It’s ironic that Visual’s first album is titled “Figured It Out.”
The 27-year-old MC, born Cesar Zamudio, doesn’t seem to have an ounce of hubris in his character. If anything, Visual is keenly aware that he doesn’t have anything completely figured out–at least not yet.
“A lot of people when they come out are like, ‘I’m gonna come with the hottest album ever. I’m gonna be the best rapper ever,’ ” Visual said. “I thought, ‘You know what, what if I came with an album kind of showing my journey to that point?’ That’s what I feel this album is. It’s like the album Nas could have made before ‘Illmatic.’ “
Visual, the younger brother of the Molemen’s Edward “Panik” Zamudio, eschews the violence, drugs and posturing commonplace in mainstream hip-hop. Instead, he focuses on the ups and downs of day-to-day life with little concern for his “rep.”
On “Dope: My Drug Story,” his only addiction is the need to pen “dope” verses; “Beautiful Women” is a refreshingly upbeat ode to the women in Visual’s life; “Loyalty” trumpets the importance of remaining true to one’s self and to others who have helped along the way. The tracks are imbued with an easy confidence, Visual’s casual delivery evoking a conversation between longtime friends.
“[The album] is human,” said Panik, who produced the freestyle boasts of Visual and guest MC Juice on “Blessed.” “There’s a certain vibe when someone puts themselves in the music. You really get to know the person. That’s the best part about [‘Figured It Out’].”
Visual’s down-to-earth worldview is directly tied to his Logan Square upbringing where, as the youngest of four children, he didn’t always have the coolest clothes or the newest sneakers. But while his older brothers struggled with gangs, the rapper credits frank discussions with his parents for helping him avoid a similar path.
“My mom and dad always told me what my brothers were doing. They didn’t keep it a secret,” Visual said. “I remember when I was a kid my brothers had a gun, and they handed it to me like, ‘Hey, look at this.’ Ever since that day I’ve never touched a gun. That was at 10 years old, and I’m 27 now.”
It was another of his brother’s finds that really inspired Visual as a child. He remembers being just 5 when Panik would bring home early hip-hop records such as the soundtrack for “Breakin’,” busting the needle on their father’s turntable as he tried to scratch like a DJ.
Visual made his first mixtape appearance in 1998, releasing a pair of EPs in 2000 under the name Ndvisual. But it was nearly six years and 20 mixtapes later before he felt confident enough to look back on his life and put all of himself on record.
“I was just taking my steps,” he said. “Sometimes people try and jump ahead when it’s something they haven’t earned or it’s something they aren’t ready for. I just don’t want anybody to say ‘I put you here.’ I always tell myself I’m going to take my own steps, and I’m going to get somewhere.”
Visual
When: 7 p.m. Monday
Where: Durty Nellie’s, 180 N. Smith St., Palatine
