Havoc has been in the game for the better part of two decades, holding it down as one-half of Queens, New York duo Mobb Deep. But he's not happy with the way that the culture has progressed over the years.
During an interview with Converse Rubber Tracks, Hav recalled how he first got his feet wet as an emcee and only picked up production because others were charging too much money for beats.
"I definitely started off as an emcee first. That’s how I started, that’s how I came into the game," he said.
"Basically, how I became a producer was we couldn’t afford the beats that these producers were charging a million dollars for a track. We invested in a little bit of equipement, starting making tracks and it just had a life of its own. It was crazy. It was a lot of pressure, but I love pressure. Pressure creates diamonds, so I just did it."
He shifted his focus to how the culture has evolved over the years, stating that he's not happy with how artists focus more on singles than albums.
He considers music today "not really a special event anymore" because there's less risk in creativity.
"The ‘90s was something that’s indescribable.
It’s almost like a family thing. Looking back on it now, you miss those times because it was more effort put into the music. The music was album-orientated. Now, it’s just single-orientated.
Now, it’s so many producers out there, music is just like that. It’s not really a special event anymore. Not to really criticize the game like that, because it is what it is, whatever.
If you want to make money, then OK, you’ll just make these cookie cutter beats. But if you want to stand out and just leave your mark on the world, you’ll make something that sounds different and take a risk.
No risk, no reward."
Mike Baggz is the fresh face to the music scene. After dropping features on over 600 mixtape compilations (including DJ Whiteowl, DJ Smalls, DJ Kool Kid and many more), Mike Baggz had finally gotten the recognition that he deserved.
Of course his success didn’t come overnight, this promising emcee endured some struggles along the way. Even though his childhood memories wasn’t the fondest, Mike decided to pursue music and choose a more positive route. Now with over a million plays and hundreds of thousands of downloads under his belt, a hot single, “Late Nights” in heavy rotation, and an upcoming project, Mike Baggz is definitely an artist on the rise.
I talked to Mike Baggz about his challenges in life and music, his musical influences, and his opportunity of landing a single on MTV and VH1.
How did you discover music?
I grew up listening to R&B and rap. My favorite era of music has always been the 90′s and early 2000′s, not taking anything away from the new era of music today.
I was bought up on Juvenile Master P, Project Pat, Mase, Diddy, Biggie, Nas, Jay-Z, the “old” Lil Wayne and Big Punisher.
My father was always heavy into reggae music as well as my older brother, who actually is a reggae DJ here in New York known as DJ Blacka. Ever since I was young my family put a heavy emphasis on music, listening to all genres from old to present , so me getting into music was an inevitability in my opinion. Life growing up wasn’t easy for me because I was in and out of foster care and had tremendous behavioral problems trying to cope with the situations going on around me.
I would listen to music as an outlet, even today each song I consider my favorite has some kind of history to it, because I can always remember exactly what I was doing during that time a song came out.
How did you get your start in the music industry?
I started by selling my mixtapes in school and creating a local buzz. I participated in many cyphers all over New York, but let’s take it back to the beginning, the day I started writing. I picked up a pen was the day Christopher Rios also know as Big Punisher died, he was an inspiration to me and was one of the first hardcore lyricist I actually payed attention too, so he was the direct reason why I started pursuing music.
My first big break came when a deejay known as DJ Deal$ put me on his mixtape series called It’s Afficial and during this time Deal$ & his team was running the mixtape circuit so being on his tapes opened up the doors for me to get on various other tapes.
I didn’t know Deal$ and he didn’t know me but he respected my grind and what I was trying to do. To date I’ve been featured on over 600 to 700 mixtapes. In mid 2000 and before that the only way to be known is to hit the mixtape scene and I did it with a vengeance.
My latest release was titled Catch 22 which did over 20,000 downloads to date, the hard part was actually transitioning from a mixtape artist to being an well-rounded artist.
I found myself as an artist and as a person, and because of that and that correlation music has been going fairly good if not for me.
Talk about your single “Late Nights”. It has been featured on many networks like VH1 and MTV. How did that opportunity come about?
My single “Late Nights” is a favorite among many radio stations across the country. I officially released it on iTunes Dec. 25th. I wanted to make a song everybody can relate too or understand, that had great lyrics and a great beat (produced by K-Ronik). With the help of my radio campaign team, it’s been playing on MTV Radio, VH1 Radio as well as AOL and Yahoo radio, which are great starting outlets because at any time they have thousands of listeners. I have to give the credit to my radio team for all the spins it’s receiving via online and FM radio. So shout out to Kathryn and the rest of her team!
What is some advice that you have for other independent artists? How can they properly brand themselves, their music and maintain their own identities?
Work hard and grind 25/8, create goals for yourself and don’t be afraid to invest in your career because in this industry money talks. Branding yourself is the easy part, putting in the work takes time and effort, no matter how much these artist make it look easy, there was a lot of blood sweat and tears put into what they have accomplished now. I’m living proof of that because Lord knows it’s not an easy journey. My motto for any artist I run into is “while your sleeping the next artist is out there working hard.”
What are some of your future goals?
What’s next for me is making it onto BillBoard’s Top 100. That’s a goal I would like to reach very soon. Also I’m going to experiment with new music outside the rap genre, so be on the lookout for my new singles which at anytime you can look me up on iTunes. I’m shooting the video for “Late Nights,” which will be directed by MoneyMarv, who worked with many other artist like Jim Jones, Busta Rhymes, Maino, and etc.
The Reggae legend is accusing the Long Beach rapper recently turned Rasta of perpetrating a fraud to sell records and a movie.
Last summer, Snoop Dogg announced he was now going by the Snoop Lion moniker after a long trip to Jamaica led him to an artistic epiphany. His next album, titled Reincarnated (accompanied by movie of the same title documenting his spiritual and musical journey), would be a Reggae project produced by Major Lazer. However, now Wailer believes that Snoop's rapper turned Rasta shtick was just a ruse.
TMZ reports:
Bunny Wailer -- an original member of Bob Marley and the Wailers -- tells TMZ he's heated about the docu-film "Reincarnated" ... which documented Snoop's immersion in the Rasta culture as he recorded his first reggae album in Jamaica last year.
Wailer claims Snoop has engaged in "outright fraudulent use of Rastafari Community's personalities and symbolism" -- and has failed to meet "contractual, moral and verbal commitments."
Wailer isn't the only one feeling a ways. The Ethio-Africa Diaspora Union Millennium Council sent Snoop a seven page letter demanding that the rapper stop using the "Snoop Lion" name, make an apology, and of course, fork over some cash that he allegedly promised. TMZ reports that a portion of the letter reads, "smoking weed and loving Bob Marley and reggae music is not what defines the Rastafari Indigenous Culture!"
If Snoop... If the artist born Calvin Broadus doesn't adhere to these requests, he will be sued.
Last April, a vinyl collection belonging to the late producer/emcee J Dilla was uncovered, containing approximately 8,000 records.
Now, it appears that portions of the collection are ready to be sold.
The news was announced on J-Dilla.com, where the story behind the collection was revealed:
Years ago J Dilla moved a large collection of records, personal test presses and audio master tapes into a storage until after his Detroit basement studio flooded. Shortly thereafter he moved to Los Angeles.
The storage unit was left by Dilla and taken care of by his mother, Maureen “Ma Dukes” Yancey, but attention and priorities soon shifted: Dilla became seriously ill and hospitalized, and with his mother at his side in Los Angeles during a planned two-week visited that turned into years, the unit was lost.
In Spring of 2012, the entire collection was finally recovered. The back payments and fees were paid – Ma Dukes was reunited with the contents she last saw just before leaving to L.A. to take care of Dilla.
The statement delved into the details of the sale, which will take place on eBay:
Maureen Yancey is now selling a portion of the record collection in the first of a series of weekly sales taking place on eBay.
Buyers receive an LP from the collection of J Dilla, with a signed, numbered certificate from Maureen Yancey stating that the record is from this personal collection.
The certificates are numbered with the plan of an online registry for Dilla fans to list their Dilla Collection LP. Buyers are welcomes to include the artist, title, and whether any tracks on the LP are known to have been sampled by Dilla. This registry is dependent on the sales of the limited amount of the collection and response from the fans.
Robert F. Chew, best known as Proposition Joe on HBO’s The Wire, passed away on Thursday according to The Baltimore Sun at the age of 52.
Former cast members and celebrities took to Twitter expressing condolences and shock of the news.
“R.I.P To My Brother Robert F Chew AKA Prop Joe from The Wire…Love You Man You Gave Me A lot of WISDOM”, The Wire’s Tray Chaney (Poot) wrote on Twitter.
Jamie Hector (Marlo Stanfield ) tweeted, “I didn’t want to believe this #RIP Robert F Chew,” on ”Prop Joe will always be remembered Robert Chew will always be loved and missed!”
“RIP Prop Joe, great actor,” tweeted Russell Simmons.
Wendell Pierce expressed his condolences, “To the beloved Robert Chew, a man was real Bawlmore, and created the iconic character of “Prop Joe”, may you RIP, A teacher & friend.”
The Wire creator, David Simon, sent an email to The Baltimore Sun expressing admiration for the actor’s commitment to the arts and his community.
“Robert was not only an exceptional actor, he was an essential part of the film and theater community in Baltimore,” wrote Simon. “He could have gone to New York or Los Angeles and commanded a lot more work, but he loved the city as his home and chose to remain here working.”
Chew, served as a mentor to aspiring actors, and even coached the young actors of season four.
Born in Baltimore, Chew got his first TV break in 1997 in an episode of NBC’s “Homicide.” In 2000, David Simon created the mini-series, “The Corner”, where Chew also had a role.
Funeral services for the teacher, actor and friend will be held in his hometown of Baltimore, Maryland.
“A businessman such as myself does not believe in bad blood with a man such as yourself – it disturbs the sleep,” Proposition Joe
The Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation (TASF) has teamed with Velocity World Media to create and produce a new live experimental concert series, to honor Tupac’s life.
The new concert series, which will celebrate Tupac’s influence on art and culture, will be broadcast live in high-definition to clubs, restaurants and movie theaters around the United States.
TASF will help provide some of today’s top recording artists for the performances, which will be a part of Velocity World Media “First Spin” experience. The First Spin live event series is designed to be a launching pad for some of the nation’s top recording artists, to be broadcast exclusively in cutting edge venues around the country.
“Tupac was and continues to be hugely influential in the music industry and with youth across the country. He followed his own path and always seemed to be a step ahead of the cultural curve,” said Vernal Cambridge, executive director of the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation.
“We like to honor his style by defying convention in our own way,” Cambridge continued. “That’s why we’re offering fans a way to support the foundation’s charitable work and celebrate Tupac’s memory through an up-close-and-personal experience with some of today’s brightest artists.”
The program will also serve as a fundraiser for the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation, which is in Stone Mountain, Georgia.
“We’re honored to provide a powerful media platform for the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation to celebrate Tupac’s impact on music while raising money to support creative arts and early education programs that serve as a true resource for children and families,” said Philip Elias, president and CEO of Velocity World Media. “This series is the first of its kind and will serve as a benchmark for the power of fundraising via live, experiential television.”
After the release of their remix to "Celebration" So So Def officially held a press conference in Atlanta that they will be holding a concert to commemorate their 20th anniversary of making music in Atlanta.
Jermaine Dupri, Xscape, Bow Wow, Jagged Edge and Da Brat will celebrate 20 years of hit-making music at an All-Star Anniversary Concert on February 23 at the Fox Theater. “Not only is it an honor to be able to stand here 20 years after our very first release in 1993 -- Xscape's #1 single ‘Just Kickin It' – but it's truly an achievement that we can bring everyone back together to celebrate over two decades of music excellence. We also acknowledge 1992 as the year when So So Def Productions introduced to the world Kris Kross, who had everyone jumping," Dupri said.
He was joined by the Mayor of Atlanta, Kasim Reed, who gave the event his blessing, which will commemorate in a little bit over a month. “Atlanta has a thriving music industry, and So So Def Recordings has been an important part of that legacy for the past two decades,” said Mayor Kasim Reed. “This milestone is another example of why Atlanta is the entertainment capital of the Southeast. I am pleased that So So Def has called our great city home for 20 years, and I wish the company continued success for many more years to come.”
In 2012, news of Mobb Deep’s hiatus broke in a most unceremonious fashion—via Twitter. After initially denying a series of derogatory and homophobic posts were aimed at Prodigy, Havoc later stated that he was indeed the source and that the group was on hiatus.
And while their respective solo careers roll on, Prodigy took to PNC Radio’s “The Usual Suspects” to reveal all hope is not lost for fans of Mobb Deep.
“Yeah, I’m sure about that,” Prodigy replied, when asked if he’ll ever record with Havoc again.
“I love Mobb Deep…Mobb Deep made my life what it is.
Havoc feels the same way, so we’ll be right back to work.
For right now, he’s doing his thing and I’m doing my thing.
I’ve got goals I’m trying to accomplish, and I really can’t let nothing sidestep me or get in the way of that. If that means I gotta put Mobb Deep on standby for the time being, then so be it.”
Tracks such as Havoc’s “Separated (Real From The Fake)” left little to the imagination, as far as confirming at least a temporary split.
But P confirmed that he and Havoc have spoken, and he pointed to his multiple Mobb Deep tattoos as proof of his loyalty. Prodigy’s next scheduled project is the Albert Einstein album with Alchemist, which is slated for release in the first quarter of 2013.
Compton, CA – Struggling to survive and overcome violence and poverty is a common image seen in
movies and music about those who live in Compton. For West Coast rapper Cuicide, it’s all just a part
of his life. He’s dealt with hardships from the moment he was born, from having been abandoned by
his parents at only eighteen months old to having to make it through foster homes and more upheavals.
With no place to truly call home, he took to the streets and their offers of gang banging, robbing and
hustling, but even that failed to calm him and eventually lead to an attempt at taking his own life at the
young age of 22 years old. He thankfully lived through that and woke up out of a coma with a renewed
sense of determination to make it. Just two years after the life-changing brush with death that spawned
his rap name, he signed his first record deal and recorded his debut album “Final Exit.”
The album reflected his life before the coma, including constant living on the edge and opened the door
for his future in music. Since then he’s released a second album, toured across Japan, France, and Germany
and taken up acting. The struggles haven’t stopped, as he’s been shot twice in the last four years, including
in the stomach by an AK-47, but through it all he’s developed a desire to never quit. His new album “Never
Give Up” will carry that theme and is sure to give his listeners a true glimpse at overcoming the odds.
“Looking back on my life from the past until now I never gave up and know for sure there is a God and I'm
here for a reason,” Cuicide reflects. “So to the world I say no matter what you’ve been or are going through
you can make it. Always remember OG Cuicide told you never give up.”
Hip-Hop legend Master P will return to the rap game this year, with the release of a new album titled Boss Of All Bosses.
Boss Of All Bosses is Master P’s first album since 2005, as well as his first official release since announcing his retirement from rap in 2006.
Prior to the release of Boss Of All Bosses, Master P would drop a mix tape titled “Al Capone.”
“Expect a lot of club bangers, street classics, and music to make you think,” “As I transition my life, and the things that I’ve seen good and bad from the streets to corporate America, I feel like this mixtape is a piece of the documentary you will get from the album Boss of All Bosses.
For the “Al Capone” mixtape, Master P has called upon some of Hip-Hop’s top producers and rappers.
Artist like Game, Kirko Bangz, Nipsey Hussle, Miss Chee, Eastwood, Bengie B, T.E.C., T-Bo, Problem, and Jeremiah make appearances, while production on the release is handled by 1500, Deezle, Mike Diesel and Drummer Boy.
“I’m able to be relevant and make good music for this generation and not focus on what I did in the past,” Master P said.
And it’s not by accident. Master P has created a partnership with some of the hottest street rappers like Alley Boy and Fat Trel, to form The Louie V Mob, who are featured on “Al Capone” as well as Boss Of All Bosses.
“The Louie V Mob will bring the REAL to Hip-Hop.” Master P promised. “A lot of these artists are signing these 360 deals to major labels and can’t make moves. We teamed up as bosses to change the game, to where independence can control and make real money. It’s a new world order. No Limit Forever, Slutty Boy, and Ducktape.”
Shantale Person was born in
Fayetteville, NC on May 28, 1987.
As a young child her family eventually
settled in Chesterfield, VA and as the years went by her family and peers did
not know that she would grow up to be the lyricist she is today.
Being brought
up by a very poetic mother she learned to express her emotions through poetry
and song.
As Shantale began looking for a name to define herself the name Ms
Proper came to her during a car ride one afternoon.
Ms Proper felt the name fit
her not only lyrically but personally. She is at the forefront of the city’s
renaissance of talented Hip Hop artists.
Since her first release “Addicted
To The Game” in 2007, she refined her craft and gained notice from both
industry and fans; yet it was her 2nd mixtape release “The Wake Up”; her
sophomore project released in 2009, which put Ms Proper on the map.
In 2010, Ms
Proper released her 3rdmixtape, “Proper Etiquette”,
which received even more attention from fans and industry insiders.
Her music
has been featured on three different Digital Dynasty mixtapes within the year
and she was recently nominated for the Indie Elite Achievement Award.
She has
opened for Jae Millz, Big K.R.I.T, Cyhi Da Prince, Rah The MC, Force MD’s,
Olivia, Mims, and Pretty Ricky. After two auditions on March 12, 2011 Ms Proper
was chosen by executive producer and writer of B.E.T’s 106 & Park, Pat
Charles, to perform on the show which would later air on July 13, 2011. Ms
Proper’s 4thmixtape”#NoDaysOff”featuring DJ White Owl was released July
2, 2011 and is showed people more of what this artist and CEO of her own label,
So Proper Entertainment, has in store.
Most recently Ms Proper made the
cover of Hip Hop Stardom 101 magazine.
Continuing her music career and
embarking on a new journey as co-host of the online radio show Rated R Radio,
Ms Proper is always on the microphone and always ready for her next challenge.
