Southern rapper always reinventing his own bold beat

Bubba Sparxxx loves Maine. He loves it so much it haunts his dreams.

OK, not really. But it used to.

“This might make me sound weird, but when I was younger I had reoccurring dreams about being in Maine,” said the 29-year-old rapper, speaking in his languorous Southern drawl over the phone from a tour stop in Tampa, Fla. “I could be doing any kind of little menial task, but it would always be in Maine. At least I think it was Maine. There were lighthouses and rocky cliffs and cold water and stuff.”

For his second appearance here, hosted by Bangor’s own Queen City Productions and scheduled for tonight at Ushuaia in Orono (despite the Orono Town Council’s recent decision to again deny the club its liquor license), Sparxxx will bring some Southern comfort to the Pine Tree State. The rapper is at the forefront of the Southern hip-hop movement, with his smooth, smart lyrical skills and club-friendly rhythms.

And while he makes Atlanta his home now, Sparxxx is at heart a country boy, one that thrives in both urban and rural areas – Southern or Northern.

“Oh, I love playing in more rural areas,” said Sparxxx. “A lot of my music has that feel, because I was raised in a rural area, in LaGrange, Ga. People from places like that can identify with me. I have a big following up there in Maine.”

But whether it’s his more reflective and innovative works, like 2003’s critically acclaimed “Deliverance,” or dance floor-packing albums like 2006’s smash hit “Charms,” Bubba Sparxxx is a man constantly reinventing his style and his approach to making music.

“When I’m making music, it’s based on how I’m feeling at the time,” he said.

“Like with ‘Deliverance,’ that was something me and the producer Timbaland felt like we had to do. We wanted to merge those live instruments with hip-hop, in a country, Southern twangy way. With this one, I wanted to do something a little more commercially viable.”

And viable it was – “Charms” boasts two hit singles, including the instant club classic “Ms. New Booty,” which reached No. 7 on the Billboard charts and boomed from the speakers from Maine to California. A guest spot from crunk masters the Ying Yang Twins, and a memorable chorus of “Booty booty booty booty booty everywhere!” didn’t hurt its chances either.

Sparxxx likes to keep a balance between commercial appeal and creative vision.

“As artists, it’s our job to make music that appeals to the masses. You’re fighting a losing battle if you don’t make music people want to listen to,” he said. “You tend to get caught up in your own head if you aren’t doing that.”

After the holidays, Sparxxx plans to begin work on a new album. He’s keeping his ears clean until then, so he can go into the studio fresh and ready to work.

“There’s no grand planning. I just go in and make some beats and listen to beats. I don’t want to listen to anything that might influence me,” he said. “I don’t want to like any trend or style and have that reflect what I do. I want to do something that transcends what’s going on. But normally, I’m always listening to all kinds of music. I love good music period.”

Bubba Sparxxx plays at 8 tonight at Ushuaia in Orono, with special guest Boss, an up-and-coming rapper who records for the local Flophouse Records. Tickets are $20 and are available at Bull Moose Music. For information, visit www.myspace.com/bubbasparxxx and www.myspace.com/bossthepoet. Emily Burnham can be reached at eburnham@bangordailynews.net.