Photo/DAN PELTON ORANGEVILLE RAPPER Austin Brown, aka Young Stunna, says the genre of rap is misunderstood by those who think it's simply about "guns, violence and ho's." One envisions several gritty, sweltering urban settings that would provide inspiration for the genre of rap, and Orangeville isn't one of them.

But for Austin Brown, an 18-year-old honour roll grad from Orangeville District Secondary School, the origin of a song is in the mind and heart of the creator, not the town.

"Some people don't think it's real for me," he admits. "Sure, it's a hobby, but it means a lot to me. It's a way to portray my real feelings."

And it appears to be a "hobby" that is garnering a lot of interest. Since signing with BMV Promotions, Austin — who performs under the name Young Stunna — has had over 30,000 hits on his www. myspace.com/youngstunnat3t website. "I get at least 1,000 views a day. It's amazing.

"When I started the site, I was only thinking of local people hearing my music."

Peering at his lyrics, the first impression is that they don't make sense. There's no central theme. On further examination, however, one sees a pattern of a thinking man working different angles to try to explain feelings that are often just plain inexplicable. Written scriptures from the best I hold on the beat I trust nobody and count on my own will to be Endless peace the rap game wildebeest Confused by lack of attention towards poverty.

It's an imagery one can't help but try to decipher. Maybe he's saying: "I tried to conform to succeed, but it didn't work out and I can count on nobody but myself. Yet, I still can't explain why, with all this great stuff going on in my head, I still feel empty."

He's probably not saying that at all, but his work does have the ability to draw one in.

Austin insists that rap often gets, pardon the pun, a bad rap. "Some people hate what I do. They judge all rap as bad. It's not just about 'guns, violence and ho's.' There's another side of it."

As for his regular use of metaphors, rather than straight talk, in his work, he says he goes that route so people will think, get more involved in the song and relate to it.

"Metaphors make you think about your own life," says Austin.

He started rapping at 16 and admits that when he started penning original work, he was inadvertently imitating other rappers. "I would write about my gun," he recalls. "I've never owned a gun. It wasn't good. When you grow up, you realize people don't like hearing you talk about things you don't know about."

Of all the songs he's put together, Austin's favorite is Remember My Bars.

"I put the most feeling into that track," he recalls. "I feel it's my best lyricism."

While it would be nice to earn a living as a rapper, the artist has no illusions that it's necessarily going to turn out that way. Right now, his resume is limited to jam nights and high school shows.

The plan is to move to Toronto on to study recording engineering.

Material gain isn't the motivating force behind his rap. It's not the thought of a recording contract that drives him to wake up and spend the entire day writing and recording.

"It's my therapy. It's how I become a better person."