Meet Mark Battles, the rapper who’s ready to come home

The most popular homegrown rapper in Indianapolis has never played a show in his city.

Mark Battles will erase that biographical note when he headlines a concert this weekend at Live Event Centre, a west side venue formerly known as Club Tropicana.

Local fans have watched Battles land two albums on Billboard magazine's Heatseekers chart, build a Twitter audience of 204,000 followers and forge a partnership with noted Chicago producer No I.D. (known for producing songs for Jay-Z and Kanye West).

And the Pike High School alum is no novice at performing. Battles has toured throughout the United States since 2012.

An all-ages show in Indianapolis has been a planned milestone for the rapper, who includes the city's area code in his Twitter profile name — @markbattles317. The time for such a performance has arrived, he said.

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“I can’t imagine myself being happy if Indianapolis isn’t part of my success,” Battles said. “Even if I’ve kind of made it without my city being behind me, it’s way different now.”

Enjoying an "overnight" surge in popularity, Battles said he's approached by local well-wishers and autograph seekers when he's out and about.

Check out 10 burning questions and answers about his rising career:

1. Why not sooner? On the topic of a hometown show, Battles said his delay wasn't a sign of disrespect. "You don't think I realize I've done six tours and I haven't come home? I just wanted to save this until I could bring a couple thousand people and it would be an entire event and not something that’s forgotten about the next day. I want people to talk about this show for 10 to 15 years," he said.

2. Where has he been? Battles launched the live aspect of his career in the unlikely town of Yelm, Wash., a suburb of Olympia. He said listeners in the Northwest continue to be strong supporters of his music, which doesn't focus on "street" stories of drugs and violence. Battles, who attended seven different Indianapolis schools "in rough areas" from middle school through graduation, said many people he grew up with didn't rally around his approach. “They’re looking at me like, ‘Why is he doing this happy, positive music? I know where he’s from,’ “ Battles said. “But even when I was in those areas, I was in the back of the class writing poetry and thinking of movie scripts.”

3. What happened in Indianapolis? Battles said his family's financial struggles led to frequent moves and a cycle of high schools that included Manual, Howe and Pike. He said he's never tried any drug and he doesn't partake in caffeine, alcohol or cigarettes. "I'm a very hard person to influence," he said. Battles and two siblings, an older sister and a younger brother, were involved in a headline-making car accident a decade ago. His brother, 14-year-old Carl, was killed during a morning drive to Pike High on Aug. 31, 2006. “It’s crazy it’s been that long," Battles said. "It seems like yesterday. I have dreams all the time that he’s still here.”

4. What’s his musical style? Battles said his repertoire has evolved since debut single "Last Night" collected fans thanks to what he calls a "happy, positive vibe." Today, he describes his music as a roller-coaster. "You really have to be in touch with how you feel about yourself and the decisions you’re making," he said. "It’s always up and down. One day, I’m the man. The next day I’m almost crying on the songs.”

5. What’s his message? Battles established a catchphrase with "threes," which isn't a reference to basketball or the first digit in our "317" area code. "Threes" is based on a hand gesture Battles devised in middle school. Noticing the "P" shape made when connecting his index finger and thumb next to three extended fingers, Battles assigned the terms peace, positivity and perseverance to the gesture. “I’ve been saying it since I was 13 or 14 years old,” Battles said. “Now, everybody has their own idea of what it means.”

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6. What's his social-media secret? If you don't know Battles for his music, you may have noticed his brand-building on Twitter. In addition to 204,000 followers, he's racked up more than 116,000 tweets since joining the social-media network in January 2011. That breaks down to about 56 daily tweets. Battles said he specializes in two-hour blitzes of tweets, retweets and replies. "I have a way of making it look I’m on there a lot more than I am," he said. "By the time everyone catches up to everything I did, I haven’t been on Twitter for six hours."

7. Why isn’t Indianapolis on the hip-hop map? Battles announced his association with No I.D.'s ARTium Recordings in May, making him a label mate of Common and Vince Staples on the imprint distributed through major label Def Jam and its owner, Universal Music Group. To reach uncharted mainstream success for an Indianapolis hip-hop act, Battles said he will remain focused on timing, planning and research. “You have to build relationships in the music industry, no matter how good you are or how talented you are," he said. "There’s going to be somebody who can close the door on you, and they may the only one who can open it up.”

8. How did he do it? Battles said he's made it this far by consistently hitting the road, recording music and releasing videos. "It’s trying to stay in front of the fans and connect with a lot of artists who are coming up at the same time as me," he said. Recent single "No Love" featured Arizona's Futuristic and Maryland native King Los as guest artists. This fall, Battles will tour with Las Vegas rapper Dizzy Wright.

9. What's his team? Battles and fellow Pike alum DJ Yung 1 co-founded independent label Fly America in 2011. Battles said he and Yung 1 were influenced by Taylor Gang, Wiz Khalifa's artist and fan community. "We needed a name that everybody could connect to and feel like they’re a part of," Battles said. "What’s better than using our country? We can all relate to that."

10. Why sign with ARTium? Battles closed one chapter of his career with "Before the Deal," his 2016 album that serves as a victory lap of sorts for his success as an independent artist. By working with No I.D., Battles will be heard by even more ears. “What I’m hoping for is just more mainstream exposure," he said. "Just the opportunity to be seen on more platforms I can’t get myself to yet.”

Mark Battles

• WHEN: 7 p.m. Sept. 16.

• WHERE: Live Event Centre, 6447 W. Washington St.

• TICKETS: $20 to $150.

• INFO: Visit FlyAmericaTour.com or call (317) 200-9926.

Call Star reporter David Lindquist at (317) 444-6404. Follow him on Twitter: @317Lindquist.