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12/7/2010
 @chillmodemag
“Polos and Timbos” is a record that’s been doing well for you. How did that song come about?
That’s a record I did with J. Cardim. Biggie is one of my favorite artists, if not the favorite. I always wanted to put a sample on the hook and rock with it, so we linked up with J. Cardim and Jae Millz and did the record. I chased Jae Millz down for the last two years and did the record at Rucker Park in Harlem. Jae Millz’ young brother Young 6 came out and supported the movement. That’ll drop and in January we’re going to push it out again, with the video this time.
Are Polos and Timbs the way you prefer to dress?
When I’m going out, yeah, that’s all I wear. I’ll do the Polo boots or the Timbo boots and I’ll do the Nike boots too. I’ll do the True’s and all that but for the most part it’s Polo. That’s why I did that song. And I felt like the way the game is now, there’s a lot of colorful wearing, skinny jeans with Mohawks and that’s a different look for me. I feel like I’m a chip off the old block so that’s why I made the “Polos and Timbos” joint.
Is there ever a time when it’s not okay to wear Polos and Timbs?
For me, it’s good all the time but I’m pretty sure you can’t always get in with the Timbs but you can probably sneak in with the Nike boots. And of course if you’re being casual, I wouldn’t recommend that you put the Timbs on, but as far as me chilling with the homies, I definitely wear the Timbs a lot.
What was it like working with Jae Millz on the song?
Jae Millz is definitely a professional, man. He came in, no pen, no pad. He just needed to light up real quick and he did his thing, man, as far as recording his verse and what not. Doing the video, he was a professional too. He came through and did his one-two thing and was out. He was professional. I salute that, man.
You also shot a video for “Around the Way” and you had a lot of dope visuals there. What was it like shooting that video?
That was another J. Cardim track. My own director, Javier A. Goins, he’s doing his thing. When I did the song and I recorded it, I kind of envisioned it to come out like that. Doing the video was easy because it was from around my way. I brought the bikes out and there’s a lot of people with Bentley’s around here. It’s a crazy video and we definitely shut the ‘hood down for two days straight. The next joint is “Polos and Timbos” and then “V.I.P.” I already got two videos on deck for them so it’s going to be a beautiful new year for me. We got a lot of stuff planned.
Where do you want to be a year from now?
A year from now we’re definitely looking for a deal. What I’m going to do is I’m going to drop about four more singles and videos. “Around the Way” and “Polos and Timbos” is all on iTunes. You can cop all of those on there. I’m going to drop four more singles and I’m going to try to link up with DJ Drama and drop a new mixtape. I’m going to start banging on these offices and try to get a deal. Maybe Epic, maybe Jive.
You’ve been working with J. Cardim for awhile. How did you guys first link up?
J. Cardim’s from the Bean too and I ain’t even know that. I be on HipHopGame all the time and I was looking for a good producer and every song, I was kind of feeling and it was all produced by J. Cardim. I never knew he was in Boston until I spoke to him. I reached out to him on the internet and found his contacts on MySpace. We got up and it’s been a marriage since then. I think we’ve been rocking three years straight. That’s my in-house dude. That’s my dude. If I need a jam, I holler at J. Cardim.
How has working with J. Cardim made you a better artist?
I think his beats made me step up because he’s coming with fire so I gotta complement the fire. Not only spitting, I’m talking about making a good song. His beats are incredible from the horns to the bass, so I gotta come through with that same energy to make a great song and after that, I have to hit up with my director and come up with that same energy and make a great video for the song. When you’re dealing with professionals like that and people with that type of positive energy, only positive things can come out of that.
You’ve also worked with Chad B in the past. Are you still in touch with him?
I haven’t heard from Chad B in awhile, but every Thanksgiving and Christmas I text him here and there. But it was great working with dude. I think he’s off on other ventures. I speak to him here and there, but at the time it was good working with Chad B.
You were able to work with a true Boston legend in Edo G. What was that like?
Working with Edo G. was good too. He’s a true professional. We got in there and did our one-two thing and just smashed it. I just think that when you’re coming out of Boston, you have to pay homage to people like Edo G. and Ray Benzino. Benzino’s a legend to me, never mind rap. I was 13 and that’s the first time I seen a Hummer, a G-Wagon. I’m not going to come out here and not pay homage to the dudes who came before me like New Edition and Guru, Rest in Peace, and all that. That’s what it is.
How important is it for you to come in the game with some features but also to have people recognize you as a quality solo artist?
I think it’s very important, man. That’s why my first video I put out, I think image is everything. I want people to see the brand M.A.G. and start buying into it before I start working with big artists. I want to be the big artist so that when I collab with big artists, people will look at it as a crazy collab. But I think Boston definitely needs more good looks. In this day and age, we definitely need more good looks. I salute Termanology and I salute Masspike Miles. We just have to add more to the pot because there’s other good artists out here too. But it’s not just being a good artist. You have to have that image too. I think image is kind of key for this game and what not. For people to believe you and buy into the brand, they have to like the brand. The music has to be there. They want to see you and be like, ‘Damn, I wish I could be him.’ It’s just like when you’re looking out the window as a child and you see those nice cars and you say, “Damn, I wish that was my car right there.” When I watch TV and I watch World Star and HipHopGame and I hear the music, I want to be inspired. I also want to inspire other people. I want to inspire. I think it’s important for me to be M.A.G or that fly dude from the Bean who makes the Bean glow and have people see it in a different light.
How far away are we from hearing your debut album?
As far as an album, I’m done. I’m done. But I don’t think my name…Everything’s independent right now and it’s cool, but I still need to grow that brand. I still have a lot of building to do before I drop. I wouldn’t want to drop an album right now. Independently, yes, but strictly me, I wouldn’t want to do that. I would want a machine behind me. If I had an independent deal with a major, that’s cool. I want a machine behind me. But as far as the independent project, it’s done with J. Cardim and my team. It’s done and all that, but I need the team behind me to make it a smash. I could put an album out right now at Best Buy but it would be sitting and picking up dust. I need to be a household name and be on TV and then people will go and buy the album so I can make a little bit of money back. That’s how I feel.
What do you need to do from here on out to make yourself a household name?
I think right now the way the game is going, it’s all about visuals, man. I think the game right now is about visuals. Mixtapes is good too, but I think the visuals took over the mixtapes. I think people really want to see how you act, how you’re saying what you’re saying and how you portray things. People want to buy in to the image and I think putting out a lot of videos and a lot of visuals, whether it’s interviews, radio interviews, freestyle promo videos or songs or trying to get on the radio, I think that’s all key. The internet is huge right now. It’s visuals that I think will do it for me. I’m going to put out enough visuals and then in about a year, I think I’ll be where I need to be. Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter and Facebook.
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