Earlier in the week, AllHipHop.com broke the news that producer Mouse on The Track was leaving Trill Entertainment, after a decade of providing production for the legendary, Baton Rogue label, which was founded by Melvin Vernell Jr. and Marcus “Turk” Roach. While Mouse says the parting of ways was amicable, he admitted that he was never properly compensated for producing hits that define the sound of Baton Rouge through production work for artists like Lil Boosie, Lil Phat (RIP), Foxx, Webbie and others. Could Mouse’s departure be the end of Trill Entertainment? The label has been through considerable turmoil over the past five years. In 2011, Vernell and Roach were sentenced to two years of probation for shooting a rival rapper accused of bootlegging their records. Lil Boosie has been incarcerated since 2008 on drug charges. Boosie also faced a murder charge, but he beat that case in May of 2012. Trill rapper Lil Phat (Melvin Vernell III) was gunned down in Atlanta in June 2012, in a high-profile case that resulted in the arrest of San Francisco State point-guard Decensae White, rapper Gary “El Dorado Red” Bradford, Maurice Conner and former NCAA star Deandre Washington, who are all accused of taking part in the hit. Now, Trill has to deal with the departure of their in-house producer, who reveals his plans for the next chapter in his career as a producer. AllHipHop.com: What would your advice be to producers wanting to get in the game based on your experience? Mouse: I’d say especially with your first big placement make sure your business is together. Make sure you know what you’re getting yourself into, especially before you sign anything. Make sure you get a full understanding of what you’re signing. Have an idea of how you’re going to get compensated. For me it was more of a learning experience because I went through it first, and now I know better ya know? It’s like when you touch the stove and it’s too hot and you know not to touch it no more. I kinda went through it like that; but now I know what to look for because I experienced it. AllHipHop.com: A lot of new producers end up signing their life away just to be able to work with certain artists, how was your situation? Mouse: Fortunately, I signed as an in-house producer, but a contract can be perfect and everything can be all good and fair; but what’ll make a contract go bad is when somebody doesn’t abide by it. I’d say I did about 90% of it, pretty much everything that was on the charts and radio was pretty much me but all the money didn’t reflect that. AllHipHop.com: So you didn’t get what was due you as a producer even with a contract? Mouse: No, I didn’t get what I was due, but it’s all good it was a learning experience. AllHipHop.com: It must be harder to deal with when it’s like a family situation? Mouse: When you make it about family and you make it seem like this is my fam, these my people, they not gonna mess over me, you don’t ever think about it until that check you looking for don’t come and you’re like, “what happened to that check” and you keep hearing I got you, I got you, and it never comes. But at the same time, the business was new to everybody; and I’m not trying to make excuses for them, but with money coming in from everywhere they probably didn’t know how to disburse all of it or something so I’m sure there was a lot of confusion as to who was supposed to get what. But at the end of the day, I didn’t get what was due me but I’m not crying over it. I’ve moved on from it, it is what it is and now I’m in a bigger and better situation in my career. AllHipHop.com: So you just chose not to renew your deal with Trill? Mouse: Yes. AllHipHop.com: Are you and Turk still cool? Mouse: I mean I ain’t talked to him in a minute but it ain’t no problems like, when I see you I’m gone get you or nothing like that, we just not doing business together that’s all. At the end of the day I still created all the hits and I earned a lot being with Trill, with the exception of money, but it’s all good. AllHipHop.com: Tell me about your new situation Mouse: Well, I just dropped a single “Off The Chain” I’ve been having a lot of opportunities presented to me since I got out of my contract. I’ve had a chance to record in New York and Los Angeles, as a matter of fact when I was at the Atlantic studios in LA I just got such a good vibe in that building. I got great feedback on the single and I got it circulating on the streets and at radio so I’m just looking for some great things to take place. AllHipHop.com: Are you looking to sign with Atlantic? Mouse: If they come with a good offer, all options are open with me but I wouldn’t be opposed to it out right. Now I’m releasing these singles, I just dropped “Off The Chain” and I just did a song with Kevin Gates that’s on iTunes and I’m just looking forward to generating some income where I don’ t have to split with no label or nothing that’s all mine, it feels good to get all the residuals. So I’m just gonna keep on putting the records out. I also just did a record with Rocko off his mixtape called “Feels Good” that went to MTV jams. I did a record with Lil Cali and Juvenile that should be releasing in September but I’m just interested in working with artist interested in making something happen, man. AllHipHop.com: Who would you like to work with that you haven’t yet? Mouse: Big Sean, Travis […]