CLT rapper catches NPR's ear with intimate new video

Charlotte rapper Deniro Farrar proves time and again that he's a complex artist with a checkered past and an enlightened present that includes his two toddler sons Britain and Kaidyn and heading up a book club (his Cult Rap Book Club's first read was "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coehlo). NPR premiered the video for the new track "Nostalgia" on "Songs We Love" Wednesday. (There are a few choice words in the clip).

Farrar's tracks and videos can share the unnerving realism of street life, economic strife, crime and the mistakes made when your world is narrowed by violence, drugs, and poverty. But he also taps into the importance of family, the role of women, and the ability to rise above your circumstances through smarter choices.

Farrar's latest video features his family here in Charlotte and most notably Britain and Kaidyn, who trump every booty shaking video vixen as the two cutest, most charming, eye catching video stars ever. If you follow Farrar on Instagram you are familiar with these two cuties, but the video is more than cute. The biting lyrics dole out both the good and bad of Farrar's West Charlotte upbringing (one of eight children of a single mother). His accounts can be jarring, but he also uses them to fuel his commitment to being a better father.

Farrar's dichotomy as a former `hood and loving father isn't a put-on to sell records either. His younger brother Anthonio "Tune" Farrar was recently sentenced to 18 years in prison for the murder of Benjamin McDaniel, who was shot during a marijuana deal gone wrong according to court records. Farrar admits that at one time he could've just have easily landed in jail. Instead he tries to set an example for others not to repeat his brother's mistakes.

You can bet you'll be hearing more from Farrar in the next year. He is scheduled to release his next EP "Guilty Until Proven Innocent" on Warner Bros Records this winter.