From the chaos of Hurricane Katrina to becoming a hip-hop star, there's more to Skar's story than meets the eye, writes Jesse Kuch

New Orleans rapper Skar (real name Edward Kinard IV) may be a long way from home, but he has a closer connection to the Far North than you may think.

His wife’s parents live in Cairns, making it an ideal getaway for the promising hip-hop artist before he embarks on an ambitious tour across the United States to promote his upcoming album Alpha G Omega, due for release in March 2009.

"My wife grey up in Darwin, but her parents live here now," Kinnard told timeOut in his slow southern drawl.

"It’s a beautiful place, great to get away until my touring starts when I get back home."

He obviously thinks highly of Cairns, as he has decided to shoot the video for his first single Got DCM at the Habourlights on the Esplanade and the boat yard at Yorkey’s Knob.

"We’ll get a bit of tropical flavour in there," he said.

Despite no major releases to his name, Skar has been one of the underground leaders of hip-hop in the US state of Louisiana for many years.

One thing for sure is that Skar is confident of his own talent.

"Some radio stations back home are calling me New Orleans’ best-kept secret. The truth is I’ve been doing music for a long while now," he says.

"I’ve done a bit of ghostwriting for some big name artists that I won’t name, but this is my first official solo album."

He describes his own brand of hip-hop as "the dirty south sound" with a bit of RnB thrown in as well.

"I’ve got the dirty south thing going on, but it’s the new dirty south sound, which is going to be big during the next six to 12 months."

He says his influences come from everywhere, from industry heavyweights such as Russell Simmons (creator of Def Jam Records), Jay-Z and Sean "Diddy" Combs, through to his own family – his uncle Tom Wilson was involved in the creation of the famous record label Motown in the 1960s.

"I’m influenced by hip-hop, but I’m carrying a bit of influence from there as well," he says.

Coming from New Orleans, Kinard says the destruction and heartache caused by Hurricane Katrina also play a big role in both his life and music.

In his words, he lost "everything" when the storm swept through the city in 2006.

"I lost family, I lost my best friends and I lost my mother and uncle just afterwards," he said.

"I see it as a blessing, to have them look down at what I’m doing from heaven, I do this for them."

Skar will be sticking around in Cairns until early December, playing at Skarface Fridays at the Velvet Underground.

Share this article