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2/27/2006 What's up Vic? I'm doing pretty good. I'm chilling out and trying to get my album done. I'm also working on my next white label. It's been pretty hectic lately. How do you want to introduce yourself to the HipHopGame audience? It's hard to introduce yourself as a white rapper trying to be different, although my father doesn't consider Italians as being white. I'm just going to be genuine, let my music speak for itself, and not try to follow the normal agenda. Fist full of dollars, baby. How did "The Exorcist" with DJ Premier come about? I got up with Primo's manager after I sent him my demo. I made sure I did a 16 over a Primo beat. They were feeling it. Everything went through. He sent me a beat, I was feeling it hard, everybody in my camp was bugging out over it. I was thinking on it for about a day. I was really going to come out on it like an introduction-type track, but then I thought it would be best to come out on a topic over a Primo beat. I wanted to get deep, but not too deep. I didn't want "The Exorcist" to be too abstract or too commercial. How was it recording with Primo? It was a great honor. I was up in the former D&D Studio. Hopefully I'll be able to get back in there for some other tracks on the album. Were you nervous? I wasn't too nervous because I had met him before. We had already broken the ice. We spoke about what to do on the joint. He laid it down on me to keep it hot and not to get too crazy on it. He didn't want me to go all out flow-wise. I was a little nervous at first when I went up there. He's one of my favorite producers ever. Once we got moving, I settled down. He's a cool guy. We did the whole joint in about twenty minutes. Usually I go back and record songs a few times. I normally think that I always have to go back and do it again, but here, Primo told me to keep it and keep going. I was going to take his word for it. I wasn't going to argue with DJ Premier. Are you going to be doing more work with Primo? I know he's a real busy guy. He's working really hard with his own artists and other projects he's working on. I'm just going to have to go up there and plead for another joint. Hopefully he's feeling the project. He put "The Exorcist" on his mixtape, so the joint is definitely getting around. I just hope I can continue working with him. Whatever I'm coming out with, I'm always going to get at him, because in my eyes, he's the king of the underground. I don't think that's ever going to change. Hopefully he'll bless me again. You have to be happy with how far "The Exorcist" is going. Definitely. It's crazy to be getting hit up from overseas and they're asking me to come out there and do shows. It's bugged out. You're also working a lot with Big KO. How's that going? KO's an animal. He can do anything from the Hip Hop shit to the Motown masterpiece-type songs. We've done about six or seven songs so far. We have a lot of work to do. I'm trying to get about twenty tracks done with him because I know he's going to be a monster. He's more like a mentor than an extra name on the record, and he's involved with our record label Orena Records. What is it about Little Vic that makes guys like Primo and Big KO support you? I believe they're feeling the music genuinely. I know KO is the type of guy that will help me however he can. I'm just hoping it's totally about the music as far as these other producers. KO is definitely on my team, and I'm just trying to work with a bunch of other guys to get some more tracks on the album. How's the album "Hush Money" coming? It's coming out crazy. I'm testing out a lot of different styles and seeing what I'm capable of. We have a lot of bangers on there. I know it's not going to let anyone down. I just hope it gets done sooner than later. Flood Industries, my team of producers, are working hard. I'm definitely aiming for some featured producers on there. I'm looking to work with Just Blaze soon. God willing, that will work out and everything will go through. How important is it to have names on the album? I'm not trying to get names. I'm trying to get guys that I've always dreamed of working with. Getting Primo was important because I grew up listening to his tracks. It's not going to always happen, but it's great when it does. I'm just looking to work with who I always wanted to work with. Why did you name your album"Hush Money"? That name brings out that New York, money underground vibe. I wanted to keep it short and direct. No euphemisms or lightening the mood. What's your label situation right now? We have our own label right now, Orena Records. We're trying to launch that off. I'm very confident that we're going to get things moving in the near future. I have my production team Flood Industries. They're going to open some more ears, and I have my suits in the office as well. When are you trying to drop "Hush Money"? It's all a matter of how many tracks I can get done. I'm really trying to bang out about fifty or sixty tracks so I have a lot to choose from. I'm just going through a lot of beats and trying to see what will work. There's no release date yet, but I'll definitely keep you posted. Coming from Long Island, what's your take on New York City Hip Hop? There's a lot of dope guys out there doing their thing. This whole thing became commercialized and the original sound faded out. Guys aren't trying to bring it back to the roots. They're trying to bring it all over the place. Coming from New York, I want to keep it real and cater to hip hop heads. Does being white ever become an issue? No. Not really. It's funny when you automatically get compared to other white artists, but that's only after they find out you're white or Italian in some cases. They'll compare me to Eminem or Ill Bill. It can be an honor to be compared to Eminem, but if you're comparing me to Eminem, you don't really know my material. Why should we check for you over everyone else? I just have to keep it hot. That's my job. If they're feeling it, great. I don't think that's going to be a problem with what we have in the arsenal. I'm just going to let the music speak for itself. If the people hear it, they're definitely going to be feeling it. My job is to make them hear it. What's your next move? I actually have a mixtape out now called "For a Few Dollars More." DJ John John put it together, and it features a lot of Flood material. I'm doing one with DJ Whoo Kid soon. That's probably going to be after my next white label. I'm definitely doing some shows. There's a lot of big things coming up in 2006. What do you want to say to everyone? Keep your eyes wide open and look out for the flood. Get down or drown.

By Brian Kayser

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