"Keeping it real with the awesomist" - L No catches up with B Rude... DayOne!

L No and B Rude performing together at the Meuwl Memorial Show in Morgantown...

Keeping it real with The Awesomist

This next interview is one that’s very near and dear to my heart kiddos. That would be of course, because today’s interview subject is none other than B. Rude (aka Skranton Wiles, The Awesomist, Gingerbread Wolfboy, Bruder, Dr. Brudoculous…ok you get the drift). I’ve known B and his brother Mic Rude since I was in the 6th grade, and young B was just the one of the younger brothers taking shit from the big brothers at any given backyard soccer match/skate sesh.
Since then, as many of you know, B. Rude has gone on to release 4 records both as a solo act and with the Rabble Rousers, Killer Affiliates and as Rude Brothers (plus others). He’s also dropped an entire novel of quotables over the years, both on and off the mic. Since fellow Rabble Rouser and Dayone Media founder Meuwl’s passing one year ago, B’s gone through a bit of a transition. He’s most recently been on tour with the new supergroup Dinosaur Burps (with DJ Squeezle, also of Rabble Rousers), and recording for a new album. Spread the awesome, y’all…

L-NO: How did it feel to finally take your live show to some new venues in new places? You’ve been killing it in WV for years now, but this is your first multi-state tour. How did it come about and what was it like?

B. Rude: Naturally, I was kind of nervous at first… but then I just blocked that out and said "fuck it, fuck 'em if they don’t feel it. I like me and what I do.” I came about getting on the tour by perusing Facebook and saw that my homeboy, Raymond Strife, who had been to WV several times on tour was talking about it and I pretty much invited myself.

L-NO: How did the tour go? What was your favorite show? Tell us a bit about it, and any other random tour shenanigans that may have come about.

B. Rude: The tour went really well. 7,000 Miles in a bitchin Corolla. There were some small snags here and there; nothing major though. Just along the lines of bad sound and not getting paid, but I could really care less about the money. I couldn’t really say which was my favorite show but Lansing is the shit. Played with a couple of good punk bands, had a b-boy breaking in Minneapolis, Wisconsin got a little crazy when we took over this dudes apartment after the show. There are some other shenanigans and debauchery that I can’t really talk about if ya know what I mean.

L-NO: What was the worst show?

B. Rude: There really weren’t any bad shows, everybody we met was really cool.

L-NO: Do you have any plans for future tours or local shows yet?

B. Rude: I do believe (there are shows) December 17th at The Blue Parrot, X-Mas at The Empty Glass, and New Years at The Blue Parrot . Tour plans are soon to be in the works for the spring. If anybody has any connects send them to me at b.rude94@gmail.com.

L-NO: How is the recording going for the new album? You’ve been working down in Fayetteville with The Yetti, has it been different recording with a band as opposed to just yourself and a producer?

B. Rude: Recording has been going really well, got some real ground breaking stuff going on. There’s really not a whole lot of difference, because not only are they playing live instruments they also do a lot of chopping and looping with random obscure samples. Benny C. and The Brad are madmen and very talented dudes in the studio.

L-NO: Do you have a title for it yet or are you still working on that? Who is featured on the album? (Either producers or guest MC’s)

B. Rude: The title is still up in the air but we have been thinking of "Mother Nature Wants You Dead", "Things You Can’t Unhear (Yetti Burps)", "Awesome Stuff We Did When No one Was Looking", “Gingerbread Wolfboy & The Chocodile”, and a few others. I got some people I would like to hopefully get on the album, but I’m not gonna drop any names since there’s been no confirmations as of yet. I’m hoping to get an L -NO verse for the album. Most of the production on this will be by The Yetti and the late great Meuwl.

L-NO: Are there plans to shoot any videos for the album?

B. Rude: Yes there are. I’m just more concerned with getting the recording done first.

L-NO: Do you have plans to do an online store or something similar for people to cop the new album when it’s done, or will you be doing strictly physical copies?

B. Rude: I would like to set something up on the interwebs , but I’m just not tech savvy and I’m lazy as shit!

L-NO: How do you feel your newest music represents the Dayone foundation that’s been built over the last several years?

B. Rude: I think it’s going to represent Dayone bad assidly. Shit just keeps getting better, minus the absence of Meuwl of course, but you know you just gotta keep stuff moving. That’s what he would have wanted.

L-NO: How do you plan on taking that foundation to the next level?

B. Rude: I try not to plan too much, I kind of just go with the flow and let stuff happen but I definitely want Dayone/Rawkid to be known nationwide… we'll start with that.

L-NO: Why haven’t you done a producer/MC tape with L-NO yet? Haha…

B. Rude: You can’t rush the awesome! When the time is right (it’ll happen), plus like I said I’m a lazy fat shit.

L-NO: Shout out your people son son

B. Rude: Shouts to beef jerky, cheap cigs and rotgut whiskey. Carpet, people that were willing to let us take over their homes and put up with our bullshit. Medicinal herbs, Newark trap houses, everyone on the tour(Ray Strife, Dinz, Mr. Faricker, Roebus One & everybody else),TJ Sigmon, beer, and all my Dayone Rawkid fam and the whole state of WV!

Make sure you download the first leaked single off of the album "Your Smart Phone Is Stupid" that we dropped first a while back...

B Rude - Your Smart Phone Is Stupid by LiveFromTheDub

L No catched up with Marcus D'Tray... do your homework!

I told you on Twitter (yes you need to follow us at www.Twitter.com/LiveFromTheDub) that when I got back from Arizona that we had some super huge updates for y'all! L No caught up with one of WV's top hip hop talents, Marcus D'Tray! Enjoy.....

For all you veterans and noobs out there, take notice. Marcus D’Tray has been establishing himself as one of the most renowned producers in WV history for over 10 years now. He’s had more major-label quality placements than anyone that I know of, and has produced a string of local bangers as well. Now repping Charlotte, NC, D-Tray is still in the lab perfecting the craft, and still landing placements left and right. D-Tray was kind enough to take some time out of his schedule to kick some facts with me, and open the curtain to give the Dub a peek into his life. Relax and take notes suckas!

L-NO: This has kind of become a token question, but I think it’s a good one for you. A lot of people newer to the scene might not know how you got your start. Tell us about how you got started producing locally and some of the people you worked with.

D’Tray: I started messing with music around 14, I actually met 6’6 around that time, and he had a whole notebook full of songs. I had a bootleg drum machine and a mic at my house we used to mess around on. When I was about 18 I got real serious with it and bought a bunch of real equipment and just tried to learn it all, I did my album, did a lot of songs for 6, Paycheck, the whole Reconz, Ace Beanz, anybody who was hot around that time in Morgantown.I didn’t start to try and sell tracks to Major artists till about 3-4 years ago

L-NO: I hear that you’re down in Charlotte these days? How did you choose Charlotte, and at what point did you feel the need to move away from WV to expand your opportunities?

D’Tray: I didn’t pick Charlotte so much for music; I got married and my wife had a job down here. Since I can work from anywhere, this is where we are right now. 80% of everything I’ve placed so far was done while I lived in Morgantown, so it’s possible to make progress from WV.

L-NO: Are you still working with anyone locally?

D’Tray: Most def, I’m working with Tiger, I try to get hooks from Wilz P every time I can. Dante records at my studio a lot, I’m really busy but I got tracks for whoever is serious.

L-NO: Who is your favorite MC in WV?

D’Tray: I mess with a lot of artists from WV so I can’t say MC wise, but my favorite album out of WV history is Grim Reaper Theme Music (Paycheck Game). There was something special about that one when it dropped.

L-NO: How has your production setup evolved over the years? What does your setup look like these days?

D’Tray: It’s changed from PC, to Mac and Logic now. I still use mostly keyboards instead of soft synths, I’m outta control with the keyboards, and I have about 7 in here right now, analog to virus, Moog, plus all the regular fantoms and stuff. I just started using to Maschine instead of my MPC and I’m lovin that right now.

L-NO: How would you describe your production style? What is your favorite method of getting new sounds/samples?

D’Tray: I guess I would call it a very heavy sound, there is always a lot going on; that’s just me, I can’t change that. I have bought sounds and downloaded all types of kits, I have live 50 gigs of just drums, but I always make about 20-30 kits and just stick with them. The trick is to resample them through something old and gritty that makes them knock. Keyboard wise, I just turn the knobs until it sounds good.

L-NO: Have you had any professional training as far as audio engineering goes or are you self-taught? Who helped you out the most as a new producer starting out?

D’Tray: Engineering wise some people tell me I’m good at that but, I’m not happy with a mix until I’m there with a real engineer in an SSL room and we have about 8 hours to work on a song. If I’m not there they may not mix the song the way I hear it, that happens a lot so far and I want to get it in the paper work that I need to be there for the mix, or the record will lose something that made it dope. Imagine a Timbaland track with everything going on in it, and an outside party trying to decide what should be the main focus of the track; it’s just as important as any step in the process.

I didn’t really have much help, and sometimes that’s a good thing. That way some of your mistakes end up being part of your sound. Everybody I knew had MPC's and I was still using sampling keyboards so they couldn’t really help me much.

L-NO: You’ve had the biggest beat placements of anyone in the state that I know of. What was the first beat you had placed with a major artist, and how did getting that first placement feel?

D’Tray: The “Keep Pushin” record was the first to ever come out nationally, that and the Maino ft Trey Songz. I had a few placements before that but they never came out.The first time Flex played “Keep Pushin” he dropped bombs on it and brought it back twice on Hot 97 in New York. That was a crazy feeling; it makes you want to go back in the studio right then. When my homie Tim called me and said “Hood Love” was on the Sirius Top 20 countdown, and it was playing every hour in New York that was crazy, Check called me and said he heard it on the radio. Those are the times that we work hard for. I can’t say I’m satisfied with that tough, I think everybody wants to be at the top of what they do. But it’s a great start, I feel blessed no doubt.

L-NO: What is your favorite collaboration that you’ve been involved with/what artist do you feel killed one of your beats the hardest?

D’Tray: Sheek always does his thing, there is this unreleased song I was a part of with Scarface, behind Pac he’s my favorite ever so that was nasty to hear.

L-NO: What are you working on right now? Do you have any new collaborations you can speak on?

D’Tray: I’m actually tryin to get some big R&B and pop records placed; I’ve got great writers so I feel good about getting top 40 national records out real soon. We have been sending them to Ciara, Sean Kingston, Willow....
I’m workin on a full album with Mike Smith, I think we can get him a deal, we’ve got a crazy sound together, and it just works. I know my manager said Yayo recorded one last month so hope that makes his album.

L-NO: What is the best lesson you’ve learned regarding the music industry at this point in your career?

D’Tray: I would say that it’s not who is best, it’s who has the most to offer. Relationships are the most important thing after you get nice with what you do. It’s not always the best stuff that makes it, just the best relationships.

L-NO: If you had any advice for the people back in WV trying to make it happen, what would it be?

D’Tray: You have to find what it is your best at and do that. Spend 8 hours a day on it if you can. Don’t approach people in the industry until you have about 20 bangers! A no today doesn’t mean a no tomorrow so keep hitting people with stuff every few months if it’s good.

You have to hear from Jesus for yourself, no one way will work for everyone, but with God all things are possible!

Just to remind you of the new single from Sheek Louch produced by D'Tray here it is again!

L No catches up with Ray P

Ray-P is one of the leaders of a new breed of MC’s coming out of the capital city. He’s been grinding for a few years now and is starting to gain recognition for his skills through his new mixtape, Mr. International, and his latest video, the Dirty Hun directed “Mean Muggin Like A Bad Kid.” I got up with Ray to discuss his latest projects and give The Dub some insight into the mind of Mr. International himself.

L-NO: You’ve been building quite a buzz for yourself over the last year. What moves do you credit for being able to get this amount of exposure in that short of a time?

Ray-P: A lot of credit goes to DJ Prodigy. He sets up a lot of things behind the scenes and is good at making shit happen. But a lot of credit goes to just networking and grinding, every little move adds up. My buzz isn’t as big as I would like it to be at the moment lol, but it’s a marathon not a sprint.

L-NO: How did you link up with DJ Prodigy?

Ray-P: DJ Prodigy found my mixtape on Datpiff through a mutual friend that played football at Fairmont St. with him.

L-NO: You featured a few videos of your trip to the Core DJ Retreat in Orlando. What was that trip like and do you feel like it was worth the trip in terms of networking and seeing what other people in the game are up to?

Ray-P: Yeah the trip to the Core retreat was for sure worth it. Besides the networking opportunities, the motivation I left Florida with fueled the whole Mr. International mixtape. Hearing other peoples in the business opinion lets you know what you need to improve on.

L-NO: With you coming up a few years after the one of most recent wave of WV artists, were you inspired by or a fan of any local artists before you got into the game for yourself?

Ray-P: I never really appreciated the local artists’ music UNTIL I got in the game. I love how there is so much talent in the state. A lot of dope emcees in WV.
L-NO: Who would you like to work with that you haven’t already?

Ray-P: Oh man there’s a lot lol. K Kutta, Six, Northern Lights, Stupyd Fresh, D-Why, Timeless etc…

L-NO: How do you rate the scene in Charleston these days?

Ray-P: It’s on the rise, glad to see artists out here pushin the movement.

L-NO: Have you been doing any shows lately? How do you rate your live-show game and what elements do you think make a good show?

Ray-P: My last show was a house party in Motown. It was real live, I feel like my stage show has improved a lot. A crowd wants to vibe with you and providing a visual element to the music makes it better. Getting on stage having fun and connecting with the crowd is a feeling that can’t be touched.

L-NO: Your most recent video for “Mean Muggin Like a Bad Kid” has gotten almost 2,000 views. What was it like shooting that video and working with Dirty Hun?

Ray-P: Shooting the video was fun. Linked up with D-Man, Kevmoney, and A Teezy while shooting it, and they some cool cats. Dirty is a real dude, his videos just keep getting better.

L-NO: How is the promotion going for the “Mr. International” Mixtape? Where can people get that and other Ray-P projects?

Ray-P: The promotion is going well with Mr. International, shout out to Hardtarget for the graphics on the flyer and cover. You can get the tape from me if you’re in Charleston, or DJ Prodigy in Morgantown.

L-NO: Who are you collaborating with right now, and what new projects are in currently in the works for this year?

Ray-P: Got big plans for another mixtape dropping this year because I love to do the music and I just wanna keep making new shit. Look out for a Huey Mac collab and some other joints with the SoundVizion crew.

Tools of the Trade with L-No...

Being the big supporters of those who studied typography and tried to get their hand writing stylish..... we HAD to get an interview with a local underground art hero. ANTI

TOOLS OF THE TRADE: BURNIN THE MIDNIGHT OIL WITH ANTI

These days, at least on a mainstream/popular level, I feel that graffiti is one of the lost elements of hip hop (including breakers…and I don’t mean America’s Next Top Random Dance Crew breakin…I’m talking Beat Street breakin’!) Sure, big companies everywhere are down to use a writer’s talent to sell a bunch of Mountain Dew or X Games or whatever the fuck…but the average fan either doesn’t seem to know much or care much about Graff. That being said, I linked up with WV heavy hitter ANTI so everyone can see what time it is, and if they don’t….well you know the rest…

L-NO : At what age did you get into Graff/what inspired you to start writing?

ANTI : Between Huntington’s railroad and massive roadtrips, I’d been aware of Graff my whole life. At the age of 12 I made a point to completely change my handwriting. Two years later I took it to the streets with all my skater friends… we rode all day and caught tags all night. I quit a few years later because everyone pretty much grew up; no one was writing at all, and I didn’t know how to get where I wanted to be with it. Got back to it with a much better understanding in 2002 and been going hard ever since.

L-NO: How would you describe your style and how has it evolved over the years?

ANTI: What style?!?! My style is what I would call an “Appalachian orphan” it has no parents. No one ever taught me and until 2004 I didn’t meet anyone. SPEAK and IDEAS let me roll with them. In 2005 I met PSST (rip) and he taught me a lot. Then, I met OZ later and he showed me a lot. So I take what I saw and liked the best on the trains and what I liked the best in the state and tried to make it my own. I’m still desperately trying to. It’s an endless mission.

L-NO: What, if any, other mediums of art do you focus on? For example; are you into any other styles like canvas, prints, sculpture, graphic design, etc.?

ANTI: Graffiti killed the fine artist in me. I’ve done a few canvases for people but would rather stick to public assault.

L-NO: What is your ideal scenario to go bombing? Who do you like to write with, what type of spots do you like to hit, best times, etc (without giving away too much info of course)

ANTI: Best scenario: grimy ass cutty spots, rooftops, highways or trains. My partners are level headed businessmen; cool enough to chill in stressful situations and know when to calmly bounce. Timing is everything…..

L-NO: What WV crews do you think are representing right now? (quality of work, quantity of getting up, etc)

ANTI: My crews AKA and DAYONE got the whole state on lockdown.

L-NO: Who do you think are some up and coming WV writers that most people haven’t heard of?

ANTI: KABAL is really going for his right now in Huntington. The streets are hot as fuck and he’s getting up hard. He has a great bomb, good legible tag and a simple piecing style that he aint trying to be the next guy, he’s doing his own thing and I respect that a lot. He knows his history, respects the game and the players. BORT is also someone who holds it down statewide. He has one of the best natural scripts I’ve ever seen. He tags like a fiend and he forges copper blessed by ancient deities. THE RUNS is ill too. He just got real nice with it and his devotion and history is admirable. He’s also a made man.

L-NO: What other WV writer’s style do think is the freshest?

ANTI: OZKER and TEXT

L-NO: What’s the craziest thing you’ve seen while out on a mission?

ANTI: I got shot at and felt the bricks chipping away beside me as I finish my tag; that was nuts. Then the normal shit; bums jacking off, fucking, or shooting up. My friend wants me to tell you about this time at an all ages show in the Chucktown area the cops beat up a bunch of kids. Choke slammed this little girl, sent in a dog and ripped cameras from around their necks…. Well he came back to be more of an asshole and left his cruiser right outside while he went in, and never missing such a golden opportunity; I tagged the shit out of it with swastikas and crosshairs. He came back out and lost his mind. Tons of people saw me do it and no one said shit. He fucking LOST it. WIN!!!

L-NO: What are you into outside of graff? What kinda music/movies are you into, what do you do on your free time?

ANTI: Heavy metal, hardcore, hip hop with soul, intellect, and humor, bluegrass, and punk fucking rawk. Movies I like are bad evil, or real sad. I like billiards, long sunset walks on the train tracks. I like traveling, shitty strip clubs, and sketchy situations. I’m also an ultra weirdo.

L-NO: Where do you see the WV scene going in the next few years?

ANTI: Wherever we take it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

R.I.P Mr. Tools of the Trade PSST aka Meuwl

L No with one of the hottest names in the streets and behind the scenes right now... Dirty Hun

Dirty Hun is a name that’s been ringing out in Charleston for years now. I first encountered him around 2003-2004. At the time he was coming up as an MC and was known as the gold grill hookup, and since then he’s pretty much the same dude with one exception. Now he’s gaining almost as much recognition from his abilities as a director and his very popular Dirty Hun Gone Wild YouTube page. I took some time this week to catch up with Hun so he can fill in the Dub with what’s been going on with him…

L-NO: I know you’ve been MC’ing for awhile now, at least since I first heard of you around 03…but in the last couple of years you’re really getting known for your videos and DHGW YouTube page. When did you first take an interest in filmmaking, and how have you gotten to this point? Have you had any formal training or has it mostly been teach yourself, DIY style?

Dirty Hun: I've always had the camcorder in my hand since way back in high school. It wasn't until I created the YouTube channel that I started editing. The feedback kept rolling in so I kept creating videos. It helps when you have children too because you can't be that MC or rapper that you first started out to be. Long as I get to be creative and express my ideas and where I'm from, I'm good. You know what they say, it all started with a dollar and a dream.

L-NO: So for anyone who’s not up on it, tell us a little about the DHGW site, how it came about and what’s going on with it in the future.

DHGW: Well I wanted to start a YouTube channel and me and Ben Grady had all of these ideas. It eventually grew into me doing stuff for other artists because I didn't feel like being in front of the camera anymore. At first it was all funny skits, then I just started shooting videos. I think the channel was / is the first of its kind in West Virginia. It started out a Dirty Hun thing and grew into a business thing. I made YouTube partner and now I'm shooting videos for independent artists for the right price. I keep my prices fair.

L-NO: What is your favorite out of all the videos you have filmed/directed?

DHGW: The Frenchie Bricksquad video was special for me because that is G Baby's dude (R I P G Baby) and I know G Baby would have been there for that, so I just kept thinking of how I was doing that for him. He always said he had me no matter what, and I believe he was there for that one.

L-NO: How do you think the level of videos from WV artists has progressed, both from a conceptual and technical standpoint?

DHGW: The videos is getting better. I've seen a couple good videos that I like. Huey has a couple nice videos. I mean I just think things are getting better with the HD quality. If anything that is what I bring to the table is a chance for the artist to be seen in HD quality and a chance to get good views on the YouTube channel.

L-NO: For any MC’s who are new to being filmed, what advice would you give to put on a good video performance?

DHGW: Portray what is in your music. Give off the same feel. If you was hype in the studio then you are going to want to bring some of that energy to the video. Don't look stupid and sit there being scared. This is your music and your image, so act like it. I don't like using gay words like “swag,” but just because the reader can understand me, bring your “swag”.

L-NO: Do you have plans to do any filmmaking other than music videos, and if so what kind of stuff is on your radar?

DHGW: I plan to make some reality / documentary type stuff soon. I want to put out DVDs and I want to enter film festivals. I am just waiting to get the right ideas in place before I jump into it.

L-NO: Who is your favorite director, and who has been your biggest influence as far as music videos go?
DHGW: Motion Family probably has the dopest videos out right now. I watch every video they put out. I like what the guys over at Film Riot does too even though it's not music videos. Far as movies go even though I'm a big comedy guy, I like what Guy Ritchie does.

L-NO: What’s new for Dirty Hun the rapper, and as a sidebar, something I’ve always wondered is where did the name Dirty Hun come from?

DHGW: I have a new mixtape coming out for free with Live From the Dub and DJ Charlie Blac. You can catch me on that MTP Compilation too. I have an album on iTunes “Still Poverty” hosted by Maino and I have a few bars on that D Man Island of the Lost Souls mixtape. I'm about to be back in the studio soon. That name Dirty Hun is just what they call me haha. You know people gave me that name. The name Dirty has always been there but the Hun part definitely came at the start of this music stuff back in like 04.

L-NO: Who is your favorite WV artist and who would you most like to work with…Either collabing on a track or directing a video for them?

DHGW: I put in some work on that D Man mixtape and the whole process was fun for me especially the mind state I was in at the time. That is all I really listened to lately so I'd have to ride for the home team on that one. It really is a dope mixtape and there is so much songs that didn't make it that is good. I listen to the C Thugs, Bub Vs, Big Chief's always been dope, DOCeasar, Jathara is talented. I appreciate and respect all the artists that put in work for real.

L-NO: Are you planning on staying in WV long term or have you thought at all about moving somewhere new to branch out and network?

DHGW: All I need is West Virginia, a laptop, internet, and a means of transportation. Oh yeah, and a few dollars in my pay pal account.

Make sure you go check out www.ItsHun.com
L-No

L-No interview with Profit Money

L-No comes through with the EXCLUSIVE Profit Money interview!

Profit Money is a name that has been steadily climbing towards the top of the list of producers in WV for the last four years. More recently, he’s thrown his hat successfully in the MC’ing ring. Love him or hate him, everyone seems to have an opinion…but luckily so does he. Lots of them. And he’s not afraid to tell you either… for my money, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I linked up with P Dollars on the release date for his DOUBLE album “Redshift/Blueshift” to philosophize about god, bitches and shit…

L-NO: Tell me about the new album and the process of making it…How did you come up with the title, and why did you end up deciding to do a double album as opposed to holding some material back for a future release?

Profit Money: SPOILER ALERT: This is going to be a long answer. This thing has been almost a year in the making, whether I knew about it then or not. At first it was going to be a producer album along the lines of Charleston producer, 95’s “9 Nickel Bags Of Funk.” Meanwhile I was still making beats and songs for myself. It kept getting harder and harder to let beats go so I just started jumping on them too. Eventually I scrapped the producer album altogether because I had just done something to that effect with Paycheck Game called “Inappropriate Assholes”. Plus I had released 3 beat albums over the summer so I felt like I’ve pushed far enough on the producer side, so let’s fuck rap in its butt right quick.

That’s when Redshift slowly started coalescing and forming a shape. Originally it was a single album for which I planned to have around 20 or so tracks. I just couldn’t stop creating. When I was finished, I couldn’t fit all the music I had made into an 80 minute disc. So from there I decided, fuck it, I’ll split this disc and THEN I can put back some of the tracks I really hated to take off the album in the first place, for the sake of time constraints.

So Redshift continued evolving right up til its release. In fact, it wasn’t a double album until the day before me and B Hyphen dropped it.

As far as the title, it comes from astrophysics. You wouldn’t know it from a casual conversation or even my music, but I’m really into that shit. Redshift and Blueshift are terms for the visible light one can observe relative to a star or galaxy’s movement toward or away from the observer. As an object moves away, its light signature is relatively loose, if you will, making its light appear closer to the red portion of the visible light spectrum. As an object moves closer its light is compressed in front of it, causing it to appear bluer; if only slightly. In fact if you were to travel at the speed of light, you would be seeing through a sort of tunnel vision. The inner field of your vision would be crested in a faint blue ring, while you’re peripheral, because you would be observing approaching and receding light at the same time. This is also called the Doppler Effect or Doppler Shift. It is demonstrable here on earth. The next time an ambulance passes you, listen. As it approaches you, the sound waves from the siren are compressed in front of it, and as it passes it they are more spread out. This “Redshifting” and “Blueshifting” is the reason why the ambulance sounds so different relative to its location and yours.

I picked the title “Redshift” for the album to signify that a) I’m a fuckin star and b) I’m moving away from everybody. When I decided it was going to be a double album, it also afforded me a stroke of genius. I could now use the antithesis of Redshift for the second disc, instead of the generic Disc 1 and Disc 2 format. Thus Blueshift was born. Then I went a step further. I split the album in such a way that my most crazy, experimental, and fun songs could be on Redshift, keeping with its namesake and showing I was “moving away from you”. While on Blueshift, the songs gradually become more personal and therefore more relatable on a human level, and keeps with its namesake by showing I was “moving closer to you.” To me it was a flash of brilliance and I was extremely grateful for it, though I doubt most people would get that straight out of the box, and please believe I’m not saying that condescendingly. But to know all that would require that you really be into that kind of stuff which, thankfully, I am. I will now cease pretending to be smart for the rest of this interview.

With that said, the material was final as soon as it was recorded. To get that, you have to understand how I work. When I make beats I write to them. If it makes it past 4 bars, it might be good. One verse? I’m onto something. A verse and a hook? Let’s write a few more verses and see where it goes. If I write a whole song, export the beat, move it to my recording PC (I make beats on a separate computer and shift beats with a jump drive)and then finish it without thinking it sounds dumb, or just isn’t good… Then I have a keeper. It sounds simple, but believe me it’s a long process that works well for me. So I don’t make a whole shitload of songs and pick the best. If they make it into a “finished songs” folder then trust they are the best I could do or they would never have been done. Oh, and if there’s a beat that makes me run around my house freestyling like a crazy person and write a song in 15 minutes, that’s a keeper too.

L-NO: Have you heard any early feedback from the album? What are your expectations for it?

Profit Money: I have actually. It’s been really good. As cocky as I am, this is a surprise. I’m not so stuck on myself that I’m not aware of how I’m perceived. I am fully aware I’m not for everyone, maybe anyone, as any of my ex girlfriends will attest to. People I’ve never met are sending me messages full of accolades.

But the biggest feedback is the numbers. We all know that quote “Men lie, Women lie, numbers don’t.” My goal was to achieve 250 plays and downloads within one month of the release. As I’m talking to you it hasn’t been a full 24 hours since we released RS/BS and we’ve already hit 220, only 15 of which is tracking from WVRapscene.com. The song WVU is the fastest moving single despite having no hype and being buried on Redshift. 5 people were kind enough to actually buy the album despite the fact that it’s completely free. We’re on track to exceed our first month’s goal on the first day of the release.

It gets better when you consider: We had no release date, No prior promoting other than a Facebook page, I haven’t had an album out since 2006, This is my first solo album, It’s a double album, We haven’t been blowing anyone’s Facebook, Myspace, or Twitter accounts up with spam mail, and it’s all on the internet. I’m blown away by how successful the album already is. I’m ecstatic actually. It feels so good to sit back and look at this thing and be like “I did that”, and then to see it be so well received? Cloud 9 over here bro.



L-NO: How do you juggle your schedule of WVU student, military service and being one of the best producers in the Dub and still stay motivated?

Profit Money: To be honest? WRECKLESS AS FUCK. I can’t plan for shit and I’m horribly disorganized. One of my exes called me a beautiful mess, because somehow it all works for me. I have to take everything one day at a time. Things come, things go. Shows come, get canceled, I get pissed, I get drunk, rinse and repeat. When it comes to my son though, he has priority. I have precious time left here and I want to spend it with him. He is my heart. No homo.

To do it all though, I have to add hours to my day. I do that by sleeping less and eating one meal a day. Sleeping and eating actually piss me off. I hate that I have to do them, if that makes sense. It’s such a waste of time. During school year I spend my day at my mandatory classes, come home and study for a few hours, play some Xbox or make beats, call my baby’s mom to bring Jace over, hang with him while reading and pass out. There’s nothing I can do about the military stuff though. I just have to do it when it comes around. The military is the only solid part of my life. Everything else is fluid and subject to change.


L-NO: You’ve been known to own a message board battle or two…and have produced some of the greatest jpeg thread jacks of all time…what are your thoughts on message board shenanigans and what’s your favorite web battle?

Profit Money: HaHa. Didn’t see this question coming. Love it though. It’s hilarious. I’m just glad other people think so or I’d be a huge douche… Wait. I AM a huge douche. Just as well.

I don’t take myself too serious. And if you do, you deserve all the shit you catch. Looking at you Heavyweight, you fat fuckin’ bastard. My favorite thread jacking has to be the one where I put up the pictures of who’s 80’s Saturday morning cartoon powers I’d like to have and then I put James Brown’s picture as Lionel from the Thundercats. I just laughed thinking about that one.

Another more recent one is when Heavyweight was over saturating the board with his dumbass topics and arbitrary comments. So knowing he was on a shitty dial up connection I bombed every thread he posted with pointless high resolution pictures, pages long, knowing he’d have to wait 800,000 hours for each thread to load just to check if there were any actual replies to his original post. I did one on zoo animals I think, just posting random zoo animals. And the other one was about sinks hahaha. He was so heated. I wish I still had time like that. Those days were awesome.

L-NO: How did the name Profit Money originate and who were your biggest influences as a producer?

Profit Money: Dre. Hands down. He’s the only producer I’ve ever encountered that has never made a whack beat to me. If he has, I haven’t heard it.

Profit Money has 2 origins actually. Money came way later. Profit actually used to be Prophet. I lived with my Dad for a year and he’s a preacher, so he used to drag me to all his preacher shit. At this prayer meeting one day this lady starts going off “speaking in tongues”. Then this other lady, a Jew For Jesus, stood up to translate the first lady. She rattled off a long list of things I would do but one thing she said stuck with me: “This child will be a great prophet of god.” When I started rapping I went by J-Bo, which was gay as fuck. Then I went by Logik which was also a computer keyboard and as original as off brand cereal. I kept trying to think of a new name and that memory flashed back to me. I thought “Well how bout I just call myself Prophet, and make that prophecy true, in a roundabout way?” Then I thought “How ‘bout I get clever and change the spelling but retain the meaning?” And then I thought “Man I’m hungry”, so I went and got something to eat.

Money came along because back in the late 90’s EVERYONE was money. “Yo money, whattup.” “I just fucked yo bitch, money.” Etc. Plus my cousin Boo also went by E-Money (Why a man with a nickname needs a nick name I’ll never know). So I thought it would be awesome and all “double meaning” like to call myself Profit Money. Everyone liked it and it stuck.

L-NO: What does your current studio setup look like?

Profit Money: Like this:



That’s 2 laptops, an extra screen, and a little sound system. The laptop to the left is my beatmaking computer. I only use FL Studio 8, and Soundforge to cut samples. To the right I use Adobe Audition for recording.

L-NO: Describe your ideal studio session (or what is your favorite session you’ve been involved in?)

Profit Money: Lots of beer and being alone. IF I’m working on a solo project. People are welcome if it’s a collab. I like it to be a party. My favorite session is probably my first one. MonstaLung recorded me at SoundVizion’s setup and I did “Eyes on my money” and everybody loved the hook. That’s when I knew I could go somewhere with all this.

L-NO: What, if anything, would you change about the WV hip hop scene?

Profit Money: The pettiness. Sometimes the next man is only looking out for himself. And that’s all good to an extent. But don’t act like you can’t do certain things to support other artists. If I’m standing in the front row during your set, I better see you in the front row of mine.

On a macro level, I would like to see our overall sound become more cohesive and distinct from the rest of the country. Nobody is coming to WV to hear what they can hear in New York or Atlanta or LA. Let’s give them WV for fuck sakes.

L-NO: What kind of things do you get into outside of music?

Profit Money: Fuckin’ bitches and blowing money. I’ve been all over the country these past few months. From NY to FL. I blew money. I blew money on bitches. And then I fucked said bitches. Now I have no penis.

Haha… if I’m home I go out to clubs when I don’t have Jace. I only go out with my boys, otherwise I hate clubs. I’d much rather chill on a porch with some beer and have great and funny conversations. Those are my favorite times. But if everyone is in or busy I read, watch movies, or BUST YO MOTHAFUCKIN ASS IN MODERN WARFARE 2.

L-NO: What does the next year have in store for Profit Money?

Profit Money: Deployment. I will be spending the next year of my life in a country in the Middle East fighting for America’s right to disrespect the soldiers that give up their lives to fight a war they would never have the balls to engage in themselves. But I’m not bitter.

You can download Redshift/Blueshift for free at HERE (but you could also not be a cheap ass and drop the man a fiver at least for his work!!!) You can read Profit Money’s innermost rantings at www.wvrapscene.com.

Southmoor’s Finest… A L-No Q&A with Kayoh

Southmoor’s Finest…A Q&A with Kayoh


Being from South Charleston myself, I’ve been really interested to see the progress of this kid from Southmoor I kept hearing about called Kayoh. When I heard he had gotten down with SoundVizion I, like a lot of people, took notice. His debut album “Fruity Loops and Pro Tools” is out now, and I took a few minutes to get up with Kayoh to let him show the Dub what he’s all about.

L-NO: So, what’s good in the world of Kayoh right now?

Kayoh: Well, I do have my album out, “Fruity Loops and Pro Tools” if you haven’t got it yet. If you haven’t heard it yet, you can check it out at kayoh.bandcamp.com. Other than that I’ve been working on the side with a couple of mixtapes, one is called Leaders of the New School, that features Jodi Jermaine and Ray-P, it’s gonna be us three kinda like a group. I’ve been working on videos and updating all the internet profiles and all that and I’ve been producing ass off.

L-NO: What are you into outside of music?

Kayoh: I’ve got a full time job and I’m about to graduate high school. I’m staying busy doing work and school and planning on moving to Tampa, Florida to attend IADT to study audio production. I’m not really doing much outside of music now man, I used to do sports but I realized that there wasn’t gonna be a future in that so I’m sticking 120% with the music.

L-NO: So, being a South Charleston guy myself, I gotta bring you into this debate I’ve got with a few of the boys down there. Who’s got better biscuits, Suzi’s or Tudors?

Kayoh: Oooooh. I’d have to say Tudor’s man, it’s Tudors. I don’t really eat at Suzi’s much. I think I may have been there a couple of times. I’m not a big biscuit eater, I like cereal.

L-NO: Who are your biggest influences?

Kayoh: All day and every day Jeezy, that’s my favorite artist. He’s inspired me a lot, but I’m way more inspired by local artists than big time artists. ‘Cause that’s someone I can reach out to and they can hear me. Since I was little and started music, Kut (K Kutta) and 6’6 240 was two of my biggest influences and now I’ve gotten to work with both of them.

L-NO: That transitions pretty well into my next question. As an up and coming WV artist, what did it feel like to get down with SoundVizion and work with 6’6 240, Ace Beanz, Paycheck Game and all them on the album?

Kayoh: Honestly it’s really cool. None of my friends that I used to mess with, they never got into the West Virginia movement. I’ve been staying up on the whole scene since 304live.com was around. I used to get on there all the time after school and listen to people and made my decisions about who I liked locally. SoundVizion was one of the labels that caught my eye then and it’s cool to work with them now, it’s real cool.

L-NO: I’ve made a few beats myself, and I’m kind of a production nerd. Tell me a little about your production style…like do you prefer sampling or playing things out yourself? Where do you pull samples, like are you digging through records or are you downloading stuff?

Kayoh: This is gonna be a long one. Recently, how I got my (newest) samples was pretty funny. I went to my girl’s mom’s house and she’s got all this stuff in her basement. We were digging through it and I saw a big box that said music on it. I picked it up and it was just a huge box of CD’s. I haven’t listened to ‘em all yet, but I came back to the crib and popped ‘em in and that’s where I’ve been getting a lot of samples. A lot of times I think of an old song I like from a movie or whatever, then I can Google it and find it. I’m not really a sample guy though; I like to make a beat from scratch. If I hear something on the radio and something rides, then that’s what I’m trying to do in the studio, but I’m trying to make something better than them.

L-NO: So what else can we expect from you in the next few months?

Kayoh: I should have some production on a lot of the new SoundVizion albums that are coming soon. I got a track on the MonstaLung mixtape, we got the SoundVizion “Feed the Streets”mixtapes coming out every month, I produced Paycheck Game on the first one and I have a track from the album (“I’m The Best”)on there…I did some tracks with Cookiehead (Jenkins). I’ve got another mixtape that’s done but I’m just waiting on DJ Prodigy to scratch it up, it’s called “Instrarentals”, so it’s me rapping but it’s all industry beats, songs you’ve heard before.

L-NO: Where can people cop the album and learn more about Kayoh?

Kayoh: You can go to kayoh.bandcamp.com for the album; it’s also in the wvrapscene.com store. The album has been featured on a few websites, it was on buddyfresh.blogspot.com and it was on the Monstalung TV blog too. It was also on another blog called mix206.com. Also, you can check out my MySpace at myspace.com/mrkayoh. I just put a new layout on the page thanks to Dirty Hun. If you need to book me or contact me just hit up Chris Kessell or hit soundvizionbookings@gmail.com

L-NO: I was bumping the “Feed the Streets” CD all the way to Charleston this past weekend, and “I’m The Best” was one of the songs that I really noticed. So I have to ask, and I’m paraphrasing here so forgive me if I get the lyrics wrong….but are you a beast on these beats, sort of like a liger?

Kayoh: Hahahaha Yessir.

L-NO: Alright, that’s all I’ve got for you…is there anyone you want to shout out?

Kayoh: First I wanna shout out you L-No for putting me on this interview, and I wanna shout out the whole SoundVizion crew for letting me be a part of the team. I wanna shout out anyone who likes or hates my music as long as they’re listening. If anybody out there has heard any of my beats and likes them and wants one just hit up Kessell and we’ll work out whatever. I don’t do free beats, but I can work a good deal… and thanks ya’ll for reading

A Breezy interview on WCLG in Morgantown WV

A Breezy has been steadily building her buzz this past year. Expect big things this year!

Up in Smoke with L-NO! and Northern Lights:

Up in Smoke with L-NO! and Northern Lights:

I’ve been seeing a lot about Northern Lights lately and their grind is crazy right now. I got up with members Thick Nick and Black to talk shop about music, the grind and of course; sweet, sweet Cheeba.

L-NO: How is promotion of the Green Team doing as far as response and I’m wondering if you have ballpark numbers for sales/downloads?

Thick Nick: We’re looking at 1,300 (sales and downloads). This has been the warmest response we’ve gotten from outside the area on an album. We’ve had people from Peru, Thailand, all over that shoot us messages on Facebook and MySpace. It’s crazy to have people from another country that speak another language bumping your music, it’s really a blessing. We’re getting a super warm response in Canada, which is a given, and also the Netherlands and we’re getting a response from the Corby, London and Manchester areas in the UK.


L-NO: Tell me a little bit more about the sponsorship with Nugg Brand, how that came about and what all that entails?

TN: We had always seen Nugg Brand in High Times and we had sent out a press release whenever we dropped the album. I sent it out to a couple smoker friendly magazines and they spread the word that we were grinding. I never play golf; but I was on the golf course and they called in and said they wanted to sponsor us. It’s all Nugg related, they’ve got a lot of cool shit. They gave us a huge monster banner, they’re hooking up clothes and they’re helping us put together some shows in Florida, in Miami. We’re trying to do a little Florida tour this summer. We’re also playing June 4th in Atlanta, at the ATL Music Room. But it’s cool because I would actually pay for this stuff before they hooked us up.

L-NO: It seems like you guys are gonna be pretty busy this summer, can you tell me a little more about the shows this summer? (July 4th at The Hemp Can Save The World March in D.C. and July 16-18 at the Medical Marijuana & Hemp Expo and 2010 Marijuana Music Awards in Toronto)….how did those come about?

TN: We’ve done some large shows in and out of state, down in ATL and Tampa. We’ve been opening up a lot (for other acts) in the past; we’re welcomed so warmly in the smoker friendly community. I was friends with the editor of High Times on Facebook, and that’s the guy setting up the show in DC, and that’s how we linked up with them. A week after that a guy; Marco Renda, he runs Treating Yourself Magazine, its more for medication and helping people with problems. He’s the one that’s putting together the show in Toronto, we get to open up the event on Friday, then there’s a VIP weed cruise on Lake Ontario, we’ll be performing there. We’re nominated for best album, artist of the year, song of the year and rap artist of the year at the Marijuana Music Awards.

L-NO: When did you each first start smoking?

TN: Ohh, damn! I started at about 18; before I was real into football and I wasn’t smoking, but after the last all star game I started and I’m still going!

Black: I started before I moved down to WV from New York; it’s an every day thing man it’s almost like cigarettes, no addiction though!

L-NO: What gets your vote for your favorite strain?

TN: Oh wow, I’ll give you my top 3 and Black will give you his. Northern Lights is always in the top 3. 70% of indoor has elements of Northern Lights, so if you’re smoking anything heady it’s probably got Northern Lights in it. I really like Dumpster, it’s out of Columbus and they’re starting to mix it with a lot of things. Tied for first place I have Meigs County Gold, or this guy Homer we met at a hippy fest in Kentucky, he’s an old dude with no teeth in his mouth and had blue chronic, I’ve never seen blue before.

Black: Number one for me has gotta be G 13, that medicinal is number one. I probably go with Trainwreck because it reminds me of Haze, and then I gotta go with Haze.

L-NO: What’s your favorite smoking method; blunts, bowls, bongs, or vaporizer?

TN: Down to a T; it’s a grape White Owls, I’m looking at 10 of ‘em right now. We’re on the White Grape right now, the ones in the green tube with the purple trim.

L-NO: What are some of your influences as far as making herb a focal point of the music?

TN: Bone Thugs, for sure, they crossed over and since then there really hasn’t been a pot friendly group at had sold major units. We pride ourselves on having an undertone, even if I’m talking about a chick; I’m talking about stopping to get some Purple Kush. Also, you know; Snoop, Method Man, Redman (were influences). We talk about what we know best, I’m smoking a blunt right now.

Black: That’s tools of the trade to get your mind right. We’re a big supporter of the legalization process and that’s what we do, you gotta rap about what you do. We just kinda take it to the next level.

TN: In all honesty we’d done three songs together and we didn’t really have a name, but we’d been smoking Northern Lights the whole time, so boom we’re Northern Lights. People are showing us love outside the area, its nuts. Every 39 seconds someone gets arrested for smoking marijuana, so there’s a lot of people out there who know what we’re talking about.

L-NO: When do you think herb will be legal nationwide?

TN: I’d say in our lifetime. I can see it happening in the next 15-20 years. With the national deficit we’re in, the ability to make fuel from hemp, knock down violent crime from violent drug dealers. I see it happening in our lifetime for sure, probably in the next 15 years. There’s a Harvard professor who wrote the book “Pot Politics” who points out that we could make $49 billion a year as a nation on this, and that takes a big hit on the deficit. Then the police could focus on violent offenders, not non violent ones.

L-NO: How do you think legalization would affect WV economically?

TN: We’re usually when they write about money in the household; we’re usually in the bottom three nationally. We have the third best climate outside of Oregon and Cali to grow marijuana and hemp; we can get people out of the coal mines and get our unemployment rate down. The movie “The Union” shows how it stimulates the industries around towns in Canada. Everything all the way around the economy is stimulated. We could go from the bottom of the barrel to the top; we’re dying out here waiting for something. It could change things dramatically in WV.

L-NO: So my last question is kind of a joke, but also kinda serious. How do you guys stay this high and keep grinding this hard?

Black: Hahahaha, that’s the whole thing man, we gotta keep the buzz circulating and making sure we put out product and the right people hear it, we keep the fan base pumping and get the music pumping. We don’t treat it like a drug; it’s like an every day thing you know.

TN: when I’m fried, I’m motivated. I don’t work as hard when I’m not smoking, that’s the medicine. We don’t treat it like a drug, what we’re smoking would put most people to sleep but its just putting us to work. Also, man real quick I just wanted to talk about Meuwl. We did a bunch of shows with him in Huntington and Charleston and we love what he did for the State man. I hadn’t seen him in a long time and he grew a beard, we stopped at Smoker Friendly to buy some blunts and I didn’t even recognize him at first. So it was cool to see him, we talked a lot about good (herb). That was the last time we saw him man. We loved his music and we miss Meuwl big time!

L-NO: That’s funny man, that’s a pretty on point sighting for sure. Thanks for the kind words; it was good getting to talk with you.

Who is A Breezy?

Who is A Breezy?

L-NO: So, everyone knows you’re in Morgantown now, where are you from originally?
AB: I am from Franklin WV; it’s a tiny little gem in Pendleton County. It’s one stop light, ridiculously tiny…I moved to Morgantown and I think we lost about 90 of the population.

L-NO: Coming from a small town like that, how did you get into hip hop? Who are your musical influences?
AB: One of my friends, Kid Prodigy, he’s a producer out of VA…we became friends my sophomore year of college. He was down in Charlottesville, VA and I went down to his studio and that’s what really got me into it. I listened to some hip hop (growing up), but where I’m from we didn’t even have top 40 radio, it was all country. One day I told him I made up this little verse and he wasn’t trying to hear it at first, but then he heard me and liked it.

L-NO: So you had linked up with Kid Prodigy, who else were you working with prior to getting down with SoundVizion?-
AB: I mean, really I hadn’t even recorded anything with Kid Prodigy. The only thing he had given me at that point was a beat CD full of beats that were for some other artists. He did end up giving me a beat and I ended up getting an interface and a microphone and hooked it up on my computer. I didn’t really know anyone in Morgantown doing music so I was kinda on my own. I ended up recording my first song on my own.

L-NO: So how did you link up with SoundVizion?
AB: I reached out to Eric Jordan on Facebook, and he told me to get back to him when I had something recorded. So I very poorly recorded that first song on my computer and I sent it to a friend in Ohio who mixed it down. I kinda learned (to record) from Kid Prodigy watching him with Pro Tools, and for the most part all the programs I’ve seen like that are pretty similar. I hadn’t really recorded anything before then. It was just the one track, I had a copy of “Body Pop”, it was one of the first songs I recorded and it’s still one of the most popular. After he heard it, we said we needed to meet. So we ended up meeting and everything worked out from there.

L-NO: What is the response you’ve gotten from the album so far?
AB: Actually it’s all been pretty positive. It’s West Virginia, so there’s not too many rude people who will just come up to you and tell you your shit sucks. Everybody I’ve heard from is really feeling it so far. It’s crazy though, I still can’t even believe I have an album.

L-NO: What aspect of your music showcases your personality, like after someone listens to your album what would they learn about you?
AB: Well the album is “The Spaceship Project” and I guess I’m a little out there myself...haha. I’m happy go lucky, you can hear me laughing on all the tracks, and that’s the way I am in real life, always laughing. You can hear my accent so you know I’m from West Virginia, I’m happy to be where I’m from. I’ve got it (the state) tattooed on myself now, and that’s what ended up being the album cover.

L-NO: Going into the second album, what steps do you think you’ll need to take to take your game to the next level?
AB: Well the second album, we’re gonna start working on soon, it’s going to be a lot more planned out. We’ll go in there with a strategy and work towards a certain goal. The first one just kinda happened; it was just me with a bunch of beats trying to see what I could do. E (Eric Jordan)’s gonna have a lot more input on the second album too, so I’m really excited.

L-NO: Who would you like to collaborate with that you haven’t already?
AB: Oooh that’s a tough one. There are still a few people in SoundVizion that I really want to still work with that I haven’t gotten to yet. Those Phyre Squad boys, I’d love to do something with them, they’re really crazy. There’s a lot of people down in Charleston and Huntington I want to work with. I just want to branch out a bit this summer.

L-NO: One of the videos you’ve been in that’s gotten a buzz is “West Virginia Gurlz”, what does being a West Virginia girl mean to you:
AB: That means I’m capable of anything I want to do, I’m independent and I can take care of myself. We’re very nice and well mannered girls, our mommas teach us that. We’re the shit basically to sum it up….haha! You’re from West Virginia so you know; nothing beats a West Virginia girl.

If you would like to contact L-No email him at: JustinLeonardWVU@Gmail.com

Are you Gucci Yet? A Q&A with Bluefield’s favorite son, Tiger the Ace

Are you Gucci Yet? A Q&A with Bluefield’s favorite son, Tiger the Ace:

L-No: First off, I just want to thank you for getting “Gucci Yet” stuck in my head for the last week! It’s got one of those catchy hooks that you find getting stuck in your head forever... But getting down to the questions WV’s got for you…

L-No: For those that don’t know-how long have you been in the game?
Tiger: Man I’ve been doin’ this shit for at least 8, 9 years…I started taking it real serious my last year of high school. I started getting in a lot of shit in the streets back then, and it (music) was an escape, just a way to get out. Then I went to Marshall and started opening up for different acts and the rest is history.

L:No: What would you say differentiates you from others in the game?
Tiger: I think it’s the way I approach music…I use melodies a lot instead of just trying to rap. Since day one if you follow my music I’ve been using melodies a lot since like ‘99, singin’ hooks. The reason I’ve been able to get in so many peoples heads, it’s just melodic and everyone can relate to it. Every song you hear from me, whether it’s a street joint or one for the ladies, it’s always melody driven. I feel like I’m a trendsetter with the slang, comin’ out with terms like “Gucci Yet”, meanin’ like are you good yet? I try to come up with different ways to attack my music every time I step in the booth.

L-No: So how did you end up in Charlotte…when did you move down there?
Tiger: Basically, the reason I headed down this way is being I’m from Bluefield and I was in Huntington for awhile, Charlotte was only like 2 hours 45 minutes away down 77. It’s the biggest city that was closest to home since I’m always back and forth. My crew that I’m with now, Big Bizness Boyz were down there and showed me around the city when I moved. I brought Lil Wayne and Clipse and everyone up to Huntington, I did everything I could back home; from me opening up for everybody and brining some of the biggest rappers in the country to my city and being one of the first ones to have a big artist feature.
I’ve done everything possible to elevate the state, and the next step to cross over was I had to go somewhere else. You know where I’m from, from the slang and the melodies, you know I’m from West Virginia.
It’s like this; everyone who does music in WV knows how it is. If you stay still and keep trying to sell the same 3,000 CD’s you gotta go somewhere where you can turn that 3 thousand sales into 30 thousand sales, I’m tryin’ to put us on for real. I’m trying to do it so where everyone where we come from can see that and know you gotta step up to this status quo. That’s the only way we can move up. It’s bigger than just trying to make music locally; we’re trying to compete with the world. I’m trying to take this WV shit around the world; I’m trying to take it to Africa…take it everywhere man.

L-No: What’s the CTE connection with the Gucci Yet video is that through the director (Nokey)?
Tiger: Nokey, the director, he’s the official camera man for the whole USDA crew. He’s done videos for Jeezy and a lot of people. Being as it is, that’s how it got linked up with USDA’s YouTube. It’s been overwhelming now; it’s crazy how much love they’re showing me down in Charlotte, they’re so accepting of what I’ve been doing. It’s a humbling experience. Even they see I’m from WV, but when they hear the music they fuck with it so heavy, it is what it is

L-No: Who produced “Gucci yet”?
Tiger: It’s a producer man,he’s crazy hot, Krazy Figz. He lives here in NC, and he’s been doing all my production. He did “Troublemaker” for Akon; he’s done beats for a lot of different people in the area, and we’ve got a good chemistry together.

L-No: What other projects are in the works? A full length album, singles, more videos, shows, etc?
Tiger: What I’m doing right now, we’ve got enough for an album. We got a mixtape coming with DJ Bobby Black in the next month or so. But what I’ve learned since I’ve been independent for awhile, everything’s kinda single driven right now; so we’re gonna keep grinding those until we get a good shot to come with the whole album. I don’t wanna just rush an album out and sell 10 thousand units and leave it at that. I wanna build it up so we can do a lot of other things. Probably gonna do another mixtape with some DJ’s in Charlotte. Champaignville; if you haven’t heard it yet, you will be hearing it, that’s the next single. It’s a lot easier to push one song to 50 thousand people than trying to push 12 songs to the same amount of people, coming from an independent standpoint…we’re gonna make everybody fall in love with what we’re doing and then it’ll be takeoff time.

L-No: Who have you been working with lately (producers, MC collabs)?
Tiger: If I can get a feature, I’ll get it, but right now I’m just locking in on making great music and letting the features come (naturally). Doing what we’re doing, I think something good is gonna come from that…I’m still working with Marcus D’Tray, he’s down in Charlotte too, Mr. Mike from Huntington that’s my partner as well. But shoutout 6’6 240, Buzzy Shine, everyone from Self-Made, we started out together. Shoutout to everybody doing their thing from Bluefield, Beckley, Huntington, Charleston Morgantown, everywhere.

L-No: Where do you see WV hip hop in 5 years?
Tiger: When I see the state of WV, I feel like we should be on. I’d say in the next 2 years we’ll be on, sellin’ thousands of units and there’ll be a few of us touring the country with everyone else ready to come up behind us. Its’ just when everything’s on a certain level, the quality has to be there, with videos, the singles, everything. We have to be able to all create a certain level of music and hit ‘em back to back to back. It’s showing that we actually have a music scene. I see us definitely out there tourin’ the world, seeing videos on network TV; I see the state blowin’ wide open. It’s already started with a lot of the athletes coming out of WV like Jason Williams and Randy Moss and everything, so musically it’s about to be our time. Cause after I blow up and I make it, someone’s gonna come up behind me and we’ve gotta be ready for it. If I get this deal tomorrow, you better be ready cause they’re gonna come looking for the next person and we gotta stand up for where we come from.

L-No: You wanna shout anyone out before we’re done here?
Tiger: Defintely, I wanna shout out my crew Big Bizness Boyz, Heavy Money, everyone who’s helping me make the movement… follow me on twitter @tigertheace… I wanna shout out my whole state back in WV, NC, SC, its Heavy Money baby and that’s how we rock it. Chris "95" Kessell, that’s my partner man he always holds me down and helps me out, with anything I need no matter who he’s working with…him and Charlie (Blac). Shout out to Leesha Lee too, she had it “Gucci Yet” on the radio; she’s always ready to rock with it.

L-No: That’s what’s up man…I think you’re really on the verge of doing it big. Thanks for taking sometime to talk to me and good luck with everything.
Tiger: No doubt L-No, thanks for doing the interview and spreadin’ the love!

N8 interview with MTP Ent's Kev Money plus new Young Chevy

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http://www.zshare.net/audio/649849221f7d8efa/

Interview with South Charleston's Mic Rude

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