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CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Hip-hop duo Sam "Meuwl" Harshbarger and Bryan "B. Rude" Rude, aka The Rabble Rousers, have a certain low-rent charm. Undeniably scruffy, unpolished and almost obliviously vulgar, the pair offers a distinct alternative to the Charleston music scene's typical blend of rock, jazz fusion and death metal.

"We're not looking to change the world," Harshbarger said. "We're just doing our thing."

Sitting on a couple of chairs in a friend's basement, The Rabble Rousers acknowledge that they're an unlikely act. There just aren't a lot of white rappers playing the clubs in West Virginia. The state is better known for country, folk and old-time music. Most of the bars and clubs in the area feature rock or country acts.

It doesn't matter. They'll play anywhere anybody will let them, whether it's a pool hall, the YMCA or a friend's basement.

The Rabble Rousers have been together for years, although often they've been billed under their own names instead of as a single unit. The pair's back-and-forth style is reminiscent of acts like Cyprus Hill, The Beastie Boys and even Insane Clown Posse.

Some of their raps are conversations between the two. Others are musical orations with one message delivered by two alternating voices. A lot of it's playful; some of it's silly. Maybe the point is that, at a club or a house party, nobody needs to take anything too seriously.

"We write a lot of songs about snacks, video games and life on the couch," Harshbarger said.

"We don't go out of the realm of what we know," Rude added.

And every day, there's new material.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Hip-hop duo Sam "Meuwl" Harshbarger and Bryan "B. Rude" Rude, aka The Rabble Rousers, have a certain low-rent charm. Undeniably scruffy, unpolished and almost obliviously vulgar, the pair offers a distinct alternative to the Charleston music scene's typical blend of rock, jazz fusion and death metal.

"We're not looking to change the world," Harshbarger said. "We're just doing our thing."

Sitting on a couple of chairs in a friend's basement, The Rabble Rousers acknowledge that they're an unlikely act. There just aren't a lot of white rappers playing the clubs in West Virginia. The state is better known for country, folk and old-time music. Most of the bars and clubs in the area feature rock or country acts.

It doesn't matter. They'll play anywhere anybody will let them, whether it's a pool hall, the YMCA or a friend's basement.

The Rabble Rousers have been together for years, although often they've been billed under their own names instead of as a single unit. The pair's back-and-forth style is reminiscent of acts like Cyprus Hill, The Beastie Boys and even Insane Clown Posse.

Some of their raps are conversations between the two. Others are musical orations with one message delivered by two alternating voices. A lot of it's playful; some of it's silly. Maybe the point is that, at a club or a house party, nobody needs to take anything too seriously.

"We write a lot of songs about snacks, video games and life on the couch," Harshbarger said.

"We don't go out of the realm of what we know," Rude added.

And every day, there's new material.

Rude and Harshbarger grew up on hip-hop, punk and the sort of underground independent music that's typically not available at the local record store but is often traded from friend to friend or fan to fan. Now in their 20s, the two say hip-hop gets a bad rap by the uninitiated, who want to dismiss it as derivative.

"Hip hop," Harshbarger said, "allows you the opportunity to teach yourself."

It's also more open to gimmicks, to unusual and innovative techniques. The Rabble Rousers perform without a backing band or even computerized tracks. Instead, the music for their shows is programmed onto a memory card plugged into a handheld Sony PSP videogame console.

Other hip-hop performers, they've heard, use mp3 players and iPods. They said tried mp3 players, but the results weren't satisfactory. Both say the PSP is solid technology. It does what it's supposed to and that's what matters. The only serious downside is that they periodically misplace it. Harshbarger, who is currently unemployed, says he's pawned his a couple of times.

"We haven't lost our PSP in a while," Rude said. "Not since I took control of our gear."

The PSP is portable and serves their needs for the time being, they said, but they'd love to add a live backing band. It's not anything they expect to be able to do soon, though.

Performing hip-hop has been an adventure. Harshbarger says his first few shows were painful to watch, but there's a natural toughening process that comes with getting in front of a crowd. Rude laughs and remembers when he opened for some punk rock bands at an all-ages show. The moody, scary kids didn't think much of him and barely understood what he was doing.

These days, getting a show is easier. The crowds are more willing to allow themselves to enjoy what The Rabble Rousers are doing.

"We may have to work harder," Harshbarger said, "but we were going to do it anyway."

Reach Bill Lynch at ly...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-5195.