Juggling family, business and his ceaseless quest for knowledge, Roshaun Davis, a.k.a. Truth Arises In Search, plans the next move for himself, his clients and his group, Righteous Movement.

In his cramped workspace devoted to his endeavors with Unseen Heroes Consulting Group, Davis oversees scheduling arrangements, booking details and manages other artists, but he says his main goal is “trying to take over the world.”

While he’s not looking to physically dominate the globe and impose his will on humanity, Davis does want to gain notoriety for his efforts.

So far, his diligent work ethic has paid off.

Righteous Movement has been nominated for Sammies, the music awards handed out annually by the Sacramento News and Review to outstanding local artists, in each of the last four years. The group hasn’t won in its genre yet, but last year Righteous Movement took home the award for third best overall.

Davis has been nominated for the outstanding emcee of 2009, a new Sammie’s category. The 2009 Sammies will be held on June 27 at Ceasar Chavez park. Anyone can vote on the nominees selected by SNR writers starting Thursday.

“It’s pretty dope,” he said. “It shows people are listening to the words more.”

Davis has been a graffiti artist, a break dancer, DJ, and a beat composer, but he is focusing on writing rhymes for the time being.

“It’s not about doing it all?it’s about trying to master one of them,” he said.

He said he most enjoys performing on stage and likens himself to Michigan J. Frog, the former mascot of the now-defunct Warner Brothers network.

His first show on stage was in 2002 at Righteous Movement’s first performance in Lake Tahoe. He said he was so nervous he stood still with his eyes closed and recited lyrics.

“We have footage from back in the day where you could see it – every show – eyes closed, arm under the other arm just spitting my rhymes,” he said.

So where did the nickname come from? As is normal for Davis, he started with a big picture and worked backwards.

Davis said the letters “T” “A” “I” and “S” were the easiest for him to graffiti. After countless hours reading philosophy, Davis had an epiphany: Truth arises in search; T.A.I.S. was born.

“T.A.I.S. is just one extension of me,” Davis said. “Roshaun has a business going on. He’s a father and a family man?It’s Superman and Clark Kent.”

Theek is one of the original members of Righteous Movement and a close friend of Davis. The two met while working at a retail store and quickly discovered their mutual passion for hip-hop. He said he admires Davis’ thoughtful nature as well as his respect and focus. “If we (Righteous Movement) were Voltron, T.A.I.S. would be the head.”

One of Theek’s favorite memories of Davis is about the small studio he had set up in his house when they first met. Although Theek had few – if any – kind words to say about the quality of the studio, he was thoroughly impressed by Davis’ devotion to his most prized possession. “He was like an old man pushing around a cart. He loved that studio.”

Davis’ sobriety and ability to stay away from trouble also impresses Theek. “We will all be doing shots of Jameson or Sailor Jerry after shows, but T.A.I.S. heads straight home if he isn’t selling merchandise.”

Maritza Villegas, a Sac State graduate who majored in communications and minored in public relations, manages Davis’ career – and several other artists’ – at Unseen Heroes. The two met in class three years ago when the instructor wanted students to introduce themselves to each other. Villegas started going to his shows and was helping him and Righteous Movement set up shows and appearances within a year.

What impresses her about Davis is his ability to balance a variety of roles, meet his goals and still stay down-to-earth.

“He’s hardworking, diligent and fun to be around…Everyone who knows him likes him.” Villegas also said she admires how Davis is always trying to further his education and learn more.

An avid reader, Davis enjoys studying psychology and history.

He said he learned a great deal about history through hip-hop. The journalism graduate would listen to his favorite artists, such as Common and the Wu-Tang Clan, and write down the names of historical figures mentioned in their songs.

“If they mentioned ‘Nat Turner’ I would write down ‘Nat Turner,'” he said.

Davis said he started with poetry and progressed to lyricism, but specifically remembers his moment of inspiration. He was in Germany, in the fifth grade and had just learned about Frederick Douglas.

“That’s when I wanted to be a writer,” he said. “I remember doing this little school project and I mirrored him in that.”

Davis gets nostalgic and disappointed when talking about modern emcees who don’t appreciate – or understand – the art form.

He said the West Coast doesn’t have a lot of what he calls “Party Rock,” where the lyricists on stage get the crowd excited for the DJ and everyone throws energy around like a “beach ball.”

But Davis is cautious about just being a hype man. He said it’s important to entertain “first and foremost,” but you need to “sneak” some intellectual lines in there between a few other party tracks.

“You can’t get up there preaching the whole time and you can’t be up there acting an ass the whole time,” he said.

What’s lacking from Davis’ persona is the stereotypical arrogance and brazen self-centeredness associated with rappers. Even though hip-hop – as it exists today – is based on the lyricist’s ego and image, Davis says hip-hop is bigger than him and understanding that gets him through the frustration. He also doesn’t believe in tearing other people apart to make a name for himself.

Clearly there are less talented artists making more money than him with a much larger following, but he doesn’t begrudge them or their fans.

“Who am I to say what they’re saying isn’t relevant to them or the people who are listening to it?”

Righteous Movement is in the process of putting out a new album. However, the group doesn’t want to release something it feels is sub-par, and that has slowed the process.

Davis said the album will be titled “Colored People’s Time” because of the stereotype that blacks are always late. He said it started as a joke but ended up sticking.

“People ask when the next album is coming out and we tell them it is called CP Time for a reason,” he said.

There is a tattooed maze on Davis’ left forearm that looks like a jumbled mess from a distance but it unfolds his life story upon closer inspection. Amidst the overlapping and crossing paths, words such as “life,” “death” and “destiny” pop out. Life and death are on opposite sides of his forearm, while destiny sits outside the maze.

“Each one of these lines represents a choice in life you make,” he said.

“Equality,” “love,” “intimacy,” “God,” and “knowledge” are just a few of the ideals or entities that are housed inside the maze.

“Hopefully before you die, you can touch as many of them as possible.”

Davis, a self-described “army brat” was born in Sacramento but moved frequently due to his parents’ military duties. He says it was a mixed blessing. He made friends and was exposed to a variety of cultures, but he wasn’t able to form long-lasting relationships during his youth.

Davis said a major turning point in his life was the birth of his now 7-year-old son. He was enrolled at Sacramento City College at the time his son was born and realized that he needed to concentrate on providing for his son instead of getting intoxicated.

“It’s a good thing; he looks up to me and thinks I’m the coolest dad in the world,” he said.

He enjoys being able to teach him everything he didn’t know at that age and taking him on stage as well.

The knowledge Davis has accumulated from being a father, a businessman, a publicist, an entertainer and a lyricist, coupled with his pragmatic nature, may just be enough to help him achieve his goal to take over the world.

Jordan Guinn can be reached at [email protected]