Dan Jacobson wants your vote. Actually, call him “Island,” it’s the name the 21-year-old rapper, songwriter and musician uses.
Island’s song “Hey!” is one of 10 finalists in a national “American Idol”-style contest sponsored by Toyota. The Evanston native and Columbia College junior hopes this could be his big break. “If I win this contest it would be pretty cool for my career. It would put Evanston on the map for hip-hop,” he said.
The “Emcee Search” winner will be awarded cash, studio recording time and a tour, and the winning song will be used in a car commercial for Toyota’s Scion. Contest voting ends Sept. 17.
In the meantime, Jacobson and his father are hitting the campaign trail hard, passing out fliers and posting notices in local coffee shops.
Listen to the 10 submissions and cast your vote online at www.scionnextup.com.
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Edited by RedEye staff (ritaredeye@tribune.com)
