What happens when you take talent, spirit, strength and determination, mix in some energy and passion, and combine it with the ferocity of the streets and the love of a family?  Can you add it all together?  Is it difficult to see?  Does it seem like a mirage?  Well guess what?  It is a mirage – but this Mirage is real – and “About To Go Off!”  I was lucky enough to catch this rising star when he had a little down time.  He’s doing big things in the “O”!  Check it out!

Pretty big?  XM is HUGE man!!  That's national coverage!  That's a great achievement!  How did you make that happen? 

 


Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Share Photos - Free Video HostingI had did a different version of "About To Go Off" a long time ago, but never let anyone hear it.  So I decided to remake it and it took about a hour and a hit was born.

One hour?  That's incredible.  Let me ask - when did you first become interested in making music? 

When I was about 10 I remember I was listening to the Ghetto Boys and I liked Bushwick Bill and Scarface.  Then, when I heard Kriss Kross rap  - it was over wit!  They had the world wearing there pants and everything else backwards!! I don't care who u were you was jumping around!!  So from there it was a wrap - basketball and rap is all I did 

So you play ball as well?  I see you rockin' the Tar heels and Cavs jerseys on your site - but do you have game? 

Hell yeah I got game!!  I was a star!  I played for Nike and went to blue-chip basketball camp - and I am a Dog every summer!! I went to Atlanta to visit my mom and they had a gym called Run and Shoot -  24 hours a day basketball.  That’s the first time I heard someone tell me Mystikal used to be in a group called UNLV before No Limit!  Them South Boys be on they music!  But yeah, I can dunk and everything and I’m only 5'9 and half for real. 

So Yo - tell me about the "O".  A lot of cats outside of the Midwest don't know what its like - so tell us about where you're from. 

Well Ohio is coo! it’s a place were a lot of athletes and great music people are born.  I wish there could be more people behind local artist but it doesn't seem like there is. Well I’m from the northern part of Ohio around Cleveland (Lorain, Elyria, Sandusky and little town called Norwalk) I got a lot of family in all these places) but as far as being from one spot I never really was. I was moved around Ohio a lot as a kid - only in high school did I have a stable life.  Other than that, it was a lot of moving and getting into trouble, which is easy to do in Ohio.  That’s why we got a lot of prisons - its hard out here in places like Cleveland that have a high poverty level.  But then, if you go down the road to a city called Sandusky, it looks lovely!  Then travel further south towards Toledo it gets more lovely!  So Ohio is one state but there's a lot of cities with different things going on - but the northern part which I’m mainly from is pretty bad. The only other city I say in the south part of Ohio that real bad is Cincinnati. 

So it sounds like you had it pretty rough coming up - but you've survived - and now you're making music for the entire world to hear.  What happened that kept you from staying in the 'trouble' that you got into when you were younger? 

Man I never stopped!  For along time I was playing ball in high school - and when I went to Atlanta my mom's ex-husband was from New Orleans. He would always talk about tricks, about hustling people, so when I came back to Ohio I played ball and was doing other things to get money.  Then, when high school got out, I kept getting in trouble 'till I moved to Nashville TN. Then I got back into the music and started loving it again.  At first, I just free-styled.  I never really made music - I could just rap really good. So about a year are two ago I started taking rap real serious, since people loved my freestyle.  I said I will never freestyle again when my uncle told me how much money I could make and how big rap was.  I mean, I was living it - and I rap as good as anyone else - so I just started working on my craft and taking it serious. So I guess music and my Fam made me stay cool - for the moment. 

That's cool man!  Real cool!  So you've lived all over the south - you've seen a lot and done a lot.  Now I've gotta ask some questions from the ladies.  Are you married, single, or in a relationship? 

Yeah, I lived a lot places in the south but as far as being married -  HELL NO!!  Lets just say I’m haven fun with life leave it as that.  

Ha!  Now that's what I'm talking 'bout!  Tell me about your crew.  I see them in your pics and on your page - let's show them some love! 

Yeah well, the one you see in my pics is Ja Weezy, he's an up and coming music manager that is still learning about the biz. Then I got my manager Questadorian which is second on my top friends and my boy Cruz, Sham, and my little cousin Shorty are up and coming artists.  Shorty is more like a hype man!  Man he just likes to get on stage and pull some lovely ladies, you know!  He wants his face seen and to show me some support. But I got a lot of other members on lock - and out here doing things.  There’s a lot of us.  O yeah, I forgot my new boy Trent G - he was on the Steve Harvey Show!  He won the award for the worlds fastest rapper! Its on MySpace and  YouTube.  You can see it at  http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=6177271 

Now, in closing, let's talk about your upcoming single "The Change Up".  When will it be on your page for the world to hear? 

Well I was gonna come out with a independent CD, but now that the song "About To Go Off" is so big I think I’m gonna do something that’s never been done before.  I’m gonna make a few remixes - but I can't give it all away.  I think about to go off will get me that deal I want, so for know, I’m gonna enjoy the ride till the roller coaster don't fill up seats any more.  But since people love it and doors are opening left and right, I think I am gonna see if I can't get the big deal.  Who knows, maybe next time we talk I’ll be on TV performing "About To Go Off" on BET are MTV.  

Hey man, however it goes, you know we'll be here to help you tell the world about it!  One last thing before we let you go - other than MySpace, where can your friends go to catch you perform or go to hear your music? 

Well you can catch my bulletins and see were I perform, and you can listen to XM radio now and hear me. 

That's what's up man.  Hey, thanks for your time tonight, it was great talking to you.  Do you have any last words for the fans out there? 

Follow your dreams and never sleep on them - and love every hater because haters make you greater.

---

Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites

Write Comment
Please keep the topic of messages relevant to the subject of the article. Personal verbal attacks will be deleted. Please don't use comments to plug your web site. Such material will be removed. Just ensure to *Refresh* your browser for a new security code to be displayed prior to clicking on the 'Send' button. Keep in mind that the above process only applies if you simply entered the wrong security code.
Name:
E-mail
Homepage
Title:
BBCode:
Comment:
Code:*

Be first to comment this article

Powered by AkoComment Tweaked Special Edition v.1.4.6
AkoComment © Copyright 2004 by Arthur Konze - www.mamboportal.com
All right reserved