12 September, 2002
Music- Adagé finds peace, balance
by lkohman@stcloudtimes.com Liz Kohman
Staff Writer

BIG LAKE - It's 10:52 on a Wednesday morning. Adagé announces he is at ultimate peace with the world as he eats the french toast he just made for breakfast and drinks his grape juice.

But the peace isn't in the french toast, the juice or the morning. It stems from the fact he has learned to accept himself - without apologizing.

Adagé's CD, "No Apologies," which he's promoting Saturday with a show at Java Joint, captures this vein of thought. On the R&B-style hip-hop album, Adagé raps about almost everything, including having a relationship with God, religion, gospel music and romantic relationships. His rapping is broken up with melodic choruses.

"I didn't want to do the whole racial thing; it's already been done," Adagé said. That statement may sound cut and dry, but Adagé seems to see many layers and a tight web of connections in the world. Nothing is as simple as it sounds.

While he might not have dealt overtly with racism on his album, Adagé still tackles the issue by addressing the inability of different churches and religions to join together.

"When churches can get together, everyone can get together," he said.

In "(Expletive) Your Religion," Adagé croons about how the differences among religions have the potential to pull people apart instead of bringing them together.

"Basically it all boils down to discrimination, and we're just digging down to the root of it," he said.

Although he comes from a gospel music background, his music might be offensive to churchgoers. But this is something Adagé doesn't concern himself with. Listeners feeling miffed by the lyrics should refer to the CD's title before waiting by the mailbox for an explanation or condolences.

"I am whatever you think you see," Adagé said, noting that perceptions of him can vary from rebel to religious fanatic, depending on who's doing the perceiving.

Adagé grew up in Arkansas as Derrick A. Gilbert, and music was a part of his life from the time he joined the church choir at age 6.

"I was going to be a contemporary gospel superstar," Adagé said. He counts Fred Hammond, the Winans and other Southern contemporary gospel music as some of his influences. But also he's inspired by Prince.

"The Artist, Prince, is definitely a huge influence. He did what people were afraid to do," Adagé said. "He tapped into people's minds and said what they were afraid to say."

When he was 15, Adagé got some friends together and formed a musical group. It was then that he realized what he wanted to do with his life.

"I was like, 'I could do this for a living,' " he said. "I always knew what I wanted to do, I just didn't know how to go about doing it."

At age 18, Adagé moved to Minnesota and started school at Music Tech in Minneapolis. He couldn't afford to continue classes, so he dropped out, joined the Army Reserves and took classes in music and religious studies at St. Cloud State University. He left school to pursue his music career and moved to New York.

In New York, Adagé formed his own record label and produced "No Apologies." He also saw the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks from a vantage point a little too close for comfort. Adagé said that following the attacks, he decided it was important to be closer to family and friends, so he returned to Minnesota last spring.

He's currently busy promoting "No Apologies" and collaborating with Azzare, a 17-year-old singer from the Bahamas, on her album. But he has big plans for the future, and music is just one of the ways he intends to express himself. Adagé would like to break into acting, and he eventually plans on writing books - although he's not sure if he wants to write fiction or nonfiction.

It might be unusual for a 25-year-old male to claim to have achieved ultimate peace, but it's not so unusual considering what he's accomplished.

Adagé's philosophy about life also has everything to do with his ability to find peace. He said he recognizes that something bad could happen as he eats his breakfast, but peace is a balancing act, as well as a state of being.

"You have to accept the good with the bad to call it peace," Adagé said.


If you go

Adagé plays with Hydrophonics and Special K.

When: 8 p.m. Saturday

Where: Java Joint

The cover is $5, and the show is all ages.