One of the special things about Supervision — the opening act on the Seagram's Gin Live tour, which wraps up Saturday in Houston and features Mystikal, Ginuwine, Jaheim and Public Announcement — is that the Los Angeles-based rapper can't see the crowd's reaction to his sets.

He's blind.

Don't expect Supervision — whose debut album, Supervision Presents 20/20, is scheduled for August 28 release — to dwell on his condition, however. He regards himself as a championship-caliber hip-hop artist, and Supervision Presents 20/20 is an intense collection featuring Ja Rule on "My Crew" and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony on "Music Makes Me High." Supervision considers it his mission to show the world that blind artists can compete in any field.

"I feel like I have to deliver sight to these mentally and socially blind fools," he said. "There's a lot of false, stereotypical things people think about a person who is blind, young and black. Being blind, people don't think I should be athletic or conditioned. I'm a nicely built brother. I can take off my shirt onstage. People are shocked to see that."

Supervision reaches out to female fans on the album's bouncy lead single, "Superstar," addressing their stardom above the glittery beats of Anthony "Spunk Bigga" Blagmon, a Timbaland Music producer.

While many rappers are quick to objectify women in their music, Supervision wants his music to appeal to both sexes.

"I want to campaign for and conquer the woman's vote," he said. "When I'm in the streets and clubs doing whatever I'm doing, I notice women are the majority going to concerts or buying records. This record's most definitely for the clubs and for the women to get their bounce on. I want them to know they're all superstars whether they're black, white, Asian, Spanish, whatever."

Supervision, who was hit in the eye with a broken bottle at age six, feels the same way about himself. A subsequent eye disease cost him his vision, but instilled in him the desire to succeed.

He became fascinated with hip-hop at age 11 and developed his rapping skills over the next several years. In 1997, he competed in a freestyle battle with a pre-fame Eminem at Rap Sheet's Rap Olympics and has performed in the Los Angeles area.

Supervision practiced rapping in a variety of flows during his formative years.

"On 'Superstar' you'll hear the unique diversity of my flow. I'm speeding it up and slowing it down," he said. "I want to let you know I'm an MC who can do many styles. I run the gamut. I'm a universal MC who happens to be sightless, but I have infinite mental vision."

Like blind musicians before him, Supervision wants to make it easier for the next blind musicians to emerge.

"When Ray Charles hit the scene, there was more room for Stevie Wonder," he said. "There's more room for Supervision at this point. I'm ready to take my place as the blind wonder of hip-hop and really put a whole 'nother perspective to this hip-hop game."

He can see it coming.