What made you decide to become a rapper?
I've been a music lover since I can remember. Growing up, music seemed to always be playing. Jazz was actually my first love and I started playing the saxophone at age 12. I grew up with hip hop and it influenced me greatly. I was initially drawn to the beats and production and wanted to be a producer first, but I quickly realized that you need to have a few dollars to buy all of the equipment and soon switched my steeze to rapping, haha. I had a cousin who was a very talented rapper from a young age. When we got to high school he was always freestyling and making songs and would encourage me to rap when we were in the car going to parties or hanging out or whatever. That grew to me writing my first rhyme in college and I fell in love with it. I was in a couple of groups in college and when I moved to LA in 2001 I saw how much love the indie artists got out here and how they were winning. I was more focused on modeling and acting at that time, but like I say in the song, a light bulb went off and I decided to pursue all three, with music being my true passion and focus. The rest is history as they say.
How did you hook up with Jimetta Rose for the track?
I've been friends with Jimetta for years and we always talked about working together. We would run into each other a lot at parties and whatnot and we always have gotten along really well. Like minds attract other like minds. Both being independent artists we realize the strength of community and building ourselves up and helping one another. At the beginning of this year I told her it was finally time to work on something together. A lot of it has to do with timing. She was open and we made it happen. We were actually first supposed to work together on my 2010 Concrete Steppin LP. I had a track in mind for her and drove all the way to her house in South Central to pitch it to her. I had a hook already in mind, and in retrospect, I don't think she was feeling having someone else write her hook. Jimetta has a great following and I knew having her on a track would attract a lot of new listeners to my music and I was right. The track is doing really well.
How did you guys create the song?
I approached Jimetta with a track from a different producer initially, but that situation didn't work out. I bumped into Stro at a party a few weeks later and told him that Jimetta and I were looking for some music. He sent me the joint and we both liked it. I felt like talking about success and why I feel like I'm successful. A lot of the images of hip hop success is the excess of material items, but as a hip hop artist I feel like I'm successful without all of that stuff and wanted to tell my story of success. I wrote and recorded my parts at my home studio and sent it to both of them and they both liked the concept of the song. She came by a few weeks later to record her parts. She initially had a hook in mind, but it was a bit too melodic for the track and didn't exactly fit the energy of it, so she came up with the current hook after a little while. When I heard the new hook, I knew it was a winner and fit the feel of the track a lot better. She agreed and, again, the rest is history as they say.
Are you working on an album? What can you tell us about it?
I'm not currently working on an album. I have been writing and recording more these days and it could eventually evolve into an EP, but putting out records isn't really the model I'm following anymore. The public isn't really buying albums like they used to. The music business model had shifted, and being an indie artist, I had to shift the way I release music as well. The fact that all of the music that I release comes out of my pockets really affects how I put out music and when. I have a five-year-old son, and being a responsible parent, I can't see me putting thousands of dollars into a project that most likely won't yield the return, when he has immediate needs like food, clothing and shelter. I just have to keep it 100 with myself and be a realist, ya dig? Not to say that if an investor came along with some capital that I wouldn't put out another album, but putting out singles is the route that I'm choosing to take at this point.
What’s a life motto you try to live by and why?
Hard work pays off because it’s true. Nobody is going to give you anything in this world unless you prove that you are worthy and that you've put in the work. And if they do, it’s going to be fleeting and not last long. If I hadn't worked hard and believed in myself, I wouldn't have accomplished any of the things that I have in my career. Being self-managed, I've had to treat music like a part-time job, straight up. Before my son was born, if I wasn't working at my actual job, I was on the internet researching blogs, record labels, managers, PR reps, venues, etc. I was booking my own gigs and contacting colleges and universities. I did all of that myself and I was able to put out albums and tour and put a live band together and sign two label deals. It was because I believed in my talent and put in the hard work to make things happen for myself because if I didn't do it, no one else was. It’s been my motto for years and has worked pretty well so far.
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