People looking at Adversary like he’s a newcomer will be surprised to know he’s been doing his thing in the DMV for nearly a decade. And with recent appearances on 106 & Park’s Freestyle Friday, the Glenmont MC has reached new heights and larger audiences, establishing himself amongst an otherwise unfamiliar crowd of hip-hop heads.

Adversary on 106 & Park battling Spazzmode

For a fleeting moment, it’s easy to confuse his MySpace page with that of a Manassas metal band of the same name. Their profile picture — a still from the film American Psycho showing Christian Bale’s character pointing a nail gun to the back of an unsuspecting woman’s head — had me thinking twice about an in-person interview.

For the record, Adversary, the MC, is not a homicidal maniac. He is, however, a talented artist with keen insights, a positive attitude, and a work ethic that puts your 9-to-5 to shame.

A deep thinker, Adversary takes nothing at face value and understands hip-hop’s massive influence on society. A true believer that the pen is mightier than the sword, one could consider the MC a solider in the war of words, using his music to fight against the toxic trends in today’s hip-hop.

While his battles against Baltimore’s Maniak Dre and Silver Spring’s Spazzmode certainly defend his status as the “King of Maryland,” Adversary — real name Chris Suer – hasn’t let the notoriety go to his head.

Fascinated with music at a young age, Chris started listening to Big L, KRS-1, and Nas at age six. Well on his way to assuming the throne, he chose to wield the old school intellect of his idols into lunchtime ciphers with his classmates at John F. Kennedy High School. Though he apparently kept to himself, Chris had no problem dismissing challengers who embraced the materialism of the bling era. Adversary, the philosopher king of the cafeteria, was born.

After dominating the 93.9 WKYS Ultimate Cipher Battle and 106.5 the Beat Ultimate Cipher Battle, Adversary skipped his senior prom in 2003 to attend his first-ever audition for Freestyle Friday (back when 106 & Park was actually on 106 & Park). Later that year, he received valuable guidance from Oddisee of the celebrated Low Budget crew.

“Oddisee helped me transition from a rapper who just had verses to an artist who writes songs,” says Adversary – who notes this important distinction as one most MCs never truly understand.

Time may be the biggest adversary of all for the 25 year old lyricist, whose 20-hour workdays have become requisite for the independent artist as he juggles writing, performing and promoting his music while working a full-time job.

Burning the candle at both ends, Adversary says he’s willing to do whatever it takes to succeed, as long as it’s within the scope of reason. “I won’t sell my soul, so if that means I have to grind longer and remain independent and not get as much limelight as the next guy, then so be it.”

Recently, his perseverance paid off when returned to New York for his second Freestyle Friday audition; this time, he made the cut. Five wins deep and on his way to becoming a Freestyle Friday legend, Adversary will be defending his title next year in the March Madness All-Star competition, where he hopes to capitalize on the opportunity to win free beats from some of the hottest producer’s in the game.

For a man with so much to do in so little time, I was adamant to be both on point and on time for my interview with Adversary; as luck would have it, I found myself immersed in bumper-to-bumper traffic almost 20 miles away from our meeting spot on Georgia Avenue. I was on edge, and grew weary considering the criticism I expected from a man who has a talent for leaving people with their tails between their legs. Greeted with a reassuring “it’s all good,” I left the interview knowing, for Adversary, “it’s all progress and no nonsense, trying to save the people and the music in the process.”

To stay up on Adversary, check out:
Links: Twitter, Facebook