Four members of a local band claim to be the best white-boy rappers in Ohio. They have the modest hope of becoming famous, starting in Columbus, and would challenge any rapper to dispute that claim.Members of North Side Productions (NSP), a rap group, use intellect gained from Ohio State to put together songs.Neyba Hood, 24, an English graduate, is the manager and lead rapper of NSP. He is originally from Cincinnati and is currently working for Cincinnati Bell. He claims to be the best rapper in the midwest (white or black). “(Our goal) is to get paid for what we do,” he said. “If we get a record deal, someday, (then) that would just be icing.” Benefit concerts are an option if they are ever asked about them, Hood said.Alleycat, 23, a biology graduate, is the producer of NSP. He is originally from Cleveland and has a job at Larkins Hall.Mista Taj (who also calls himself Lee Guhlise), 22, currently is a bio-chem major and is scheduled to graduate in December. Originally from Columbus, he works with Borden Food as a scientist in research and development.Hood claims that Taj is the second best rapper in the midwest. Taj maintains a positive attitude and believes in hard work. He is NSP’s philosophical leader.”Great minds think about ideas,” Taj said. “Average minds think about things, and simple minds think about people.”K-Luv, 28, another rapper, is originally from Cincinnati. He is the only member who did not attend OSU.The group created their own record label called Octone Records, Hood said, and they pay for their equipment independently. This money comes from their CD sales, he said. NSP has sold 350 CDs, to this date. Alleycat said they gave away 50 CDs.Their second CD will be released in late January, Hood said. They started recording at the beginning of September. It will be an EP, which is a short CD, made up of eight or nine songs.The Underground, the OSU student radio station, used to play “The Den” from the CD, every Saturday night, he said.”You had to hold the radio all funny… to hear it,” Alleycat said.Some people have said that they have been heard in other cities, but not likely, Hood said.NSP wants to make better rap, Hood said, because there is so much that is not good. The reason bad rap makes it sometimes, he said, is because they know the right people.The group has a clear message that they would like to convey.”You got to work hard and everything is going to pay off,” Taj said. “Keep your attitude straight (and) focused on what you want, then you will probably get it. …If you stray a little…take a crooked path, you are not going to get there.” We are not gangsters and we do not glorify violence, Hood said.To get recognition Hood sent an email message to the Beastie Boys‘ webmaster, Ian Rogers, and challenged them to a freestyle rap contest, he said. Their lyrical boastings disturb his crew-especially since they print their raps out. There is an unwritten rule that one doesn’t print out rap unless it is stellar, he said.”It’s like printing out a failed English paper,” Alleycat said.The Beastie Boys have good music, but their words aren’t good, he said. The challenge was not accepted.