Confounding contradictions continue to confuse a culture once praised for authenticity. Folks, is it merely entertainment? Wackness prevails and reverberates through Hip-Hop. Cloying smoke distorts the path for the truly talented; smashed mirrors splinter our art. Puppeteers, hidden behind a curtain of financial anonymity, push satirized propaganda. Memories are challenged, while diluted souls easily evaporate and are disposed.
So, when a truly confident rapper emerges, like Mr. 704, we breathe a welcomed sigh of relief. The first son of Charlotte, North Carolina shares his truth. It is a believable journey. As he continues to become more selfless to his art, his creativity grows. His passion, his perspective, and his perseverance are essential reasons as to why AllHipHop.com decided to interview him – read along:
AllHipHop.com: In respect to your body of work, what three tracks best describe your past, your present, and what you aspire for your future?
Mr. 704: Okay, my past would have to be a song called “Dope Boy Swag” featuring Sean Paul of the Youngbloodz.
So, I think that’s more of my past. It showed who I am, what I’ve done, and what I’ve been through—the name is self-explanatory. Currently, “Husslin’”, because that’s what I’m doing. I be on my grind trying to build my brand. I try to touch the people and relate. So, I be hustlin’. In the future, you never know where your life will go. I come up with stuff every day. So, I don’t want to name that right now, because it could be something different tomorrow. You feel me? [To answer your question…] Let’s see, I’m going to go with “Tru’s and Louis”, featuring Sean Paul and Rocko.
AllHipHop.com: Regarding your family, and your profession, in what ways are you loyal, respectful, and a leader?
Mr. 704:In everything that I do, I’m always loyal. That’s something that I’ve built myself on. It’s what I build my brand on. It’s real to me about being loyal. At the end of the day, your word is all that you can give a person. If they don’t feel like you’re a loyal person, then they won’t want to give you a chance. There’s nothing that you can really do about that. So, I always try to build good relationships and goes toward to what I do. I was raised in a two-parent home; I’m very respectful. That has a lot to do with the choices that I make in life.
By having the guidance from both parents in a home, I can look at a perspective from both sides, from a mother’s and a father’s. Some people [came from] single parent homes, just like some of my friends – some of the things that they would do is, you know, it would be different from the way that I would do. In that aspect of it, I think that’s when my respect comes in at. You know, I’m always the backbone of my family. I always try to help. I always try to give back. I always try to do whatever I can do, if I’m available, to let people know that I appreciate their support. I also like to give my support.
AllHipHop.com: In respect to your community, how are you using your lyrics to reflect your life as opposed to trying to create a façade or demonize our culture?
Mr. 704: Definitely, in whatever I do, I try to speak true-life stories. I don’t really use too much profanity. I don’t use a lot of killing. I don’t use a lot of, you know what’s going on with the music right now. Not saying that there’s anything wrong with it, if that’s what people do. But at the same time, I know what type of person that I am. I’m just not that well, ‘I’m going to kill a muthaf*cka! I’ma go shoot ‘em!’ So, I don’t rap about that. I may say it, but in a different way. You know what I mean, I just try to be respectful in whatever I do. At the end of the day, it is a representation of me. I know how I was raised. I know how to be respected and how to respect others. I try to make good clean music. I’m not saying everything is clean. There are some things that are explicit. For the most part, overall, I think my music is helpful for everyday living.
AllHipHop.com: In your opinion, progressing from Welcome to Charlotte to your impending album, Gotta Stack Before You Ball, in what ways have your dramatically grown as an artist and as a businessman?
Mr. 704:As an artist, the everyday grind, you know, constantly writing, it’s only going to get better. Like they say, ‘Practice makes perfection.’ So, over that two-year span, I’ve definitely seen more creativity in my rhymes. You know how you fit in, I just feel like I’m fitting in right now. I’m on point. I’m on time with everything that I do. So, I definitely feel a change with that. As far as my production, my production has stepped up to that next level realm.
Just learning [and] just really feeling out the game. There’s always things that you can learn, because you don’t know everything. So, I’m just making sure that I’m crossing all my T’s and dotting all my I’s. You know what I’m saying, making the right business moves, and spending the money where it’s well worth it. I’m not just out here loose hustlin’, saying that I’m an independent artist. At the end of the day, this does cost and you gotta spend your money wisely.
AllHipHop.com: Until the next time, what would you like to share with your supporters?
Mr. 704: I appreciate all the support from everybody who been following me…I got to salute y’all. Like I said, I want to salute all my supporters and all my haters. To all the people all my family, and friends, and all the people who have been supporting and respecting my movement; I’m on the grind. I know that everybody is not going to like what I do. But, they gotta respect what I do.