THE ALPHA DOG soundtrack
“Enemy and I,” performed by Lazarus
Track #2

A rapper, songwriter and producer, fans of Lazarus are delighted to hear his rhymes on the single, “Enemy and I,” featured on the soundtrack of the feature film, “ALPHA DOG,” directed by Nick Cassavetes. The film has generated lots of buzz in the industry with its A-list co-stars, including Justin Timberlake, Sharon Stone and Bruce Willis. The reviews for the movie have been good, and the critics have been kind.

So, push play. Check out track #2.

In the Beginning
Growing up in Lake Charles, Louisiana, Lazarus (né Rawlin Guidry) had a troubled youth, filled with verbal and physical abuse, drugs, and some jail time in juvenile detention. He’s the third oldest of seven children, primarily raised by a single mother who worked odd jobs to make ends meet. Throughout his youth, his father breezed in and out of his life. And when he breezed in, he left a lot of scars – both, physical and emotional.

As a child, Lazarus captured the attention of his teachers for his creative abilities as an artist and painter. Interestingly, he won a drawing contest, which afforded him the opportunity to attend an art school, but he had to turn it down. His parents were not supportive of his ambitions to be a artist, due to their ignorance of art as a chosen profession. So, with no hope, direction or role models, he turned to the streets. “I didn’t have somebody telling me that I could be anything I wanted to be,” he said. “That was my reality.”

Hustling the streets by day, but writing poetry at night, Lazarus listened to the rap music that filled the airwaves – namely Houston’s hardcore rapper Crime Boss. “He has been the biggest influence on my music,” said Lazarus. “He’s the real deal. He’s a rapper and a lyricist, and he rapped about the life I was living at the time.” Giving more props, Lazarus adds, “Anybody who’s true to the game, knows that Crime Boss was a rapper who influenced the art form.” Other musical influences include rappers N.W. A., 8-Ball, and MJG.

It’s Hard Out There for a …
Making a living on the streets, it eventually caught up with him. Lazarus first landed in juvenile detention at the age of 14. Once released, he went back to his creative juices – this time, making music. At 15, he recorded his first single, “Another Day on the Hustle,” with a neighborhood rap group.

He also went back to hustling. Again, the streets called. And he answered. This time, he had two products for sale – “rocks” in one hand, and his music in another. Although he was extremely passionate about his raps, it just didn’t pay the bills.

Two years later, Lazarus was busted again for selling drugs. A juvenile, the courts decided that he would to stand trial as an adult. As fate would have it, the 17-year-old Lazarus escaped the clutches of serving jail time in a state penitentiary for a crime, carrying a 12-year sentence.

Thanks to smart lawyering of an attorney, who was also an advocate for child rights, Lazarus was paroled after sentencing and allowed to finish high school. For such luck, he adopted the rap moniker “Lazarus” in reference to the biblical character who rose from the dead and was given a second chance at life.

Do the Right Thing
Now on parole, Lazarus enrolled in college. “I had to make a choice,” he said. “There’s a lifestyle that comes with living as a true hustler on a daily grind,” he said. “I chose music as my way out.”

After his legal ordeal, Lazarus wanted to get on the right track, finding solace in writing songs and taking music more seriously. He became restless as a college student, and once paroled, he packed up his bags and headed West.

Lazarus shopped his demo tapes to recorded companies in Los Angeles. Seeing the success of rappers on the New Orleans-based record label, Cash Money Records – i.e. Hot Boy – Lazarus grew impatient, and started his own independent label, Lazarus Entertainment. He released his first album, “Here I Come” in 2000, and moved more than 10,000 units, hitting the road in his hometown of Lake Charles, LA and neighboring cities.

His second release, “Heart of a Hustler,” is set to hit stores March 2007. Describing his music as that influenced by the West Coast, but flavored with his deep southern roots, Lazarus’ sound tells the story of his struggle, his pain, his reconciliation and his ultimately, his breakthrough.