When you're talking about Valley artists who have logged a lot of miles on the road, one of our most frequent flyers, or drivers in this case, is rapper/producer Coley Cole.

Cole is a Visalia native, who polished his style in rap battles and in record stores, digging through crates of old records for stuff to sample. He left Visalia to attend the University of California, Santa Cruz and when he finished school, his rap career took off.

He's toured and released music with his own crew, Lost and Found Generation, but also done production for and jumped on tours with indie rap heavyweights such as Sage Francis.

He performs his first hometown show in a while on Saturday, as part of the Summer Jam Showcase at the Main Street Theater in Visalia. Diego Redd, Sole Profit, The Skinny Fat Kids and Ghetto Society are also performing. We chatted with Coley Cole to see what he's been up to.

Question: Cole, I know it's been a minute since you performed out here in the Valley, what have you been up to?
Answer: Two west coast tours (including Arizona, Nevada, Idaho and Montana) with Sage Francis and The Chicharones (Josh Martinez and Sleep), a two-month, 40-show nationwide tour with Rhymesayers artist Grayskul, Much production for such cats as A-plus from Souls of Mischief. I produced two tour albums for Grayskul in the last two years, Plus I produced three songs on their new full length Rhymesayers release including tracks featuring Cage and Blueprint. That is due for release on Halloween 2006. I've been traveling, building, networking and straight hustling. I've produced many tracks for upcoming Oldominion releases and my man Sayre's new solo record. I'm just about to start working on my new solo record. And there have been talks with certain vats from Fresno about some secret collabs on albums yet to be disclosed.

Basically, no sleep, hungry, broke, but I'm a soldier. My heart beats this music and there's a lot a good people, in fact some of my favorites putting faith in me and it fuels me. I'm thankful, but I won't stop, 'cause nothing's handed to you in the music game and that's the realest advice I can give. I been payin' my dues for years now and there's still plenty work to be done.

Give us the low down on that mixtape you just put out.
I was getting ready for this tour and didn't have enough solo material for a tour album, so I decided to put together everything I've worked on for myself and others. So, I got the tracks I've done and produced for other people and had Hecktik host and mix it. There's a song with legendary O.C., MyG and me. I got a chance to do a cut with my homey Zion from the Zion I crew outta the Bay. Diego Redd blessed one of the best songs on the mixtape. Cats from Cali, to Portland, Seattle, New York and back, just came through. Plus brand new exclusive cuts from myself (solo material) and both of my crews LFG and Oldominion -- 22 tracks all produced by me except two produced by Mr. Hill (Grayskul and Kool Keith). It had been awhile since I dropped "Goldplated Straightjackets," so I needed to let the people know what I been up to, keep 'em interested, at least that was the plan. Cop it, you won't be disappointed, there is something for everyone on there.

What's your take on this show on Saturday night in Visalia?
I'm excited, I've done few shows in the Valley, better yet in Visalia. They pretty much put together a line up of Valley people that put it down and it's about time we can all get together and build and do a show. Plus it's in my home city, so it's sort of a homecoming after coming off the nationwide tour. It's a blessing and I want it to go off without a hitch. Plus, we're starving in the Valley for live music and if it goes good maybe they'll realize that these events are good for the youth and that there is a need for events like this yadidi mean?

You live in Santa Cruz, right? How often do you actually come back to the Valley?
I'm in the Valley a lot, I'm a family person, whether family means homies or blood, plus one week I'll be in Visalia, one week Santa Cruz, the next month Seattle. I'm a work horse and I love the Valley that's where my heart is and my folks are at, but I have many things in the works all over the West Coast, plus "family" everywhere and to me this music thing is nothing without that.

I know you recently did a date with Atmosphere, that's pretty much the top of indie hip-hop right there, what was that like?
What can I say, it was off the chain. Slug became a homey through Grayskul. He let us all stay with him in Minneapolis, he's just good people. He put me on the show 'cause he was coming through. His shows are always sold out. It was one of the hottest shows of the year I think. Los Nativos, Brother Ali, Slug everyone killed it and we had fun.

You've been all around the country touring in the last couple years, do you have any favorite places that you've been?
West Coast is the best coast, I can't lie, man. I love Seattle in the summertime. Virginia was off the chain. New York was dope. Hollywood is always a hot place to do shows. Austin is bangin'. Man there is too many to name, but I'll say that before music I'd never been outside Cali, except Arizona, Nevada and Tijuana, so to be able to rep the Valley and travel doing what I love, is truly a blessing from the most high. Oh yeah, Cinci is dope, too, we had a good time with the homey Mr. Dibbs, that's what's up. And Philly -- the history in the place is dope. Them cheese steaks are no joke.

Aside from rapping, you've also become a pretty sought-after producer, do prefer one over the other? Or are you trying to do everything Kanye-style?
Truthfully I love diggin' [for vinyl], so production is big for me. Rappin is my stuff, too though. I couldn't really say. I love both. I just love reppin' for the fam in my spot Visalia. I don't know if I could just give up one for the other. Some people love my beats, don't care for the rapping or vice versa, some love both. I just do what comes out, feel me?

What's coming up next for you?
A new solo record, more tours, more beats for bigger artists and the artists I've been working with. More work with Grayskul and Oldominion. New mixtapes. Me and Fresno's finest Diego Redd have been talking about doing a project together, we'll see how it all pans out. Just grindin', reppin', hustlin' hard with this music and not lettin' anything get me down. Tryin' to discover artists in other cities to collab with, just really pushin' with all my blood, sweat and tears.

Any final words?
Peace to the Central Valley. Peace to every kid doin their thing, don't let nobody tell you that you can't express yourself. Do it for you. Peace to all the people who come out to the shows on tour and give a cat you don't know a chance. Everyone get behind the Fresno artists, Diego Redd and the Undaworld, Hecktik Sole Profit, Section 8, Skoolyard, etc. Everybody build and unite and trust me, this thing will move faster and smoother for everyone in the Central Valley. Peace to the Visalia fam, Oldominion, Lost and Found and my Santa Cruz peeps. Everyone keep ya head up out here in this heat and come see the show.

RELATED LINKS
Coley Cole homepage
Coley Cole MySpace (With audio)
Coley Cole Tunetown article
Lost & Found Generation Tunetown article