By Drew Olson Special to OnMilwaukee.com Published Nov 10, 2009 at 1:09 PM

At this very moment, somewhere in the United States -- be it a nicely-appointed conference room, a dance club, a recording studio or a cramped studio apartment -- people working in or connected to the music industry are trying to come up with new ways for a new artist to connect with a broader audience.

Prote-J found one, with help from Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder.

Prote-J (Jayhugh Smith) is the 21-year-old hip-hop artist from Orlando, by way of Los Angeles and Papua New Guinea, who composed "Heir to the Throne," the song that Fielder often uses as his at-bat song at Miller Park. The song was written specially for Fielder.

How does an emerging artist get a song played in front of more than 3 million people? We wondered that, too, so we tracked down Prote-J (his mentors are the artists who inspire him) and asked.

OnMilwaukee.com: The song "Heir to the Throne" has been heard by a couple million Brewers fans at Miller Park, many of whom may not know a beatbox from the batter's box. Could you give a brief outline of your background -- how you got started in the music industry, CD release plans, tour experience, etc?

Prote-J: I'm a rapper, producer and songwriter who was born in Los Angeles, but raised in Papua New Guinea, a country just north of Australia.

"I was born in a city where stars are created so my birth was a statement of how far I could make it. But I have no recollection of my time in that big city cuz until my adolescence I was in Papua New Guinea." -- Quote from "Know My Name," on "Good Hip Hop Meets Radio"

There weren't a lot of music teachers around so I taught myself how to play the drums, bass and piano. I listened to a lot of Michael Jackson's music growing up, and ever since I first saw him perform on video I've wanted to be an entertainer. My mom was a big fan of his music and I'm pretty sure she taught me how to moonwalk before I could crawl.

I moved from Papua New Guinea to Florida when I was 12 and that's when I really got into hip-hop. When I got to high school I really started taking it seriously and people started to know me as that kid that was winning rap battles in the lunch room.

Today, I'm 21 with a bachelor's in business administration, and now that I've finished school I'm determined to become everyone's new favorite rapper. Anyone who appreciates creativity and great production will be addicted to my album. If you're somebody who just likes songs that sound good, you'll like it too. My free album (mix-tape) is coming this fall at www.Prote-J.com and it's called "Good Hip Hop Meets Radio." You won't skip a song on it!

OMC: How did you come to do a song about Prince? How did that relationship develop?

Prote-J: Prince is really good friends with my manager, Ben Witherspoon, so that's how we met. In the 2008 season, we went on the road with him and the Brewers. We flew out to San Diego and traveled on the team bus to Los Angeles. That was one of the best weeks I've ever had. I learned more about baseball, I got to know Prince better, I ate chicken and waffles together for the first time, it was crazy. After that trip, Prince wanted me to make an at-bat song for him, and "Heir to the Throne" was born.

OMC: What's it like having the song played at Miller Park and associated with an up-and-coming star like Prince?

Prote-J: It's crazy to think about that many people hearing my song every home game at Miller Park. Prince told me they were also playing the chant at the end of the song, at different parts of the game. But, just having my name next to Prince's is a great feeling. Prince is just a great person and one of the best players in the game. He's a big fan of my music and asking me to make "Heir to the Throne" was his way of helping me get my name out there. I don't get chased through malls or anything yet, but a lot more people know who I am now because of the song. Thanks Prince!

OMC: Who would you list as your influences in hip-hop and music in general?

Prote-J: Besides Michael Jackson, the greatest entertainer to ever live, my biggest influences are Jay-Z, Ryan Leslie, Pharell Williams, Timbaland and Lupe Fiasco. I really like John Mayer, Relient K, Wale, Chester French and Drake, too.

OMC: Explain the concept behind "Good Hip Hop Meets Radio."

Prote-J: There's two different kinds of hip-hop. There's "Good Hip Hop" which is more lyrical and talks about more than shawties, Patron and chains. Then there's "Radio," which is dumbed down and sounds just like everything else out. Nowadays, hearing a new rap song on the radio is like going to see a new scary movie. You want it to be good, but then it ends up being just as bad as the last one.

Most of the best lyricists in hip hop aren't the ones at the top of the charts getting MTV awards. "Good Hip Hop Meets Radio" is basically about me being one of the few artists that can appeal to both "Good Hip Hop" and "Radio" fans.

OnMilwaukee.com: How does being a multi-instrumentalist make things easier in producing music or is it, in a way, tougher to see your vision through when you have to handle all the different parts in a song?

Prote-J: It definitely makes it a lot easier because I don't have to rely on anyone else and I know exactly which instruments to use when I'm coming up with different melodies. It does make it hard to sleep sometimes, though, when you have a full band playing in your head. All night.

OnMilwaukee.com: Where do you do most of your writing? Freestyle sessions? Do you keep a notebook handy at all times? What's that process like? What comes first, the lyrics or the hooks?

Prote-J: I do all of my writing on my cell phone. It's pretty much attached to my hand so I can write whenever I want. My T-Mobile G1 is my best friend and it knows my deepest thoughts -- we're shopping endorsement deals.

I wrote most of my songs in my apartment but I'm always writing down concepts for songs or random punch lines that come to my head. If I have an idea for a beat, I record a little beatbox into my phone and then make the track when I get home. The beat usually is the first thing that comes. I'm always writing the song as I make the track so I usually come up with the chorus while I'm creating it, and then build the instrumental to make it fit. Once the beat and the hook are done, I write the verses.

Prote-J: You seem well-versed in using social media to help get the music across. How important is that today and how hard is it to stand out when there is so much music out there?

OMC: Social media can do big things for any artist trying to make it in the industry. It's the cheapest and easiest way to introduce yourself to the world, but it's really hard to stand out. It's all about having a strategy and knowing how to combine social media with other outlets for getting music across. You can talk directly to your fans and it's a lot easier to build relationships with them.

OMC: What's the scene like in Orlando, Daytona and Florida in general??

Prote-J: The hip-hop scene in Central Florida is far from where it could be. We haven't really had an artist be respected all over the country yet. We've got huge producers here like The Runners, Nasty Beatmakers and Oddz N Endz but haven't really had the big breakthrough artist. An R&B singer, Kevin Cossom, will be the biggest artist from our area. But I think I have a good chance of being that first hip-hop artist to put us on the map.

OMC: How helpful is it to have a business degree as you navigate your way through the music industry?

Prote-J: Having a degree helps me out a ton in this shady business. This industry focuses about 10 percent -- I'm probably over-estimating -- on music itself and 90 percent on the business side of things. Talent has very little to do with being a successful artist.

By getting my business degree, I've learned much needed information that gives me an advantage over a lot of other artists. Not only that, but I also have something to fall back on in the future. Music is a very "iffy" business and I'm not out
to be the next MC Hammer.

OMC: What's on your radar for the last part of 2009 and '10?

Prote-J: The last part of this year is all about "Good Hip Hop Meets Radio." That's going to be my official introduction to the world and I can't wait to hear what people think of my music. "Heir to the Throne" is available on iTunes and I'm doing a new song for Prince to use next season. We're working on getting some major artists to feature on it so 2010's "Heir to the Throne" will be huge.

I'm also doing some songwriting and production for a couple established industry artists but I'll be releasing more info on that later on. We have a great year lined up and I can't wait to see what 2010 has for me.

Drew Olson Special to OnMilwaukee.com

Host of “The Drew Olson Show,” which airs 1-3 p.m. weekdays on The Big 902. Sidekick on “The Mike Heller Show,” airing weekdays on The Big 920 and a statewide network including stations in Madison, Appleton and Wausau. Co-author of Bill Schroeder’s “If These Walls Could Talk: Milwaukee Brewers” on Triumph Books. Co-host of “Big 12 Sports Saturday,” which airs Saturdays during football season on WISN-12. Former senior editor at OnMilwaukee.com. Former reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.