CL - I'm Down Freestyle (Maybe Tomorrow September 1st)

Ballerstatus.com: Trey Songz Interview: Ready For Takeover

Tremaine Neverson. Trey Songz. The man is a rare commodity in this insipid game. He’s like the sprinkles to your vanilla ice cream, the 24 inches to your new ride. How would I know? Ask every teenage girl whose estrogen level is bursting with furor every time the man’s name is uttered through the TV set. Rather than remix songs in a languid manner, Songz has vivaciously enlightened people with his impressive catalog of tracks ranging from Jamie Foxx’s “Blame It”, to T-Pain’s “Can’t Believe It”, to Jasmine Sullivan’s “Busting Windows.”

He might not have received the accolades. He might not have gone diamond, but, Songz has undeniably provided his listeners reasons as to why he was chosen as Ballerstatus’ “Hottest R&B Artist in The Game” this past July.

His latest endeavor entitled Anticipation sparked the attention of men and women alike. Tracks like “Yo Side of the Bed, & “Scratching Me Up” gave fans of Songz a good reason to be patient, and await his highly anticipated--no pun intended—release album Ready, scheduled to drop September 1st.

Ballerstatus was able to sit down with Songz, as he discussed being crowned the top singer in the game, if there’s a difference between Trey Songz & Tremaine Neverson, a Best of Both Worlds album with Drake, and more in this exclusive interview.


BS: A while ago Ballerstatus named you the "Hottest R&B Singer in the Game.”Does that title provide additional pressure for you to really follow through on this album?

TS: Oh most definitely. For the fact that Ballerstatus has a big following and a lot of people—a lot of people around the world too--agreeing with that—made me feel real good. You know at this point, the pressure is on period. You know, whether they named me number one or number ten, it’s going to be the same pressure for me because I put that pressure on myself to be the best.

BS: Normally when a person receives accolades, they tend to relax. How do you remain hungry and maintain that grind that got you to where you’re at?

TS: Ah man, it’s the will to be great. It’s my desire to be the best at what I do. I actually love my job. I love making music, and I love proving to people that I’m worthy of being mentioned with the best, with the elite. It’s always been a goal of mine just to make sure within myself I stay persistent, and to never let myself down. With that being said, I go hard. That’s the only way for me to go.

BS: A lot of people said since you didn’t have the awards to back you up, that you shouldn’t have been the top dude in the game? Do you feel awards should be accounted for a person’s success or quality of music?

TS: I think it’s definitely quality of the music. I think awards play a part of what’s peoples’ perception of what success is you know? You know I think I was named number one by Ballerstatus this year because it’s apparent that I’ve worked harder than any other R&B artist out this year. I’ve been consistent. Awards and things of that nature are things that the public plays on occupation, and entertainment to show. You know what I mean? I would love to get these awards, and I feel that I will. But, I don’t think they determine the quality of an artist truthfully.

BS: Anticipation was a big release considering hardly any R&B cats provide their fans with mixtapes. Do you think R&B artists should consider doing mixtapes like rappers do for their fans?

TS: I mean, I think they should do what works for them. I have a hip-hop mind state. I think like a rapper. You know Anticipation is pretty much an album that sets the mood for love making and things of that nature. But, it’s still the marketing nature of a rapper because rappers never worry about how much music comes out. If you think about Wayne when he first came out, people thought he was crazy because he probably had so many songs out that you were like “Yo, he’s gonna kill himself.” And still to this day, he’s good. (Laughs) You know what I mean? Some artists still put samplers out. They still put samples of their album out. Anticipation is the sampler for me, which happened to be an album within itself. Like I said really, quality and persistence is definitely the key to win people over.

BS: You slightly just touched on this, but because you have the ability to rap, and sing, how much of a threat do you feel you pose on your fellow peers?

TS: I think I’m quite of a threat myself. (Laughs) As an artist you’re supposed to think so. If you’re an artist and you don’t think of yourself as a threat to anyone, then you’re not a real artist. If you’re an artist, and you don’t have that competitive spirit, then you won’t be a threat to this man, or the next man. It’s like what are you competing for? I think other people are threats as well though you know what I mean? I just focus on my lane, and work on perfecting my lane. I like to think of myself in a lot of cases as a horse in a race. When horses race they have blinders on. They can’t see the horses next to them. So I don’t focus on what’s going on with anyone else. I stay in that lane, and I run as hard as I can.

BS: You know Ne-Yo surprised people when he did freestyle on “A Milli”. In a freestyle battle, who do you think would take it one on one, you or Ne-Yo?

TS: Me.

BS: Why’s that?

TS: Just cuz I’m me and he’s him. I’m sure he’d think he would win. You’re supposed to think you would win. I don’t think I’d lose.

BS: Matter fact, give me a percentage of rappers you think you could rip today in a battle?

TS: The percentage of rappers I could rip in the game? Most of them, I’ll say that. There’s a lot of rappers out there. You know, even in my mixtapes, I ain’t rapping. I’m actually putting lyricism to melodies. I think of myself being pretty witty and clever. I know a lot of rappers who could put words together, but I’m singer man. (Laughs) So I don’t even play with those antics. (Laughs)

BS: Nah I dig it. Since you’re big on doing remixes on a lot of records, I’m curious, which song in particular was your personal favorite to do?

TS: A favorite remix of my own? Ah man. A personal favorite of mine is actually Kanye’s “Bad Newz”. I actually rapped on that record. I mean most of the records I’m singing on. I sing and rap, but I actually sang on the Kanye parts of that record, and rap at the end of it. I think that record means a lot to me from what I was talking about at that point of my life. At that point I was going through stuff.

BS: Another track I know you remixed but decided to put on the album was Drake’s “Successful” record. What made you decide to remix “Successful” and put it on the album?

TS: Well actually Drake came and hit me up about it man. He said he wasn’t putting it on his album Thank Me Later. It’s actually going on the retail version of So Far Gone; which is actually coming out in a couple of weeks. But, he wasn’t going to use it for his album. A lot of my fans would hit me up telling me; Man, that’s what I love about twitter. Just to give you a sidebar. You could hear directly from the fans, and what they want. You could give music directly to them, and if anything goes wrong, you could talk to them directly. But, a lot of my fans would come and tell me “You should put a verse on “Successful. Why haven’t you done “Successful “over?” I was like, “That’s my homie’s song.” Then initially, Drake came up to me with the idea like “Nah dog. That’s your song. I’m not putting it on my album. So it’s going to be a waste. So it’s going to be a big record with no one to go retrieve it.” So we put the verse on there just to give me a little more presence on the record for it to be on my album. You know we actually just shot the video for that verse as well.

BS: Because you and Drake have such chemistry together, do you think there’s a possibility that you two could do a Best of Both Worlds album in the future?

TS: It’s crazy because on the first record we actually did, on Drake’s last verse he says, “Since Jay {Z} and Kels {R. Kelly} aren’t doing the thang no more, I guess me and Songz are the replacements.” Back then, it was wild to hear him say that. Now it’s crazy cuz’ people are begging us to do an album together. It’s very possible man. I could see that in the realm of possibility. He has to put his album out, which he’s focused on right now, and I’m focused on Ready right now. Whenever the time for that permits, I’m sure that’ll happen.

BS: Speaking of Ready, a lot of people fell in love with Trey Day. Did you follow the same approach when you were making Ready as when you made Trey Day?

TS: Well this album was good for me once again you know because of the internet, I’ve been able to show that I know what people I like from me. And then, I know what I’m doing musically to my label, you know what I mean? Because with Trey Day actually; all albums have been a joint effort. With my two albums prior, it’s been more a tussle with the label to do exactly what I wanted to do. With this album, it’s been more; I always had a good amount of creative control, and I’ve been in a position where I wouldn’t do things that I absolutely would not wanna do. It’s a compromise when you work with a label because it’s a partnership. So I think, what the internet did for me, what Anticipation did for me, what the mixtapes did for me, and what the popularity of me growing throughout the internet without the label having any say on the music being made, I think made them listen to me more in a musical arena. I think the difference is throughout the time span that we’ve been working on the album, it probably changed like four or five times. Initially when I thought of the concept for Ready, I knew I was going to cut my hair. I knew I was going to get in the gym. I knew that this was my third album. I’ve had two before. So everyone who I knew I’ve came in the game with surpassed me as far as accolades and things of that nature that we spoke about earlier. I think Ready was stating that I was ready for things in that nature. Now, I think we actually worked to the point where the definition of Ready is for the world, because everybody is just as ready as I am for the album to come.

BS: Definitely. You brought up the issues with the label, and I was wondering, was the album being pushed back because of the label or did you want provide the fans with different sounds for the album?

TS: Well this album actually, every time it’s been pushed back, has been a decision made from myself, my management, and the label jointed. There’s nothing I ever been against as far as pushing the album back. Initially, when the first decision was made, I was making more music. I had actually turned ready in way back in probably May. Like I said, the album changed up like four times. I think I turned the album in, in May. Then I think we had a June 30th date. Yeah June 30th was the first date. That’s when I started making a lot of the music that was on Anticipation. After I turned the album in, I went back in the studio that week and kept creating music. It was already in my mind to release a mixtape before an album came out. When I started making music, it eventually became Anticipation. It was different from what we’ve had, and it’s what was missing from Ready. You know, I was in the creative space where I wanted more time to make more music. I was still feeling like I had hotter stuff within me. So it was pushed back from June 30th to August 4th. The push back from August 4th to September 1st was actually because of me being a business man. “I Need a Girl” was at a certain point. You know back in the day, the logic was that you get a record, and you try to time when it gets number 1. That was when you would probably have the most audience, and because of that you want to drop then. However, we’re in a different world now. On August 4th, I think “I Need a Girl” was at number four. I think it peaked actually at number four on the urban charts. Audience is very important when trying to sell a record. What an audience is; is the amount of people that actually hear your record. Whether it be from video spins, whether it be from radio spins, it’s whatever. That’s the audience. An artist of pretty good numbers usually has pretty good numbers. For example, his numbers his last album out, he had about 60 million in audience, and then did 125. At the time, “I Need a Girl” was only at 30 million in audience. So as a businessman, I figured with a month more I’d get “I Need a Girl” a bigger audience. Within that month, not even a month now, it’s been three weeks since that original release date, I’ve had four songs in rotation. Now had I released on August 4th, “Successful” wouldn’t have been on the album. “LOL (Smiley Face)” wouldn’t have been getting as many spins as its getting right now. “Invented Sex” definitely wouldn’t have been added to 15 radio stations. So right now, versus one record on the charts, I have a mixtape, four records on the radio, and I have three records in the top 20.

BS: Wow. That was smart. Good move. (Laughs)

TS: (laughs)

BS: I want to go a little different now if you don’t mind?

TS: Sure.

BS: Let’s play a word association game. Whatever I say, you just have to tell me the first thing that comes to mind.

TS: Fa Sho’

BS: Anticipation.

TS: Pre-album.

BS: R.Kelly.

TS: Legend.

BS: “Best I Ever Had” video.

TS: Kanye West.

BS: Lauren London.

TS: Great girl.

BS: Tremaine Neverson.

TS: A great guy.

BS: I was trying to see if you would bite on the R.Kelly one, but that’s all good.

TS: (laughs)

BS: But jumping back to the “Best I Ever Had” video, what did you think about it? Do you feel the video was appropriate for the type of song he had originally?

TS: You know I think in all honesty, if it had been Drake four years ago, I think that video would have been cool. I think if Kanye West would have done that same video for that same song it would be, you know what I mean? He wouldn’t have been under such pressure as Drake, because you know that was his first video. Although he is almost instantly a superstar this year, he has to make sure of his connections with the fans, because that video didn’t mesh. The song made women feel special. The video made women feel the opposite.

BS: Now as for your name, do you ever separate Trey Songz from Tremaine Neverson when you’re in the studio or do you bring them all in one?

TS: Umm in some respects. I mean in music, Tremaine Neverson is all there. Whether it’s a ballot, or whether it’s a mixtape record it’s all there. One thing about when I do music, it’s all me. There’s some situations where on the album yeah I may drop experience but, overall it’s me. The most you get out of me is actually on the stuff like “Yo Side of the Bed”. You know in a man, I mean everyman, there’s so many personalities to us. If you as a man wanted to release them throughout music, it wouldn’t be one beat. It wouldn’t be one key. It wouldn’t be one genre of music you know? So as a man, I release myself through music, and every which way I do, is a different part of me.

BS: I respect that. I know you’ve done a lot of features before, but let’s turn the tables a bit. Let’s say you had to do a record with somebody outside of the realm of Hip-Hop, R&b, and Rap, who would you want to do that track with and why?

TS: I’d probably roll with Maroon 5. I have both of their albums. I love their songwriting. Shout outs to Adam Levine. I love his voice. I think it would be great to work them.

BS: Now I got to ask you before we go, is there a possibility of you making a remix to the track “LOL”, and naming it “LMAO”?

TS: (Laughs) That’s a dope idea actually. I never really thought of that. I shouldn’t have actually told you I haven’t thought that, and I should have said yeah. (laughs). That was a dope idea. If not’s actually a part of the lyricism, it would be the actual remix. I think there’s going to be a remix for that song, because a lot of people dig it. A lot of people dig it. A lot of people have hit me up actually about it. That song is blowing up real fast man.

BS: Any ideas of who you would want on the remix?

TS: Well I actually spoke to Nikki Minaj, because we spoke about doing a record. I told her that I wanted it to be something sexy, something kind of dark and moody maybe. She wanted to do more of a commercial record, a cuter sex record. “LOL” was actually already done, but when she heard it, she hit me up, and said “I love that song. You’re a punk for not putting me on it.” She’ll definitely be on the remix.

BS: I’m curious about Nicki. Do you think people confuse her for simply being a person who’s purely just about sex?

TS: Most definitely. I mean I think she loves sex. I mean just listen to her music, and who’s to say that she doesn’t? (laughs) She’s a great lyricist. I think she’s eager to show that she has more to talk about, because she’s been given that platform to do so.

BS: Man to man, would you hit?

TS: Yeah I think damn right. (laughs)

BS: Since I got the idea for the remix just shout me out on the track. (Laughs)

TS: Yeah, I’ll make sure to shout out my man Carl at Ballerstatus. (Laughs)

HipHopGame.Com: Slaughterhouse Interview (Classic Read)

Check Out The Interview here

http://hiphopgame.ihiphop.com/index2.php3?page=slaughterhouse

HHG:I was reading an editorial in regards to Koch on DX, and they said you guys were key elements in the label reemerging back on solid ground. How responsible are you guys for Koch coming back?

Joell: I don’t know how to answer that one. You have to ask Koch that one. I know me alongside the other three members of Slaughterhouse felt like we were going to be a successful group. I mean success is always good for a label. I mean, if that’s what they were looking for-- a quick success with followers, and stability, we’re happy to provide that.

Royce: I just think as a group, we just try to do the best we can. You know no matter where we’re at we play serious. We bring our A game all across the board. If we were instrumental in anything as far as helping Koch move forward as a company, and to have that stigma attached to us is good.

HHG: The album was well-received by fans and critics alike. As much as they enjoyed the lyricism, and punchlines, they would have liked more conceptual records? Do you feel that was a fair assessment?

Royce: It’s an opinion. Everybody is entitled to one. I mean it depends. It depends on what type of album you like. A lot of people felt like we had too many concepts. Some people didn’t want us to have hooks. It’s a not thing we take in, and are like “We have to just go in on the next album.” We accept the creative criticism though.

HHG: Do you ever feel fans are too needy in terms of what they want musically?

Crooked: I do, but it ain’t a knock on the fans, because I’m a fan myself. It’s just that sometimes, I even find myself trying to find 20 songs I like, and I just heard 20 songs yesterday. (laughs) Back in the day, your favorite artists used to drop a record, and then 12 months later, they would drop another one. If he was featured on something in between then, we had to cop the whole album he was featured on just to hear him spit that whole verse. In my case, I put a song out every week for a whole year, and the fans still said thought that wasn’t enough. (laughs)

HHG: I noticed with you guys, the records you’ve released prior to the album, had more of a competitive feel as if you guys were trying to top each other, or go at each other’s head. With the album, how did you guys change that mindset to become more conducive?

Joell: I don’t think we were going at each other’s heads. I think we were all excited about each of us standing next to three different artists who we felt can each give something to the table individually. You might of felt like we were competing with each other on the records, but we were just excited. We don’t compete with each other. We might go ahead and joke around, but it never leaves that element of fun. It’s never about outdoing each other. If anything, we all felt relieved to be next to three emcees of that caliber because it took all the pressure off us individually. It was way more fun doing the Slaughterhouse shit than it was doing any Joell Ortiz album because I didn’t have to pick my brain as much.

Royce: Yeah and we were all on the same agenda too man. We all have the same goals. We all want the same thing out of this shit man. Even going back to the fans criticism, I don’t think people realize the kind of pressure that we were under, and how we stepped up to make that album. We did the album in six days. We didn’t have a huge budget where time was of the essence. They wanted to get the album done and out by a certain date. We had to get it done by a certain amount of time, and we did that. You could criticize, and say whatever you want, but compare it to something.

HHG: Speaking along the lines of competition, I wanted to know since you guys are very competitive; I wanted to know if you guys were able to do the footrace over, including all four of you guys. Who would take it?

Joell: I don’t know man. I just know that nigga Joe Buddens won by one human leg. (Laughs) If I was fucking 40 pounds lighter, and not drunk, I would have dusted his ass. (laughs)

HHG: I heard you guys already started making wagers on Madden. Can you tell the fans about that story?

All: Laughs

Joell: We were just having fun on the bus man. (laughs)

Royce: We’re not saying we’re not competitive dudes. What Joell is saying is that when we get in the lab it’s no pressure because if Crooked kills it, it’s a win-win. If Joell comes out with the best verse, which has happened every other day, that makes for a great song. As long as nobody comes wack next to his ill ass verse, we’re making great records.

Crooked: Yeah, dog, because if it was competition, we’d keep killing each other. (laughs)

Joell: Exactly.

HHG: I understand, but in the spirit of competition, let’s just say you four were able to compete in dancing with the stars, who would take it and why?

Royce: I don’t know. I know I wouldn’t. I can’t dance. I’m stiff with it man. I can’t dance at all.

Crooked: I don’t dance. I two-step. (laughs)

Royce: Exactly. I guess it would be the one who’s the most competitive with his feet, and that ain’t me. You guessed it. I accepted that, and realized there’s some shit I can’t do. (laughs)

All: laugh.

Joell: I guess I’d go pretty far, but it would all depend on my partner too. If you give me a fat bitch we ain’t going to win. (laughs)

Royce: You gotta give him that fly petite bitch that he’ll really like.

Joell: Yeah something I could lift over my head, and twirl around my finger.

HHG: You guys are known as the Four Voltron crew, but let’s say an artist was interested in joining the group. What credentials would he need?

Royce: I would say he couldn’t join. I would say he couldn’t. This shit is like a strategically built together puzzle. The puzzle could only fit four pieces. I mean you can‘t set no puzzle piece on top of the puzzle. You can’t stand the puzzle piece next to the puzzle. It just works man. There’s a lot that goes with it more than just good MC’s. There’s some good MC’s out there. We’re not saying we’re dope and everybody else is wack. There’s a lot of ill MC’s out there, but our personalities mesh. It works all across the board. There’s way more to it than just finding some niggas that could rap. You gotta find the right personality. We would have to find all the right personalities to offset Joey’s personality. I already think we got that.

Joell: To add on to that; when you had Dream Team One, it worked because you had the all-stars, the personalities, and the team leaders that worked. You had a lot of United States teams that didn’t win, but probably had the most talent, and it didn’t work. We don’t want to add any other element, and take any away. It’s a four man group. We’re the Four Voltrons. We got the arms, the legs, the torsos, and the head. After that, we’ll leave it alone because that’s all we need.

HHG: Ok, but let’s say hypothetically speaking that you guys had to pick one person, but he had to be from the south, who would it be and why?

Crooked: A lot of fair choices.

Royce: There’s a lot of niggaz from the South that can spit. If I want just straight up lyricism, then it would have to be a T.I. or a Lil’ Wayne. If I wanted to go based off of Ol’ G status, and who I personally like, I would say Bun B. I mean he supports niggas. He’s been supporting niggaz’ since day one. He’s a real nigga, not to say Lil Wayne or T.I. aren’t, but like I said, to me, there’s just more that goes into just straight up spitting. Yeah Lil Wayne and them niggas could spit.

Joell: I could agree with that list. I would definitely toss in Ludacris into that equation.

Crooked: If you want to talk about dudes who attack the mic, I have to holla at Killer Mike. I would have Bun B, and Scarface of course.

Joell: Don’t forget 3 Stacks. [Andre 3000]

Royce: There’s some people out there man. There’s some people. I would also have to Stat Quo. I fucks with Stat. He’s dope.

HHG: Speaking of southern music, Joell, what’s this I hear about having a thing to dancing to Hurricane’s Chris’ Halle Berry in the studio?

Joell: Man after 70 or so drinks, I’ll do any god damn thing. (Laughs)

All: Laughs.

Joell: Put it like this, a Slaughterhouse session is anything but stiff. I don’t be knowing what the fuck is going on. Have some alcohol, put some beats on, and we’ll be having a got damn ball. I told you, I’ll two-step or do whatever.

HHG: You know what’s funny? The thing about dance music is that it has always been there in hip-hop. Why do you think people are making such of a spectacle now?

Crooked: I think everybody is making a spectacle of it now because some of the people creating the dance songs are in the forefront where people like Rakim, and Kool G [Rap] were originally the ones putting it in on the concepts, the productions, the mic, and the quality. That just stopped becoming the main feature in hip-hop. It all stopped when somebody came and made up a dance. I just think it was all an evolution thing that people were trying to react to. It’s kind of hard for a certain generation in hip-hop to accept that change.

HHG: I know you guys are parents, and I’m curious, what’s your view on skinny jeans, and the trends from a parent’s standpoint?

Joell: Man, I don’t know about the whole skinny jeans thing, but I remember when we had the album release party last week at the Canal Room, and I went to the crib. I got inside, and I saw my son had a Mohawk. I said to his mother, “What the hell are you doing giving your son a Mohawk?” (Laughs) She said “Oh, it looks cute.” Man, I went and dropped his ass to get a Caesar immediately.

Royce: Yeah I gotta speak on that. I’m real serious in that area. I’m not going to allow my son to not cool be with my daughter. I’m the type of parent that’s going to be in control until they’re out of my house. So they’re going to dress how I say. I’m up on the fashion. I’m not an old parent. If that shit seems like it’s cool, we’re not rocking with that, and that’s it. You could look cool like me, and I’m as cool as everybody in your school.

HHG: Most def. As you guys are rappers, and parents, you guys are also students of the game. Who have you guys enjoyed performing at Rock The Bells?

Royce: Man, I gotta go with Busta.

Joell: I was thinking that.

Royce: Busta kills it every night.

Crooked: Busta Kills it. Tech N9ne always kills it.

Joell: Tech N9ne is a beast too. That was the first time I’ve seen Tech N9ne rock the stage, and my oh my, it’s retarded.

Royce: Yeah. Tech Nine & Busta Rhymes were the highlights of the tour to me.

HHG: When all four of you rock the stage together, is it like mayhem?

Royce: You know why I’m not a madman. It’s because I get to chill. When I get up there with Joell, dog, I don’t even feel like I need to get real hype. It’s like if there’s four niggas up there, why try to out hype each other? Once Joell gets in there; because I trust how well he could perform, I know I could just chill. I do my verses, and I know he’s going to adlib mine and everybody else. (laughs). It’s the same way with the writing process. When you go in there, you don’t have to stress yourself out because you know them niggas are going to carry the rest of that song.

Joell: You know, our shows have been dope due to the fans being so excited. The fans have made it good for someone like me, Joe, Crooked, or Royce because they’re showing love. I was looking over at the crowd, and the places we’ve been, before this, we wouldn’t have thought that these places would have been a great market for us. It’s been really surprising. The fans are really participating in the shows as much as we are.

Crooked: Word. I’m going to tell you something Carl. It’s something special when you find that one fan that has always been a fan of Joell Ortiz, Joe Budden, Royce, and Crooked individually. We’ve been able to expose each other to each other’s fan base; You know, some dudes might not have know about me, but they know Joell, and they just got put on to me. When you find that one dude who’s always been a fan of all four of us, and they see us on stage together, the energy that dude got, is enough to light up a million light bulbs. That’s always something good for me to see. When they just come up to us, and say “Yo we’re a fan of all of yall”, that’s just a climatic thing for us man.

HHG: Sounds like you guys have a ball together, but if you had to pick one, what's the worst part about traveling together?

Royce: Shit there isn’t nothing really bad about traveling together. I mean we have fun on the bus. You know we were on a plane, and we all sat next to each other because we had the middle row on it. It was all good. You know when we’re on the bus, we have a ball. Go watch that clip. If you watch that clip when that lady hit our bus, niggas were just clowning. Sometimes we’ll get drunk together. Sometimes we’ll crack jokes together. Sometimes niggas just be tired, and we’re off to our bunks. I ain’t have no bad experiences.

Crooked: I second that.

HHG: Since you guys do like to have fun a lot, do you feel rappers take the game too serious, resulting in their quality of music not being as good?

Royce: Yeah. I think niggas are running around too much acting too hard. They just need to smile more. Relax. Jesus, what are you so angry about? There’s a lot of anger in niggas. That’s why we just always try to have fun. At the end of the day, this shit isn’t guaranteed to anybody man. We’re blessed to be in this position. We just enjoy it man. We just try to stay humble, make good decisions, and have fun.

Joell: You know me personally, I come from poverty. I don’t want to get into the generic story or whatever but you know the deal--having the single parent, moms on drugs, pops not there, and me in the streets. I mean this shit saved my life. I mean even if a bad experience on the road, which hasn’t happened yet—knock on wood—this shit is worth more than the shit I’ve seen. So I say my prayers when I wake up. I thank the lord that I’m on stage to earn money, and provide for my family by making words rhyme because he gave me that gift. To me, it’s not bad. As far as things are traveling with the brothers, there’s nothing wrong. The only thing that is fucked up is when these niggas shit on the bus. (laughs)

HHG: If the Hip-Hop industry spiraled, and no longer existed, what would you be doing now, and why?

Royce: Man, I’m sure I’d be doing something very well. Listen man, when I put my mind to something, I can’t stop it until I’m good at it. That’s a good question though, because I started in the game real young. I never had the chance to explore all those other options. That’s a good question. I don’t know.

Joell: I’d probably be an actor. I’m definitely in love with the crowd. I think God definitely made me to be in front of people whether it be making them laugh or clap. I’m a very loud person, and I’m an entertainer on many levels. My career would still be in front of cameras or of some sort. I like acting. I like being the center of attention.

Royce: Man, if hip-hop fell off, I’d probably be the leader of a gang.

All: Laughs

Royce: I could run a drug cartel man.

Crooked: Damn, I really don’t know man. It’s not like I’m going to go get a PH. D now. (laughs)But listen, to all the kids out there, all of you guys reading this interview, I say stay in school. I say have goals. I say go on and get it. Me personally, I’m not flipping no burgers, I’m not going to school for eight years. I’m going back to the streets. I’m just going to be rolling the dice man. I mean there’s so many things you could do too. This game taught us how to be businessmen. I think no matter where you put me; I’m going to get it. You could put me in Ohio, and in six months, I’ll be cracking in Ohio. I’ll be popping in Ohio. On a street level, I learned the hustle from this game. It taught me how to go out of town, and run an independent label. It taught me how to write songs for people. It taught me to do whatever you can to stay afloat until you dreams become reality.

Joe: I’d be a lawyer by the way.

HHG: Oh wow. Joe welcome aboard. (laughs)

All: (Laughs)

HHG: Why would you be a lawyer?

Joe: I just love arguing with people.

HHG: Since you guys are always providing entertainment inside and outside of records, If VH-1 decided to give you guys the chance to do a reality show would you?

Joe: Hell yeah.

Royce: As long as it’s with Joey, Joell and Crooked.

Joell: (Laughs)

Royce: That reality show would just be one long laugh.

HHG: Speaking of laughs, I was listening to the “Cuckoo” record. Royce if you wasn’t married, what’s the likelihood you taking down Keyshia’s Coles mom?

All: (Laughs)

Royce: I wouldn’t want to answer that question man. I was just joking in that line by the way.

HHG: Speaking of moms, do you any of you guys have favorite your mama jokes you guys use?

All: (Laughs)

Royce: Nah we don’t play like that. (Laughs) That’s why we’re such good friends. Nobody crosses each other’s lines.

HHG: That’s cool. You know basketball is very much intertwined in hip-hop. If you guys were able to choose one player whose style fits you the most, who would it be and why?

Crooked: Me personally, Kobe Bryant. (Laughs)

All: (Laughs)

Crooked: He just comes through with style and grace nah mean? He could see the whole court. He got the offense. He got the defense. He could score at will. That’s Crooked right there when he steps into the booth. You know man, 24, Black Mamba shit.

Royce: I gotta go with Chris Paul for myself because you know he’s a technician. He’s technical, and he has a lot of leadership quality. He could put a lot on his shoulders. He’ll get you that W. So I gotta go with my nigga Chris Paul.

Joe: I’d probably go with Brandon Roy because he’s better than majority of the players in the league, but people don’t know it yet.

Joell: I’d probably be Shaq. He’s a clown. He enjoys being funny and playing jokes. He’s real dominant with the ball on both ends of the court.

HHG: Let’s steer back in the music aspect real quick. The internet has helped you guys significantly individually, how would you say it has helped contribute to your success as a group.

Joell: In every way possible man. I mean opening up each other’s individual fan base is big. Peaking in behind the scenes for sales for things like I-Tunes, which should be in at the end of the week is huge. It’s a big place for advertisement, and promotion.

Royce: I know there was a point in my career where I was going to direct my career by being more internet savvy, and just market through internet. I think if I didn’t make that decision, I would have never been in the group. I wouldn’t even know too much about this niggas. If I would have just relied on Detroit radio or mixtapes, it wouldn’t’ have happened. Your whole campaign can be an internet campaign, and help you sell records.

Joe: I agree with Royce. I owe a majority of the group success as well as my solo success to the internet. It helped me be savvy and aware of what’s going on. It helped me be real big on the media as a whole.

HHG: Joe, I noticed a while ago that the fans had voted you and 50 among the top twp emcees as far as MTV’s Who’s The Hottest In The Game Right Now? What do you accredit that too?

Joe: I mean, honestly, my 100 percent focus is on Slaughterhouse, and on that album. I mean it’s flattering. I’ve heard about it. If I’m anywhere on the list, I think it should be accredited to the fans and how hard they go. It’ll really say something for their voting being accounted for something nowadays. As for me, I’m on the grind. We grinding. It’s time for work. Hard work pays off.

HHG: At the end of the day, to sum this long day up, how far do you guys think Slaughterhouse can go?

Joell: All the way!!!! (laughs)

All (laughs)

Royce: Wherever the top is. Shit look up. (laughs)

Joe: That was funny.

Royce: Pick a fucking cloud to sit on.

HipHopGame.Com: Clipse Interview

HHG: The last album was considered a classic by XXL. You guys were upset because sales didn’t reflect the rave reviews, and the hard work you guys put in. How do you guys try to capture the same magic that made it a classic, but this time, get the fans to go to the store to cop the tape?

PT: Well, in all honesty, I’ve given up on trying to make you go to the store other than the music. I’m all about creating you know what I’m saying? We can put out those records, and make those records that are impactful, but if they don’t go out and cop it, then so be it. I’d still know that I made a good product. That was the lesson learned from Hell Hath No Fury. I mean you could do everything you can do, but you can’t try to control everything beyond your control. Like we’re on the road now, and we’re killing these shows. We’ve been killing these shows. We’ve made an amazing album, and that’s it. We try to keep it real for the true fans that are searching and looking to find what’s hot. We try to keep it true with them. Other than that, that’s it man.

HHG: You guys have had a share of problems as well. With you guys shifting from different labels, do you feel that the companies today lack a strong understanding of what rap essentially is?

PT: Oh yeah! I think that they understand what it is, and they understand how marketable it can be, but they don’t know how to work it, and groom it. To me hip-hip is like fashion. It’s like boutique clothes and shit. It’s like a boutique clothing line. You have to talk to the tastemaker. You have to make that tastemaker love it. In music, that would be to me the streets. You have to make that tastemaker--you have to make the streets love it. You have to make the net love you. You gotta make them love it. And after you make them love it, you’re gonna have them screaming loud. Then, the surburban kids are going to want it. Then, they’re going to start coming to the hood, and sneak their way in, or, they might just go on the net to get that fix, and to see what’s all that fuss is about you know what I’m saying. Or like I was saying about fashion, the kid who’s seeing the guy that is fresh, he would probably shop in that mall. That suburban kid might go downtown versus that little mall or whatever that is local. You have to create demand to make people move. That’s how you do it. You do it by keeping it true to that base. That takes time to groom, and a lot of labels can’t wait because they want money now.

HHG: It’s interesting because you guys are able to make that switch from doing records like Birdman’s “What Happened To That Boy”, To Justin’s “Like I Love You” without losing appeal from your fan base. What do you accredit that to?

PT: I don’t know. I never even looked at it until people started saying it. It’s just like damn. I mean, my concerts are going to be my concerts. I mean damn I don’t know. I really don’t know. I think our fans are bright enough to know that we could turn it on and off. We could almost do anything. We could talk about anything. We like to talk about what we talk about, which is real. Half of our fans recognize that, d they give us a shot, where as they aren’t so open in giving everyone else a shot.

HHG: You guys have had religious type of titles like Lord Willin’ & Hell Hath No Fury, how important of role does religion play in not only your music, but more importantly your life?

PT: I’ll have to say for me, religion has always played a role in everything in my life. Now, whether I adhere to practice it or living that way is totally different. (laughs) It’s always a thought. It’s on my conscious. It’s always there. You know what I’m saying? It’s like big brother. He’s always watching you and you know it. You think about it. Sometimes you think too late, and you reflect on why or whatever the case may be. It’s always been a part. I think for Malice—I think you guys could even hear it from Malice. I mean I don’t want to speak on it for him, but you could hear in him how deep it is with him.

HHG: Speaking of your brother, I was curious. Do you think its harder going against different rappers when doing features in terms of having a better verse or when you’re with your brother Malice?

PT: I find it harder with my brother.

HHG: Really?

PT: Yeah because I think me and brother write from the same perceptive almost. Like I might do it one way, and he might have a different take on it. But I think the intellect is in there. It’s in there in both persons. I feel like with other rappers I can almost always say that even if we’re talking about something like cars or whatever, we’re on some gratuity shit. It’s whatever. Fly shit, it’s whatever. I could always think like “Damn. I might be saying that goes over the head of whose listening.” I don’t think that ever happens with anybody. There’s not too many dudes that happens with, but my brother. When we rhyme together, he’ll tell me a verse, and nobody is going to get it. I’d be like “Man. Fuck that. That shit hot. I don’t ‘care. Let em’ figure it out later.” I think with other rappers, they do clever shit, catchy shit, and things like that, but with Malice, it’s deeper. That’s what I like to hear.

HHG: Do you guys have a sibling rivalry?

PT: No because I think we’re like in two different spaces.

HHG: Really? Well let me shoot you a few questions in regards to you two being competitive.

PT: Sure.

HHG: Who’s the better ball player?

PT: Malice

HHG: Who’s the better lyricist?

PT: (Pauses for awhile) Malice.

HHG: Who’s the better Madden player?

PT: Oh myself. I’ve been playing all morning.

HHG: What team you go with?

PT: Whoever is the hottest for the year.

HHG: Don’t tell me you’re a bandwagon. (laughs)

PT: Man I don’t have a football team. Shit, I don’t even have a basketball team, but I have players that I ride with. (laughs)

HHG: How do you feel about your fellow Virginians Chris Brown and Mike Vick in their quest to overcome adversity?

PT: I think those dudes are strong. They’re talented, and I think they’ll always overcome anything thrown their way. Our talent helps us out a lot. Can you imagine doing this shit and not being talented? (laughs)

HHG: It’s like what’s the point?

PT: (laughs)

HHG: Let’s get back to the music aspect. How did it feel linking back up with the Neptunes for this new album?

PT: Its always good man. It’s what we know. That chemistry was like right on point. I can’t wait till you guys hear the album. It’s like weirdo Neptunes to me. You know I’m saying? Sometimes it’s like a fight. You sometimes hear the Weirdo Neptunes—and they hate when I say this—but Weirdo Neptunes is like a “Grinding ” Neptunes. There’s like no rules or nothing with them. You know “Grinding” had no hook. There’s real Neptunes, and there’s Neptunes in which there was a formula to making that hit. When they made that hit, they did. Weirdo Neptune is like the organic bone crusher crazy shit. That’s what I like them for. I think we got that. We got the unorthodox from them. We got nostalgia shit from them as well. We got it! They fucking made it. They made it.

HHG: So do you think it’s safe to say Till The Casket Drops will top the Hell Hath No Fury?

PT: Definitely. I don’t question that at all.

HHG: That’s major for the fans to hear. Aside from the music aspect, I know you and Pharrell are cool, so I was wondering; did you ever rock a pair of his Ice Cream sneakers?

PT: Hell yeah!

HHG: I would have never thought that.

PT: You mean the sneakers right?

HHG: Yeah. I would have never thought that.

PT: Hell yeah. I actually have all the boxes and shit. What people don’t really get man is when you create the mold, only you can create the mold man. He’s an innovative dude man. He’s very innovative, and I have to say he definitely put us on to a lot of shit. He put us on to a lot of shit. It’s like I can honestly say, I support anything he’s done, especially in fashion. Yo listen! People don’t be recognizing like they should! Motherfuckers been dressing like P for a long time. Like they better cut that shit out. He’s always first. He’s always first. Me rocking Ice Creams is like my brother coming out with some shit, and I’m like No. We riding. We riding all the way. We wear the clothes, the clothes don’t wear us. We do what we want.

HHG: For a second I thought I was the only one.

PT: Oh nah definitely.

HHG: As for the “Kinda Like A Big Deal” record, in your opinion, which female do you think is kinda like a big deal in terms of looks?

PT: Who do I think is kinda like a big deal in the music industry? (Pauses) Latoya Luckett.

HHG: Really?

PT: Definitely. Alicia Keys, definitely. Ummm, yo I could go all day. My respect in the game is wild. I got earthy Alicia. I got fucking sweet and innocent Latoya. I’ll go wild with Trina. (Laughs) It depends what day it is. Who else is out there?

HHG: You got Keyshia Coles.

PT: Yeah Keyshia Coles a cutie man.

HHG: You got Keri Hilson.

PT: Listen. Her on that Complex cover greasy as hell is definitely a big deal!

HHG: I know you guys had done a record together. Did anything pop off?

PT: Nah nothing popped off, but she’s amazing to look at. I watched her sing like she was on American Idol.

HHG: If you seen her live shows, she could get freaky.

PT: Really? I haven’t caught one of those.

HHG: Like every time Wayne and Kanye performed with her they got to smack her butt.

PT: Wow, lucky guys.

HHG: Never know, if you guys perform live, that could be you doing that to her.

PT: Hey I don’t know. I mean she’s kind of tough. I ain’t gon try to go there. (Laughs)

CL- Maybe Tomorrow Tracklisting (Drops This Week) Yes My Mixtape!

My Mixtape Maybe Tomorrow Drops This Week...Check Out This New Track Off The Mixtape Titled I Got Love Featuring Fre$H Off The Mixtape

I Got Love Featuring Fresh

http://www.zshare.net/audio/6427913096bd74d2/

Where'd You Go

http://www.zshare.net/audio/6334559556f4d6a3/

For The Haters...This Mixtape Will Wake You The Fuck Up Hardbody Lol...Get Ready...

HipHopGame.Com: Huey Interview (Throwback)

HHG: I know you got the second album titled Strictly Business, and the single called “PaYow”. How did that come about with you and Bobby?

HY: We were in the A, and we both had a session. It’s crazy because the same night I had a session, that particular night, Bobby had one in the studio. So we ended up going through some tracks, and we got to that one. Bobby did his thing, I did my thing, and we came out with a smash hit.

HHG: I was listening to the “PaYow” track, and I was laughing because of the responses. A lot of people are unsure about what “PaYow” actually means. So to clear the confusion, can you break down what “PaYow” is?

HY: (Laughs) It’s that unbelievable sh**.

HHG: Yeah man. I had people saying things like “Yo, he’s talking about a dude’s package. He’s talking about some crazy sex.”

HY: Of course man. You listen to the lyrics. It’s about sex. It got punch lines behind it to make you think you know? If you actually listen to the words, then it should be common sense you know? (Laughs)

When we did do it, Wayne was on it. Some things did happen on his end, so it didn’t work. We were able to get Juelz for it too. But, like I said, it’s easy to figure it out man. It’s about sex. So for all those women with that Ashanti “Good, Good”, we come right back at them with that PaYow ya dig? (Laughs)

HHG: I know you had success with “Pop, Lock & Drop It”. Why did you decide to go differently in terms of the sound musically this time around with “PaYow”?

HY: I don’t man. I think just as time goes by, things change. Of course, I’m coming out on a different type of level. My lyrics and music are always going to get better. “Pop, Lock & Drop It” damn sure was a smash hit, but this album got that “PaYow”. (Laughs)So everybody better be ready. Fuck that, we’re going to jump on their ass ya dig?

HHG: I dig. I know the record is in autotune. Recently, Jay had that “Death Of Autotune record”. Normally when Jay puts his foot down, fans abide. Do you think that record will have any impact on the success of yours?

HY: No. Absolutely not.

HHG: So how do you feel when people try to stereotype to you as a dude only capable of making ringtone singles, especially with the success of “Pop, Lock & Drop It”.

HY: Shit I don’t give damn. (Laughs) N***** could stereotype me all they want. I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing, making my money. They could keep flapping their gums. That shit don’t move me.

They could say Huey is the “Pop, Lock, & Drop It” ass nigga, but guess what, this the same nigga that’s been at Six Flags the past two and half years on that roller coaster. I haven’t gotten off yet nigga. (Laughs)

Man as far as the Autotune record, Mel Gipp is the one who spoke to me. He’s the one who gave me the idea for Autotune in the first place. We made a statement on a mixtape man. “If people are out there eating, don’t stop them from getting their motherfucking food man. We pit bulls out here man. We loose out here man. Beware Of Dogs. (Laughs)

HHG: I mean according to your track record, you did the 24/7-365 joint with Maino. You have the “When I Hustle” for the ladies, and “Pop, Lock” for the clubs. How important is it for you to market yourself to different sets of people?

HY: It’s important. You gotta make music for everybody. You gotta make certain amount of records for certain amount of people. You gotta hit them from all angles. It’s like a boxing match. You can’t keep jabbing. You gotta hit them with the counter punch. (Laughs) You know, I’ma go ladies, I’ma go pop, I’ma go street, I’ma go thug, man I’ma come with everything. Whatever beat I grab, that’s gonna tell me how to hop on it. If the beat tells me to do this, I’m going to do it. Best believe we got more hot shit coming too. I got Jim Jones and Tydis on a song together called “Celebrate”. It’s stupid. Ridiculous. I got Wayne on a song called “Another Planet”; He’s damn near sure on another planet. (Laughs) I mean we out here grinding, and moving. We got have a few videos coming, and a couple promos. We got Pleasure P on the album. Of course I have Juelz Santana, with also Maino and Glasses Malone. It’s sick man.

HHG: You what’s interesting? I was reading something, and it mentioned how you were the combination of Ludacris, Chingy and Nelly all in one. You think that’s a valid statement.

HY: I never even heard that. I mean somebody did tell me this before. I don’t think I sound like one of them, and if I do, let’s just call that multi-task because of that talent. (Laughs)

HHG: Matter fact, I remember when you first came out, how you had a beef with Nelly. Do you feel like the veteran cats in game feel themselves too much in terms of not providing a hand to young rappers?

HY: You know it is what it is. It just be talks. You know people just talk it out. Me & Nelly ain’t like that. That’s the past. That’s done. We got these button-ups, ties on, and we’re acting like grown men. We going to get this money.

HHG: I’ma keep it real though. You know Nelly flopped on the last joint, as well as Chingy, so with that said; ST Louis is pretty quiet in terms of music. Do you think it’s safe to say that with your album Strictly Business, the throne is your for the taking?

HY: I know, I know. (Laughs) Seriously though, I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately. I think most definitely I will.

HHG: No pressure?

HY: Nah, I’m real confident. I’m jamming, When I say this album jams, this album jams.

HHG: Ok. Well I know you were 19 when you first came out. Do you feel people underestimated your talent because you were so young?

HY: Maybe. I don’t know. I don’t know why or how. Just know I have some tricks up my sleeve you dig? I’m about to be everywhere everybody else is at. They gon’ hear me. We gon’ make some noise out here ya dig? We waiting for the tornado to come out. (Laughs)

HHG: It’s funny because when Wayne first came out, a lot of people had their share of doubts. Then when he turned 23, 24, 25, people began seeing star quality. Do you think the same effect will happen to you?

HY: Like I said, it’s always going to increase. Once you increase in age, your talent is going to be cracking. You always have to move forward. You can’t go backwards; you always have to move forwards. You go backwards, and that’s going to be the end of you.

HHG: A lot of veterans have a tendency of questioning a young rapper’s intentions in terms of entering the game. Some do it for the art, others for the money. Which category do you fall in?

HY: I’m not gon’ sit here and lie like all these motherfucker, but first of all, rap to me was a hobby. It was just something that I was doing. I was making beats at first before I even started rapping. Then, I started rapping to my own beats. After I came to a train of sense with my man, I realized I really had a gift. I was let me try this shit. Then I ended up getting a major label deal, and of course, I ain’t gon say “Yo I ain’t do it for the money” because nigga the money is good. (Laughs) This is good money. They say all money ain’t good money. So hell yeah I do it for the money. This shit is not hard. This is not a job to me. This is just easy shit.

HHG: That’s funny. I know you’re 21 now. What do you do for fun?

HY: Man I like bowling. I like chilling on the porch sipping’ Remy. I like hanging with my daughter. I’m just a regular dude.

HipHopGame.Com: J. Whizz Interview

HHG: What’s your name?

JW: J. Whizz. I’m from South Queens—Jamaica.

HHG: How old are you?

JW: 25.

HHG: 25? You’re ready?

JW: I’ve been ready. I’ve been doing this since I was 8.

HHG: What separates you from any other New York rapper as far as talent is concerned?

JW: You see--I wouldn’t say NY in general, as far as artists, but in terms of dudes North, South, East & West—it’s creativity. Its concepts. I don’t think people use enough concepts anymore. We have millions of ideas in the world, and people only stick to 5. I’m not going to name the 5. You already know what the five are. (Laughs)

HHG: Come on man, you gotta be open.

JW: Money, drugs, sex, cars, and clothes. That’s the majority of what people talk about, and I didn’t grow up that way.

Marvin Gaye made conceptual albums. Issac Hayes made conceptual albums. So I don’t understand why rap isn’t the same way.

HHG: So with you being 25, you’ve pretty much seen a lot in the 90’s. Do you feel in a sense music should revert back to the golden age as far as the art form is concerned?

JW: I don’t think anything should go back. I think you have to evolve, and you have to move forward. Still, you have to move forward tastefully. You can’t just move forward and think like “this is going to work. I don’t care what I put out. I’m just out here to make a buck.”

If you’re just trying to be a businessman, and just do music like that, then I guess that’s cool. I don’t agree with that. If you’re an artist, and you take pride in your work, then you should take time while loving what you’re doing.

HHG: Do you feel majority of the game is consumed in just simply making money?

JW: I mean that’s how far some people can go. Some people can’t do certain things. It’s like; you can’t expect a Cars salesman to be your mechanic also. There are certain things that people just can’t do. So if you want somebody to be lyrical, you can’t expect everybody to be lyrical. If you want somebody to make party music, you can’t expect everybody to make party music. It’s like people talking about drugs. You can’t expect Kanye West or somebody like that to really speak on that. That’s not something they do. Everybody has their own lane.

HHG: You just mentioned that you’re a lyrical type of dude. What else can you bring to the table?

JW: I’m creative. I find my inspirations in actors. For instance, as I am J. Whizz, that’s a character made to entertain you. Like Will Smith is Will Smith when he’s with his family. Then when he takes a role, he becomes the guy from I Robot, I Am Legend, and he becomes Muhammad Ali from the movie Ali. I think once I’m doing a project, I am the project. So If I’m supposed to be John Doe on the project, then that’s role I’m going to take.

I think people get caught up in what’s being real. I’m talking about how people won’t step outside of the box, and be creative. There are a lot of people who do that. Now I’m not telling anybody to sellout, because I wouldn’t do it either but always be real to yourself, and in your art.

HHG: Do you feel a lot of rappers today are scared to take risks, and because of that, the game is so limited?

JW: Yeah I think a lot of artists are scared to take risks, because there’s always an easy way out. There’s always an easy way to do things. How can I say this? People follow things. Like 2Pac. He did a lot of things. He did “Hail Mary”, “Dear Mama”, and “Keep Ya Head Up”, but a lot of people only follow the aggressive 2Pac. They’ll only look at the things people label as negativity. So they won’t take 2Pac as a whole. They won’t take the “Dear Mama” 2Pac, or the “Brenda Got A Baby” 2Pac, they’ll take the “Hail Mary” 2Pac. They want the “Hit Em Up” 2Pac. They won’t take him as a whole. Me as an artist, I’m also a student. I study music. I’m eclectic, so I listen to everything not just rap. When I make music now, I don’t listen to rap as often because I don’t want it to interfere or influence with the people out there.

HHG: So by listening to different genres that actually enhances your ability to make better records?

JW: Yeah absolutely.

HHG: So outside of rap who do you listen to?

JW: Issac Hayes. I mean Issac Hayes is dope. There are a lot of things he did outside of the box. There are a lot of things he was doing in music that wasn’t even being done back then. I think that’s amazing. I love Quincy Jones. I love Frank Sinatra.

HHG: A lot of people wouldn’t admit that.

JW: Well I don’t look at rap music as rap music. I mean I love Michael Jackson, Madonna, and The Eagles. They have an ill song. One of my favorite songs is called “Hotel California”. I listen to the Beatles, Marvin Gaye, and Bob Marley.

HHG: With you being so lyrical, and creative, do you ever feel you might go over people’s heads as far as content is concerned?

JW: No I don’t think I’m going over people’s heads. There are certain things I say that you might not catch on to, and you’ll have to listen to a few times; but I think I’m in a good space. Biggie said, “You can’t be too ahead of your time, because no one will like you.” I think I’m at the right point. I don’t think I’m at my prime yet. I think I’m good but I think I could reach even further.

HHG: So you’re not worried about dumbing down?

JW: No I won’t dumb it down at all.

HHG: So if you were to drop a single right now for radio, what type of song can we expect?

JW: Remember when Jay dropped “Dead Presidents” off Reasonable Doubt. I’d give them something like that. It all depends. It wouldn’t be as old as that because that fit that time. I think back then, if your music was good, it wouldn’t matter if it could be played in the club. As long as it was good, then it got played. I don’t believe in making a club hit. “Quiet Storm” is a club banger, and it’s not a club song. So that just gets thrown out the window.

HHG: How do you then break the mold from being just another lyrical cat from the underground, and enter the mainstream world?

JW: I guess it depends on your character, and how appealing you are to the audience. The audience is the ones that make that judgment, and final call. I think if you stand out enough, then you won’t be categorized as an underground person. If you have things that are more relatable, and character, then I think you should be fine.

HHG: What about labels? What if labels want you to give people something they could grasp?

JW: Then what’s the point of me being an artist? The reason record labels, independent or major pick you up is because of what you show. So why would you have to change something they like in the first place? They picked you up for a reason. So I wouldn’t dumb it down.

I think Lupe is getting more recognition from his second album The Cool now isn’t he? That’s without dumbing it down. I think people are starting to realize that they need things with more substance, and not just the regular what you’re hearing now.

HHG: If you could pick three artists in the game that you could do one record with, who would they be?

JW: Andre 3000, Lupe Fiasco, and Michael Buble.

HHG: Who’s the last one?

JW: I think he’s what they consider a pop singer. He does like cover songs. He did a song called “The New Light.” The way he sings is amazing. He reminds me a younger Frank Sinatra. I think he’s in his early 30’s or late 20’s. I think he’s a great singer. I would love to do a song with him.

HHG: That’s a crazy line-up. You’re not intimidated about getting ripped on a track?

JW: I think they’re great. I’m not afraid. This is what Hip-Hop is. It’s based off competition. Everything is competition. It’s the only genre is music where it is very competitive. That’s the name of the sport. You have to be competitive in Hip-Hop.

HHG: As far as your project is concerned, what can we expect?

JW: By late September, early October, you should have my full conceptual album titled Space Invaders.

HHG: What’s the concept behind that?

JW: You know how they say don’t judge a book by its cover, well I advise to do otherwise with mine. (Laughs) It’s going to be amazing.

HHG: Any tracks you’re going to leak out?

JW: Yeah I’m going to leak out a few tracks. One track is going to “Who Am I?” I can’t get into too much detail with it yet. Like I said before when I’m an entertainer, I take on a role. I become that person. So If I had to be a spacecraft, I’ll be a spacecraft. So on Space Invaders, whatever I say am, I am until that concept is done. Then, I’ll move onto another project.



J. Whizz - Hard Goodbye

http://www.zshare.net/audio/6394481979804f41/

J. Whizz - Second Chance

http://www.zshare.net/audio/639448743c03de1d/

J. Whizz - Children Story

http://www.zshare.net/audio/639449395dab9aeb/

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