, young Damin was hit in the eye with a broken bottle during a fight with another youngster; after emergency surgery, he contracted pink eye, and three weeks later, he developed glaucoma. Between the ages of 6 to 8, he traveled back and forth from California to the National Institute Of Health in Maryland for numerous eye operations, but the surgeries were unsuccessful, and eventually he went blind.

"When I lost sight, I could have felt sorry for myself," concedes Supervision. "I could have let myself go. But I had brothers who always made sure I was dressing in style. I had people who wouldn't let me down."

His plight caught the attention of a local black leader in Los Angeles, and eventually a documentary film on Damin (featuring Stevie Wonder, actually) aired on ABC's 20/20. Perhaps this early introduction to Wonder piqued Damin's musical interest, because by the time he was 12 years old, his alter-ego Supervision was born.

"When I said I wanted to be a performer, people tried to put me behind a piano," recalls the rapper. But soon he formed his first hip-hop group, B-Force, whose members were fellow students at the Braille Institute. "I was already writing letters to record companies. I remember sending one to Capitol with a demo," says the determined Supervision. "I felt like I was going to be a superstar even before losing my sight."

The same year of that B-Force was formed, Supervision got a chance to rhyme on national TV. "I got my family on Family Feud," he reveals. "I never used to see any black people on there, so I called every day until we got on, and then we won two or three times. They also let me flow on national TV." Later on, former neighbor Tim McTay of the Cleveland Browns gave Supervision some musical equipment and introduced him to several music industry folks. By age 14, Supervision had compiled and released a four-song EP, Blind Styles, and he started battling anywhere he could--participating in the Sprite MC Battle, Source Unsigned Hype MC Battle, and the Rap Sheet Rap Olympics, where he performed with a then-unknown Eminem. All this attention led to his opening for West Side Connection, Too $hort, Mystikal, and Xzibit.

Now, not only is Supervision finally releasing his debut full-length, but he has formed his own company, Vision Intertainment, which includes music, management, sportswear, and security divisions. Among the artists Vision has already signed are Lil' Tuff The Renegade, Imani Walker, and Rigga Renegades. In addition, Supervision has already ventured into the acting arena: He has a cameo in the new Denzel Washington film Trai