See Son of Thought and several other local rappers perform on Dec. 28 at Birdy's. Click the link above for more information.

Like a restless volcano, the Indy rap scene continues to bubble just beneath the surface of much of the city's awareness, just waiting to erupt. Along with established acts like the Mudkids and up-and-comers like the Parker Brothaz, solo artist Son of Thought, 29, is likely to be one of the driving forces behind any future eruption.

With a commanding stage presence, a charismatic flow and thoughtful, socially conscious lyrics, Son of Thought's style hearkens back to the days of old school hip-hop, when rhyme and storytelling mattered as much as, if not more than, a hot party hook.

Son of Thought plans to release two debut albums -- "Global Warming" and "Black Marvel" (the latter as his alter-ego, Sonny Paradise) -- simultaneously in early April 2008. But local rap fans can sample his music live this week when he performs with a host of other local hip-hop acts at Birdy's on Dec. 28.

Son of Thought recently talked to Indy.com about the state of hip-hop, his Muslim religion and the five MCs every aspiring rapper should study.

You've been on the scene for awhile. Why have you waited this long to release an album?

Before I was on a different level. I was gearing my music toward the Islamic community. I wouldn't say I've had to dumb my style down, but I've had to bring a little more of a relevance to what I write about, and not be so caught up in my own world.

How long have you been Muslim?

Since I was 13. The way that happened was very weird. I was reading the Bible and watching "Roots" at the same time, and that's when I made a decision to trace back my root. I found that most of my people were from West Africa, and I decided to connect myself to to the proper god.

Do you consider it your duty to address spirituality?

I've always written about the plight of the people and what is going on in every area -- not just in Indy or even America. I feel that's my responsibility to hip-hop. I'm taking responsibility for all the things wrong with hip-hop, because it does need to be repaired.

What is your opinion of the national hip-hop scene?

If it weren't for Common, Kanye, Lupe Fiasco -- people of that nature -- I don't think it would survive. They're like a breath of fresh air when there is so much ignorance going on.

Why do you think that is?

People not studying. If you have a 12-year-old kid who wants to be a hip-hop artist, he is not going to be successful without knowing what that truly means. For instance, I have always studied five MCs: Rakim, Chuck D., KRS-One, Big Daddy Kane and Nas, in that order. And if it weren't for people like them, I would have studied gangsta rap.

Did gangsta rap speak to you at all as a kid?

When I was 13 I was visiting my aunt in Mississippi, and this guy named Will Jr. used to drive around playing "Dope Man" by NWA. And I hated that song. And that same day, I saw "Night of the Living Bassheads" on "Yo! MTV Raps" and that's what made me start writing.

Do you see Indy as a viable place for a hip-artist to launch his career?

I think the people here, when it comes to hip-hop and things of that nature, is that everybody is really trendy. That is part of the reason why Indy doesn't have a major artists. We always get looked at as "local" artists. I could leave and do a tour and still come back and be looked at as a local artist. I don't consider myself to be a local artist. If you listen to my songs, I've only done maybe one that's dedicated to Indy. That's because I try to get people to try to look at us as something other than local artists. The hip-hop community in Indianapolis, many of our mindsets are very worldly. When we sit down and we write a song, we aren't trying to think about how local we are.