"Charleston is not ready to embrace mainstream hip-hop," Marcus Boyd said.

He might have a point.

Area bars announce rock, country and jazz bands every week. Few mention hip-hop or rap. The kids play it in the car, but it's hard to break an R&B act into the club scene. According to Boyd and his group The Regiementz, it's a struggle just to get to play.

Boyd, 25, provides the group's beats. He, along with 35-year-old singer Johnie Jones, 20-year-old rapper Darryl Henderson and Boyd's wife, 26-year-old neo-soul singer Aja Boyd, are trying to break into the local music scene and beyond.

The West Side residents have been playing where they can. There isn't much to choose from. They've played several open mic nights. Last month, they played during Spirit Week at West Virginia State University. Earlier this week, they performed at Marshall University as part of the Spirit Festival. Next month, they're headed to Texas for the Dirty South Awards.

"We're trying to make a few of these things pay for themselves," Boyd said. "We got a long way to go."

The group began at the first of the year. Boyd has been active in different music projects around Charleston since he moved here from Atlanta five years ago, but none of them panned out. He was introduced to Henderson through a mutual friend. 

John heard about the group from his cousin.

"Charleston is not ready to embrace mainstream hip-hop," Marcus Boyd said.

He might have a point.

Area bars announce rock, country and jazz bands every week. Few mention hip-hop or rap. The kids play it in the car, but it's hard to break an R&B act into the club scene. According to Boyd and his group The Regiementz, it's a struggle just to get to play.

Boyd, 25, provides the group's beats. He, along with 35-year-old singer Johnie Jones, 20-year-old rapper Darryl Henderson and Boyd's wife, 26-year-old neo-soul singer Aja Boyd, are trying to break into the local music scene and beyond.

The West Side residents have been playing where they can. There isn't much to choose from. They've played several open mic nights. Last month, they played during Spirit Week at West Virginia State University. Earlier this week, they performed at Marshall University as part of the Spirit Festival. Next month, they're headed to Texas for the Dirty South Awards.

"We're trying to make a few of these things pay for themselves," Boyd said. "We got a long way to go."

The group began at the first of the year. Boyd has been active in different music projects around Charleston since he moved here from Atlanta five years ago, but none of them panned out. He was introduced to Henderson through a mutual friend. 

John heard about the group from his cousin.

"We had open auditions for an old guy," Boyd said.

Boyd and Henderson laughed. Jones winced, but laughed it off. He doesn't like being reminded that he's older.

Together, the four have a broad range of musical sounds, and there's no limit on material. When they can't play, they practice. They write and work on new raps and songs almost constantly. Their message and mission are upbeat and uplifting.

"It comes from the name," Boyd said. "I got it from the dictionary. I loved the word regiment, which means collective, a group of people. I saw us as a collective of talent for the community."

As with his music samples, Boyd added his own spin to the word, but the band members all agree on what they stand for.

"We're trying to send a positive message," Henderson said.

"We talk about struggle," Jones added. "We talk about real life, about how you should be yourself and not live up to the hype. It ain't about what kind of rims you got."

People over property is part of what The Regiementz is about. Henderson and Boyd wear shirts memorializing family members who have died. Henderson's cousin lived in Philadelphia. Boyd's cousin was 19-year-old Nalisha Gravely, the young mother murdered this past summer inside a Taco Bell.

Reach Bill Lynch at ly...@wvgazette.com or 348-5195.