Deaf Rapper Sean Forbes inks Deal with label that Helped launch Eminem's Career
Uhmmmm yeah... I admire his drive and ambition, but talent is lacking all around. Sorry kid, aint hating, but telling it like it is.
It seems one pioneering achievement wasn't enough for Sean Forbes.
When he cofounded the Deaf Professional Arts Network (D-Pan) in 2006, the Royal Oak resident garnered national acclaim for his efforts. Producing high-quality sign-language remakes of hit videos, D-Pan helped open pop music culture to hearing-impaired people.
Now Forbes can add another eye-popping line to his résumé: deaf man with a big-time music deal.
The 28-year-old rapper and songwriter has inked a contract with Web Entertainment, the Ferndale production company and label that helped break his musical hero 
And in what his associates are hailing as a breakthrough for the American deaf community, Forbes has linked up with Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI), the globally renowned composers' society whose clientele includes the
The BMI deal sets him up to receive royalties for public airings of his original music, including the just-released video "I'm Deaf," a propulsive manifesto that features Forbes rapping and conveying lyrics in American Sign Language. Web will release the single on disc and vinyl Tuesday, along with an iTunes digital download, followed by a Thursday night release party at Royal Oak's Memphis Smoke.
"My endorphins are running like crazy right now," says Forbes. "These are exciting times."
Forbes, 90% deaf since infancy, grew up drawn to the booming low-end vibrations of hip-hop, playing drums to hone his rhythmic skills. D-Pan cofounder Joel Martin says Forbes' songwriting talent was destined to break through.
Forbes' interpretive performances "had already given him a name in the deaf community as an artist at the forefront," says Martin. "But it's one thing to perform other people's work. It's something else to do your own, and at some point it became apparent that Sean had the ability to write really good music."
Charlie Feldman, BMI's vice president for writer-publisher relations, describes Forbes' songs as emotionally inspirational and musically impressive, and says the
with BMI will increase the exposure to Forbes' work.