Dru B Shinin’ sat down on a used sofa, lit up a cigarette and talked about hip-hop in Fort Worth.

Dru B Shinin’, whose real name is Andrew McCollough, expanded his career as a rap artist when he opened a Fort Worth recording studio in October 2011.

Although McCollough graduated from TCU with a degree in education in 2005, music defined his TCU experience, he said. The open-minded environment at TCU encouraged McCollough to center his rhymes around life, not a “gangster fantasy world,” he said.

McCollough said he was unsure of what he wanted to do with his degree, but he aspired to help young people stay away from violence and drugs. Hip-hop helped him stay relatable to younger generations.

“You can’t run up on a sixth grader and say ‘Yo, there’s bad stuff happening,’” McCollough said. “But if you show them jamming music, they might pick up on it.”

Now, he assists Fort Worth rappers from all genres who want to develop their skills and ideologies.

“If you want to be a political ‘I hate the government’ rapper, then be that, but we’ll help you clean it up,” McCollough said.

Nick Velarde, McCollough’s manager, said the studio at 2233 North Main St. gave Dru B Shinin’ a place to meet and to gain legitimacy.

Velarde said McCollough’s record label, Sphere Music Group, made an abstract dream of making music into a reality.

Irv Jones, McCollough’s producer, said Fort Worth hip-hop was virtually nonexistent when McCollough first started making music in the area.

McCollough said he believed he has developed a distinct brand of music that resonates with Fort Worth’s live music enthusiasts.

Certain genres of rap are as different as heavy metal and indie rock, McCollough said. The trick for McCollough was catering his hip-hop to Fort Worth music lovers.

“Fort Worth is a band city,” McCollough said.

As a result, McCollough formed a band soon after he graduated.

Guitarist Greg Shark said he brought live musical creativity to McCollough’s rap.

Shark was part of the rock act that played for McCollough during some of his performances. Gradually, members of the band lost interest in the music project, and only Shark and Jones stayed on board.

The trio gave audiences a musical experience beyond computers and keyboards, Shark said.

Jones, who goes by the moniker EyeJay, blended McCollough’s rap and Shark’s guitar to create an authentic sound, he said, and that blend has experienced success on Berry Street. The Cellar, Fusion Inc. and The Aardvark have been important venues for McCollough’s musical development.

“All up and down Berry Street you will find live bands,” Jones said. “This is what Fort Worth loves. So this is what we gave them.”