One St. Petersburg rapper is so intent on becoming famous that he has made the word a part of his name.

Famous Kid Brick, whose real name is Dairian Brickhouse, visited USF to perform at Bulls Radio Music Fest on April 4 and recently spent some time at The Oracle office last week to talk about his music, his future and the most recent trends he is trying to set.

The latest: a receiver-style phone handset made by Moshi.

I got a lime green one for no reason, just so somebody can be like, Yo, is that a phone? he said. A lot of people are really following it now in the Tampa Bay area.

He also dons shoes that match his shirt and a gold chain featuring a glitter-painted emblem of his face, hand-carved by local artist Ajay Cartel.

Bricks trendsetting may set him apart from other rappers trying to make it in the Tampa Bay area, but he said that emerging onto the rap scene from St. Petersburg has been a challenge.

Coming up, I just felt like (in) Tampa, nobody really wanted to work with artists from the other side of the bridge, he said.

But Brick wants to unify the Tampa Bay area, and said he would be open to working with anyone.

His penchant for family and teamwork can be seen in his onstage performances. Brick often performs with Hussch Boy labelmates Blackboi and Cristol, paralleling a growing rap trend of group performance that has also proven successful for the likes of the Odd Future ensemble and Kanye West and Jay-Zs Watch the Throne collaboration.

Its just one thing, he said, that sets him apart from other local artists.

We just did it off the strength of thats what we wanted to do, Brick said. Its not just about me. We have a team, thats what we wanted to show: our growth and progression.

Bricks quest for fame started when he was a kid paving the way for his pseudonym but it wasnt always music that he was into. At East Lake High School, he wanted to be a basketball player until one day, when a friend tried to get him into the recording studio.

I was like Yo, Im not a rapper, I dont do that stuff, and he was like, Man, just come on, he said. So I got in there, and it came out great. What really kept me going was other peoples reactions.

He had never written poetry or rap lyrics and had no music experience, but quit his high school basketball team before the first game of his senior season. Yet his coach and family supported his decision and his music, he said.

His first song was about Michael Vick, but now, hes opened up to many themes. Several of his YouTube videos feature him wielding, throwing and caressing paper bills, but he said money is only one of his subjects.

I like to rap about everything, he said. Moneys just one subject to touch one audience. I like to go pop to touch that audience. I like to touch the people who really want to feel something. So Im really just a diverse artist, I like to do it all. Throw any type of beat in my face and Im not scared to hop on anything.

Brick said he also gets inspiration from current events, such as politics and the Trayvon Martin case.

He has performed across Tampa and Florida, at universities from USF to FAMU to Bethune-Cookman, and now wants to expand his presence and work toward his ultimate goal of fame.

I want to be in movies, he said. I just want to be everything else as an artist, too. I want to be able to move on and have a career in something else.

Bricks single Im On It garnered attention on WiLD 94.1 last year, and he recently released a track with Terror Squads Fat Joe and Ace Hood, In This B—-.

He also performed at the stations WiLD Splash concert, which gave him a chance to perform with well-known rappers such as Waka Flocka Flame, Childish Gambino and DMX.

His other records, including Lucy Nikki and Dumb Doe, are available for download on iTunes. His latest project is Dotted Lines and Dolla Signs, a mixtape that is set to be released this year, and he hopes to soon sign for a record deal when the opportunity is right.

I want to be able to do it all, Brick said.