Being an independent in the hip-hop game is like being the new kid on the block. As the new kid, an MC vies for attention so when they finally pass that mic, the newcomer can show he had the juice all along. Being an independent MC in Chicago is even worse, especially in a scene that is dominated by powerhouse crews like All Natural, Galapagos 4, and Molemen.

For an ambitious Chicago MC like Diverse (born Kenneth Jenkins), the isolation inspires him rather than intimidates him.

"It is a challenge to be self contained and independent," says Diverse. ''But when you look at the work you did it is gratifying because you did it on your own and you weren't dependent upon anyone else to get your project done."

Diverse should be gratified, considering he just dropped his impressive first full-length album, “One A.M.” (Chocolate Industries), all without the financial or moral support of a local crew. Despite the adversity of not having the luxury of an in-house production team, Diverse rose to the challenge of contracting producers. Luckily. Diverse had to look no further than one of his good friends and one of underground hip-hop's most revered producers, RJD2. "I've been working with RJ long before he established himself," says Diverse, a Rogers Park native. "It just happened to work out that his LP dropped and his name started to blow up." RJD2's touchstones of fresh funk and scintillating soul textures flourish throughout “One A.M.,” as he produced half of the album's tracks for Diverse, which prove to be some of the best.

But Diverse didn't stop there. He didn't settle for a stock of watered-down beats and ghetto soundbytes to round out the rest of his album tracks. Instead, true to his name, Diverse called upon an eclectic cast of longtime collaborators like Prefuse 73, K-Kruz, Overflo, and even Tortoise's Jeff Parker, to give “One A.M.” an entirely unique sound. If that wasn't enough, Diverse pushed even further to get his management to call in a favor and get hip-hop beat guru Madlib to sign on for a track to officially complete the record. With such a mixed cast behind the decks, it could lead to a scattered and unbalanced debut. Diverse believed it would do the exact opposite. "I had no predetermined mood or sound I was going for with the album. I don't have predetermined notions. I let the producers create what they did and I went with it. As long as it was good, then it inspired my words."

Diverse got more than be bargained for because the 12 tracks that composed “One A.M.” proved to be so good that his rhymes easily spread across his producers’ sonic canvas like a wet paintbrush. He paints vivid images of the city that birthed him into hip-hop. "I feel like what inspires me the most is what I am surrounded by daily," Diverse says of Chicago, "[The] gist of my material is what I see when I leave the house and walk the streets." The strong Midwestern rhymes of Diverse prove to be the tie that binds the 12 tracks together with an underlying cohesion, despite the use of six different producers. lronically, “One A.M.” transcends the traditional rap record where one MC is handcuffed to one producer.

Every producer brings their own distinct sound with which Diverse organically builds his socially conscious rhymes, ultimately sidestepping the rut of predictability. Diverse contests that bringing in such a varied group of producers insured that his debut would be the best possible release. "I am very much into all genres of music, I know sometimes I approach tracks that most MCs couldn’t envision themselves over it. I look for music that inspires words, I don't have any boundaries on music I can't work with, unless maybe it's country or techno." Diverse might have crossed artistic boundaries with his new album, but be is still trying to break down the social boundaries that keep him an outcast in his own scene. "I attempt to make myself accessible. I would love to work with other Chicago artists and build with them. Not just for myself, but for building a foundation and a future for other artists who will subsequently come from Chicago."

Diverse might not have strong affiliations with Chicago's premier crews, but after releasing such a strong record that he conceptualized and having contracted producers all on his own, it would seem like his diversity would be a valuable asset to any Chicago crew. "I hope down the line I can collaborate with Chicago crews. I have wanted to work with them and I see potential to collaborate in the future."

Until then, Diverse will be going at it alone like he has been all along. He has no qualms because he is confident of his place in Chicago hip-hop.

"I am from Chicago, but Chicago is not mine. I'm not going to be the guy shouting 'Chicago' in every rhyme of my raps because I don't have to. There is a wealth of talent here. I consider myself to be one of those people and I hope others consider me to be too."