Seeking talented teens

Attention hip-hop fans: Essence magazine and the Berklee College of Music have announced a call for entries to their second annual teen hip-hop songwriting contest. They're looking for MCs ages 15 to 18 who can "deliver clever, innovative lyrics to a dope beat" to submit their original songs for a chance to win tuition-free classes at Berklee. The deadline to enter is March 9.

The songs will be evaluated by a panel of judges that includes Berklee scholars, rapping legend Chuck D of Public Enemy, and DJ Spinderella of Salt-N-Pepa. They will choose five winners, based on lyrical content, composition, melody, and performance.

The purpose of the contest is "to expose new voices in hip-hop that otherwise might not be heard, and give new talent the opportunity to develop through music education," according to Angela Burt-Murray, Essence editor-in-chief.

Last year's competition drew more than 100 entries from young songwriters all over the country, and Brockton resident Nyles Houston was one of them. He's glad he entered the contest -- because his gospel rap song "Represent" took second place and earned him a scholarship to study at Berklee last summer.

Houston spent five weeks fine-tuning his hip-hop skills at Berklee, and at 15 years old, he was often the youngest person in the classroom. Houston said he rapped in music ensembles, learned breathing techniques, studied sheet music, and wrote "a ton" of new music.

"I learned about a whole bunch of different styles of rap... and different ways to better myself and improve my writing," said Houston, who turned 16 last month. "It was great, it was a good experience.... It opened up a lot of things for me."

Indeed, it turned out to be his big break: Through the contacts he made at Berklee, he was invited to perform at a major concert on Martha's Vineyard last July, opening for Tony Award-winning actress-singer Jennifer Holliday.

Houston is now a sophomore at Brockton High School, and rapping under a new moniker: Young Witness. (Previously, his nickname was Lil' Witness ) He's working on a CD, which is set to be released on his cousin's label, Bloctrine Records, and performing whenever he can.

Last month he traveled to Atlanta to perform at the seventh annual Holy Hip Hop Awards, and his next gig is tomorrow at the Mass Ministry Alliance's Holy Hip Hop concert. It takes place at 7 p.m. at the House of Deliverance Church of God, 424 Washington St., in Dorchester.

You can listen to Houston's winning song, "Represent," on Essence magazine's website, Essence.com/takebackthemusic. Entry forms for the 2007 hip-hop songwriting contest are also available at that site.

Three winners will get to attend Berklee's summer performance program, where they will take classes on music theory, songwriting, and the record industry. Two runners-up will be able to take one of Berklee's online music courses for free.

Emily Sweeney can be reached at esweeney@globe.com.