The Rising Sun Quest.

The Rising Sun Quest
Friday, June 19, as part of the Enter the Cypher hip-hop showcase at Cousin Larry's Cafe, 1 Elm St., Danbury, (203) 730-0035

When I first met The Rising Sun Quest, it was at one of those rap showcases where the number of artists performing vastly outnumbers the spectators. To me, Quest was just another name above mine on the list. When the host finally called The Rising Sun Quest to the stage, a regular-looking guy, wearing regular-looking clothes, made his way to the stage and immediately proceeded to spit anything but regular rhymes. As Quest's carefully constructed bars rode smoothly over a soulful beat I couldn't help but reminisce of '90s hip-hop, what I consider the "golden era" of the genre. With no hype man in sight, Quest's show was one of the most energetic performances I witnessed that night. Once he wrapped up his set and hopped off the stage, I instantly went over to introduce myself.

Five years later and three albums deep, The Rising Sun Quest shows no signs of slowing down. Over the years you might have read about him in various publications, caught him performing at an event, or even heard him on the radio. In 2008, Quest's song "Our Dreams," off his most recent release Journey Towards The Sun, was "retired" on Kiss 95.7's "In Tha Cypher." "Our Dreams" gained tremendous listener support, pulling in the majority of online votes. The song went four consecutive weeks at the number one spot in the Underground Countdown portion of the show (at which point songs are retired).

Instead of basking in recent accomplishments, the Waterbury-bred MC is already gearing up to release a new 10-track EP this summer. "I've collected beats and have written about five or six songs at this point," says Quest. "I'm hoping to have something ready for the summer, and obviously once I have new material I'll go on the usual performing/promo spree."

To hold fans over until the release of his new collection of songs, Quest is touring vigorously. You can catch him Friday, June 19, at Cousin Larry's Café in Danbury for the monthly Enter The Cypher hip-hop showcase, and Sunday, June 28, at Pyramid Club in NYC for the EOW MC Challenge (eodub.com). To stay posted on The Rising Sun Quest's upcoming performances, visit him online at myspace.com/risingsunquest or twitter.com/risingsunquest.

The Rising Sun Quest and I still bump into each other at showcases here and there. But now when I see Quest's name above mine on the list, I think ... damn ... he's a tough act to follow

Prolifik's nationally syndicated show "In Tha Cypher" can be heard on Sundays 10 p.m.-12 a.m. on Kiss 95.7. Visit inthacypher.com to find out more about the show.