EXCLUSIVE: Rittz Talks New York, New Album, & 'New' Freestyle
RITTZ TALKS NEW FREESTYLE, NEW ALBUM & NEW YORK!
EXCLUSIVE: Raekwon Behind-The-Scenes
RAEKWON TALKS ABOUT TALIB AND HIS PASSION FOR HIP-HOP
EXCLUSIVE: Talib Kweli Behind-The-Scenes Interview
VIDEO EXCLUSIVE: TALIB TALKS EVOLUTION OF AN MC & MENTORING YOUNG ARTISTS
SL JONES: Defying Categorization; Establishing Self
Upon pending dates, the prepackaged gimmicks will expire. These lyrical infants tussle for Rap’s fleeting spotlight. Cognizant of the status-quo, Little Rock’s own, SL Jones, continues to invest into his creative cache. His diverse skill-set challenges categorization; that’s the problem. An artistic battle ensues when the MC is both the arch nemesis and the hero. How will the fickle public respond to an unpredictable artist? An intense ebony glimpse conveys SL’s perspective. Unprecedented confidence concludes his comment, “I don’t even think; I just create. I have to master the craft… My job is to ensure excellence and to just be better. It’s my job as an artist to convince. ” These are his words: Building Business Relationships In whatever situation you’re in, always keeping that student-mentality you can always be in-tune with what’s going on. From being able to benefit from the things around you, you won’t get outdated. Sometimes you’ll do something for the position that it’ll later put you in verses the now money. The now-money, will hinder you from [reaping] later-money. You’ll play yourself for a small check versus grinding. People are only going to respect you as much as you respect yourself. If what you’re doing is amateurish then that’s how you’ll be treated. People may not know that you have your sh*t together; so, they may come at you— they got to respect the fact that this is how you want to eat. If they feel disrespected by it, then you shouldn’t do business with them. You didn’t come into this sh*t to be homies. And everything costs. Then you give it away for free. I would never complain about it. On the artist, don’t cheat the people. The worst thing you can do is have a project come out and it under-delivers. You’ll get that now-money, but you’ll never get it again. It’s better for it to be the opposite, for them not to expect much and then when they come you wow them. Then you got them for life. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Lb1LaTMXak&w=560&h=315] Securing features: Mutual respect or healthy budget It’s love. I’m new; so, when I first meet somebody I don’t come off hella thirsty. It helps when they already know about you. It’s really, God. I’ve been blessed to where they may of heard about me through somebody. With me and Rittz, we used to be around each other kicking it—cracking jokes and sh*t. I didn’t even know that he rapped. We’d be in there getting faded, kicking it, having a blast then—it was through Burn One, because we both kinda knew each other. He was doing a show in Atlanta and we linked. I came out. There was a song that I did called “Wild Side,” it’s off Flight Risk. He was like, ‘Yeah, man; you sick.’ Another way that I secure features is by putting them on dope songs. When they get the record they’re like, ‘Damn.’ If I don’t know them, or have a solid connect, my motto has always been approach it like business. A favor will always get swept under the rug. People respect you when you don’t ask them for nothing for free. When you come at them like, ‘Yo, let’s do business.’ Now they respect your mind. The first time you may do business with them, and the second time it may be just love, because y’all started off building on the right foot. It’s happened a couple of different ways. They way I’ve been able to do it there’s always love involved. On “Grind 100 Hustle” I ain’t gonna lie; whenever we get into the studio together it’s heated. I feel like Killer smashed it. He just took off. I’m the one who always goes first. Usually, I’m the one who’ll pick the beat out. It’s just fun. It’s a sport, too. I still got love for the sport. We really didn’t even think about it. When I think about it, it may have been the homie who picked the beat. He was like, ‘Y’all need to kill this sh*t.’ he had a bunch of old instrumentals. I want to say it was the homie, G. Before you know it it was done. Initially, I was trying to find an original beat, because like to do songs. Write a hook, and then have everybody do verses. But, that sh*t just happened; it was crazy. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFNGFph2Rqk&w=560&h=315] Demonstrate depth of talent while remaining cohesive I guess that’s the part that I have to figure out. With C.O.L.O.R.S. that was just me wanting to exist. I didn’t even know that people knew about it. I don’t feel like I had the best beat on there, or the best mixes. That’s why people gravitated to it; there were zero expectations. When it dropped, it created opportunities for myself; it got me here. Naturally, you’ll hear the sound; there’s growth. If you listen to it there’s always going to be something on that one that’s a glimpse of what you heard before. The first time I listen to something I don’t judge it. It is what it is. Listen and look at the tile of the project. Do the features make sense? Does the music connect with the title? If you’re going to listen to my music go ahead and take it all in. I got to say some crazy sh*t. I got a new mixtape produced by Metro Boomin—I knew people were going to feel indifferent about Way of Life No Hobby. That’s my job as an artist. That’s the type of artist I am. I experiment; I tried different things. It’s my job to push that line. When some people come out you know exactly what it is. They got two or three moves and they always go to those. With me, I can do a lot of different things. So, I’m going to try—sometimes you’re going to love it and sometimes you’re going to hate it. I like it when you go in and do a whole project […]
5 And Done: Tito Lopez Talks Salvation, Social Issues, Suicide and More!
Enhanced by Gulfport, Mississippi life-lessons, Tito Lopez, continues to speak for society’s underdogs. His cathartic pen catalogues the human experience. While other rappers, enslaved to the puppet show, continue to spew lyrical fallacies, Tito, masters the actual art of Hip-Hop. Delivering poignant messages sans a soapbox an appreciative audience steadily multiplies. Having cultivated a more carefree perspective, he is striving to become the number one narrator. AllHipHop.com delivers another intriguing exclusive interview as it delves into the mind of Tito Lopez! [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96eSj1Y_iUc&w=560&h=315 AllHipHop.com: From your tape, Y.O.U. on “Diamonds & Whips” you say “… I am the one begotten Son / God put me on this earth for a reason / I ain’t got no hit records / but you look in they eyes / I’m who they believe in…” The obvious question is are you sharing salvation through your lyrics? Tito Lopez: Do I think that it’s salvation—most definitely. The first song that I ever dropped was “Mama Proud,” and right after that I came with something like “The Blues.” So, a lot of people look at me like I’m heavy. With “Diamonds & Whips” it’s riding, but it’s heavy; I think that’s what the damn world needs right now. With me, when I said, ‘…I can look in they eyes / and I’m who they believe in…’ where I’m from, I’m the hometown hero—the biggest thing in the city. I come from a very small town. Being on stage and sweating and seeing those people look at me, in my eyes, and saying, ‘I’m fu**ing with everything that you say and standing for.’ That’s me being on a limb. I want motherfu**ers to know that I took a sacrifice for this Rap sh*t, because they wasn’t normal club songs; or, something that you could turn-up on right away. But, I feel like everybody is doing that; so, they don’t need another one. So, I feel like I’m going to give someone something that’s timeless. I feel like all my music is timeless… [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPG03ZEkYJE&w=560&h=315] AllHipHop.com: When I heard Trae on the track I knew you were doing something right. How did you meet him? Tito Lopez: Man, Trae—just let me say salute—that’s one of the realest n*ggas in the game, 100. I met Trae when I was in Houston at T.I.’s listening party for that Trouble Man album. Shout out to Tip, too. He’s somebody who supported from the start. If you look on my Instagram I got three of four pictures with Tip, because I kept running into him at different places; he always shows love. He invited us to the listening party. We was in there, and you know Trae is on Hustle Gang, Grand Hustle. So, of course he was there, and Slim Thug was there. I had just got off tour with him. We was just in there chilling. I had never met Trae—I had bumped into him in the hallway—I just went to say respect, because that’s the type of sh*t that I grew up on. Especially in the South, there’s so many unsung heroes in the South. Scarface deserves more credit than what he got. You know, UGK, Goodie Mob—Trae is one of them Southern really respected ni**as. So, when I went to salute him, he told me that he already fu**ed with what I’m doing… We swapped numbers right there. He said, ‘Hit me anytime you want me to jump on a song.’ I said, okay. I went back to the crib and made “Diamonds & Whips.” I said, I got one for you, I sent it to him. No, lie, this is 100. Trae had the flu—fu** texting—he called me and said, ‘I got the flu, do you want a 12 or a 16?’ I said, let me get a 16. He said, ‘I’m about to go get some Robitussin and when I get back I’m going to spit this verse.’ That’s on the Bible, those are the words he said to me. He got back and sent me the verse in 30 minutes; he murdered it. I was like, this is powerful here. We’re going to have to put this out. Shout out to Trae, one of the realest ni**as I ever met. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPG03ZEkYJE&w=560&h=315] AllHipHop.com: According to Antonio Lopez Mouring, what’s the most pressing social issue that America is facing; how is this issue reflected through Hip-Hop? Tito Lopez: The most pressing social issue is—this ain’t no bullsh*t, there’s a lot of them—me and my man was just talking about how they don’t legalize weed. It helps a whole lot of problems you got, sickness and sh*t like that. In the world, the fact is all these pharmacies are the biggest drug dealers. I’m not into politics, I can’t lie, I’m not big on it; it’s all lies to me. Socially, it’s the desensitized nation. The fact of the matter is, that nobody ain’t understanding that with everyone has been scapegoating the same bullsh*t for the longest. And that’s Rap and so-called gangsters. That’s the least damaging to all these kids out here. As Black folks, I’m saying we’re the most desensitized on everything. Ain’t nobody really speaking on it. When they do speak on, you were asking how it’s depicted in Rap—it’s really not. Because as soon as you talk about, after two seconds, n*ggas are like, ‘I don’t want to hear that sh*t.’ If you say anything beside, ‘this party, turn up, or have fun,’ that sh*t is considered preaching. The thing is ain’t nobody want to hear it. The thing is, if you’re struggling so muthaf*cking much, that you don’t haven’t to hear it. The fact of the matter is, all these n*ggas forget that—let’s just say, Pac; or, somebody came out today and put out “Brenda’s Got A Baby,” or “Keep Ya Head Up,” they wouldn’t get no play… It’s perfect for me to say that instead of some politic issue about government and bullsh*t. we’re talking about society. The fact of the matter is, as Black folks we’ve lost our whole radicalness. […]
