Caliente

Joey 'Delinquent' Velasquez

Age: 20

For the record: Local hip-hop artist Joey "Delinquent" Velasquez attached the slogan "Through all the drama, we still at it!" to the handwritten press package promoting his Feb. 26 solo release, "D.'s Chapter," and upcoming duo release with partner Anthony "Chance" Gonzales as the group III Grand. And he's not lying. It's been a rough-and-tumble couple of years for the artist and his friends. In 2002, mere days after signing a major record deal with a hip-hop label out of Los Angeles, III Grand member, Zachary "Noncents" Zazueta was murdered in a West Side Tucson shooting. And despite performing at shows in California, Texas, Nevada and Florida, the group had continuous problems with its label and ultimately decided to part ways. It took some time, but Velasquez says III Grand is finally back in action and cutting albums under Rufflife Recordz. The duo will perform Saturday at Game Day Sports Bar and Grill, 3727 S. Palo Verde Road, to celebrate Delinquent's premiere solo release. How did you first get interested in hip-hop? "When I first heard 2pac's album '2pacalypse Now' in the sixth grade. There was such originality. It was unique to me. It wasn't to rebel or nothing like it. It was just something street that I liked. Something raw." Who influences you most in your style? "Tupac and every jazz musician out there. I just love the smooth feelings that they've got and the vibes they give off."

What was your biggest onstage success? "The best show we ever had was in front of 10,000 people. It was a spring- break thing in Miami. We drove out there to sell CDs and we met this promoter and he told us if we want to get on stage, we can. I got a tear in my eye playing that show. I'm not going to lie. We sold a lot of CDs on the beach that day." Have you ever had any onstage nightmares? "We have never had a bad onstage experience. We have had funny things happen. One time 'Chance' chucked a CD off the stage and cracked a girl in the head. That was three years ago at the Midnight Jam here in Tucson. She was all right, I'm pretty sure. We don't do that anymore. We just pass them out." If there was one musician, alive or dead, you could perform with today, who would it be and why? "It would have to be my old partner Noncents. I'd give anything to have just one more performance with him. Now that he's gone, I wish I had spent every performance I ever did with him. " You had a record deal out in California. What brought you back to Tucson? "The label we cut with was all just glamour and glitz, man. Hollywood tricked us. We signed the first deal we saw that came from Hollywood. It was all fake. Now that we are older, we understand the industry better. Now we know how to stay in the industry's eye."