Mr. Robinson's neighborhood

Joe Fergus Jr. and Stefan Forbes have produced big-budget music videos for Aaron Carter, George Clinton, and hip-hop duo Smiles and Southstar. They've also worked with Lou Pearlman, the man behind pop sensations the Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync.

This weekend and next, they'll be hard at work making a new video. But this time, the set won't be a movie soundstage or include a giant green screen. Instead, the shoot will take place on Blue Hill Avenue and feature hip-hop heavyweight Dre Robinson, the man many believe is poised to put the Boston scene on the map.

Andre ''Dre" Robinson, 27, is slim and charismatic, his hair meticulously braided in rows, his signature shades a constant companion. He says he's blessed to have a chance to make music after growing up on the rough streets of Dorchester, around Norfolk Street, Woodrow Avenue, and Ballou Avenue. He calls it the Bermuda Triangle of Death.

Onstage, Robinson, who opens for Mobb Deep Tuesday at Lupo's in Providence, is a passionate MC, often glistening with sweat halfway through his first song. His voice is fluid and distinct, changing with the tempo and subject of each song. Listening to Notorious BIG, Mobb Deep, Nas, Rakim, and Jay-Z helped him hone his talents as a wordsmith and freestylist. He often works a cappella, blending metaphors with his battle raps, defiantly staking his claim as the top hip-hop artist in the city.

''He's the real deal," Jesse Christopher, co-owner of Cambridge's Massive Records, says of Robinson. ''He's got the best chance out of anyone to do something. . . . He's a monster talent."

The video for ''Oh Yeah," the first single off Robinson's July 18 debut, ''This is Me," will follow him as he picks up friends, partygoers, and family along Blue Hill Avenue and the Dorchester neighborhoods where he grew up. The plan is that it will culminate with a cookout and party in Milton.

The video will showcase Simco's Takeout in Mattapan and other ''icons of the hood," Forbes says. Fergus promises that the video will be ''hood fresh" and will feature cameos by many local hip-hop artists.

''It's fun to win with your friends," Forbes said of working with Robinson. The 39-year-old Forbes, who grew up in North Cambridge and learned filmmaking from his father, is best known for his work on the MTV documentary ''Diddy Runs the City," about hip-hop mogul Sean ''Diddy" Combs and his quest to run the New York City Marathon. ''It's incredibly hard to break an artist in this era of corporate music. The video is only one component, but it has to look incredible."

Forbes's business partner, Fergus, 32, wears many hats. Known in hip-hop circles as Joe Politics for his business savvy, he owns Boston-based Pollymore Music. Robinson was the first artist Fergus signed to the label and now serves as the hype man for Robinson's onstage performances.

The hip-hop game is nothing new to Fergus; he used to be known as Dag Most in the groundbreaking Boston hip-hop group Concrete Click, whose early '90s hits include ''Keep it Street." ''He opened up for Biggie," Forbes said excitedly, referring to the slain hip-hop legend. ''That's a serious link to hip-hop history." The two have been partners since 1996, when they met on the set of a music video for Boston hip-hop legend Edo G.

Now it's Robinson who's putting Boston in the spotlight, and he's gearing up for a crazy summer. ''This is Me" is slated for nationwide distribution through Fontana/Universal. Robinson recorded more than 60 tracks for the album and whittled the list down to the slickest 18.

The album features guest appearances by Mobb Deep, Remi Martin, J Mills, Papoose, Ryan Toby (formerly of City High), and dancehall star Mr. Lexxus. Robinson also has a mixtape prequel to the album called ''The Mass Jewel" which will be hosted by NYC's Hot 97 DJ Kay Slay, and is due sometime in June. If that weren't enough, he's hoping to jump on tour with Ice Cube in the coming months.

The most emotional track on the new album is called ''Searching," on which Robinson discusses the complexities of his past, including the deaths of his mother and father. Born in Jamaica, Robinson spent his early years in Brooklyn with his mother as his father hustled, traveling between Boston and New York. When he was 10, his father lost his life to street violence and Robinson was sent to live with his grandmother in Dorchester. His mother followed, but she wasn't always around. So Robinson hung out with friends on the block. His mother died of cancer when he was 23, and Robinson took custody of his younger brother, Ricardo.

''Writing the song was easy," Robinson says. ''Recording it was hard. I had to step out of the booth, get myself together, and go back in and finish it up."

Given the buzz surrounding his upcoming release, does Robinson feel the eyes of the local hip-hop community on him?

''They're putting a heavy load on me to put the Bean on the map or to get the Bean recognized," Robinson says. ''[But] I take it in stride because this is what I want to do. I want to help Boston get to where we're trying to get to. It's bigger than Dre Robinson. We're not tapped into by the major industry, and if I'm the one that can tap into it and have them come here and check for other cats, then so be it, that's my task."

Dre Robinson performs at Lupo’s in Providence on Tuesday. Tickets are $25-$35. Call 401-331-5876 or visit www.ticketmaster.com.