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1/26/2007 What’s up?  I’m feeling great, man. I’m feeling blessed. I’m feeling gracious. I’m feeling real good.  Your single “Toss Da Paper” has been doing real well for you. Talk about that single.   That’s got me in outerspace right now. Where that single is at, you would think major funding is behind that because it’s a major record right now. There is some funding behind it because I had to get it pressed up, but it’s not like the finding that goes into major label singles. It’s been on major radio stations for the past seventeen weeks. Me and my man Vain are on that and Babs got on the remix. That’s the one. Trust me, it still has room to captivate more and you’re going to see that in the next couple of months.  How do you go about getting major radio play with no major label backing?  Through relationships and through going to the radio stations. I’ll go all the way down to Oklahoma and Virginia and approach the DJ’s outside the station. I try to keep my relationships up to par. I just stay knowing them and I stay consistent and in their face all the time. My whole thing is, if you’re dealing with mainstream radio, you have to have that mainstream sounding formula that will fit their format. “Toss Da Paper” fits their format. I’m not going to go to mainstream radio with a street record knowing that they’ll only play that at nighttime. You have to have your relationships in the right place and stay consistent.  How much of this game is relationships and networking versus talent and making music?    It’s more relationships and networking as opposed to talent and making music. You still have to have talent. I’m living proof that you have to have both talent and networking ability. It all comes down to who you know and how good your network is and how much people respect you.  When are we going to see a Mr. Reck album?  You’ll see a Mr. Reck album hopefully towards the fall. We’re going to drop a Gutta Muzic compilation first because it makes sense. There are Gutta Muzic mixtapes out every two weeks. You’ll see a Gutta Muzic compilation first. I’ll be all over that with solo joints and collabos. You’ll get a Mr. Reck album definitely this year after the compilation, which should come out this summer off the momentum of “Toss Da Paper.”  What producers do you want to work with on your debut album?  I would like to work with Just Blaze, Alchemist and Havoc. But until then, I got bangers from P.F. Cuttin, Doggie Diamonds from Diamonds Up Productions, J. Fenique Faint, Scorsese, DJ Uneek and Millz Millionz and from the BeatSmiths. These are dudes that are blessing me with fire. Once my projects drop, God willing, artists and labels are going be beating their doors down. As a matter of fact, you can hear their production in the score of the 395 Hudson DVD.  Are you looking for a major label?    Yeah. They reached out. Other labels reached out too, but they weren’t talking anything that made me want to sign. I said, “Let me get myself more radio spins” because I know they sit in their office and look at the media-based reports. The big boys reached out a couple of weeks ago and a few more reached out. I’m going to keep my BDS’ up and keep that up to par and make sure these DJ’s play these records. I’m trying to get with a major that wants to do the deal for Gutta Muzic.  Gutta Muzic has grown a lot from our last interview. Can you talk about that growth?   The growth process was basically just a grind. I felt like if I started Gutta Muzic and came up with my own DJ’s, I could make a bigger effect on the mixtape game and the game in general. The plan was to go hard with these DJ’s in my camp. I give them concepts for their tapes too. I have a lot of insight on these tapes and what we need to drop and what concepts we need and what types of covers we need. It was all a process with a lot of grind. We had to make sure the brand was in people’s faces enough. We also have the Gutta Muzic drop that everybody knows me for. We were branded from that drop. That drop definitely helped me out as well as that logo. Everybody knows that logo. The growth process happened in about four years.   What are the pros and cons to having your own DJ’s?  It’s a benefit, of course, because that’s my DJ. As soon as I do a song, I can send it straight to him through email. DJ Diggz didn’t want to play “Toss Da Paper” because it was too clubbish. Don’t get confused with the music in the background. I’m staying true to the art in my lyrics. The only conflict is when certain tracks don’t fit with the DJ’s style. Ten tapes later, “Toss Da Paper” made it to a DJ Diggz mixtape.   What’s the best way to attack the mixtape game right now?    Wow. In this digital era and the RIAA arresting DJ’s, it’s going back to the streets and going back to the hand-to-hand. Stores are not even taking these tapes right now. In this day and time, you actually have to give it to the people firsthand. Maybe like two or three weeks ago, I would tell you to build a relationship with DJ’s and work it like that. Now, I think it’s back to the streets. You have to go back to the streets and hand your tapes personally to the mixtape consumer to get your name known on these mixtapes. These DJ’s can’t even eat like they were because of the mixtape clampdown. It’s going to be hard to get DJ’s to play your music because they can’t even get their tapes out.    Does the way Drama and Cannon got arrested change the way you do things now?    The only thing it made me do was strategize better. I’m not going to stop nothing. The mixtape game got me to where I am today. Me being known as Mr. Reck and Gutta Muzic came from the whole mixtape following. The only thing I would change is just me strategizing more. I’m not going to go down to Canal Street or go to Brooklyn with a big box where people know I’m coming down with mixtapes. I never did that anyway. It’s just about being extra-cautious now. I’m not going to stop until people are not checking for mixtapes any more. This is what got me to this point and I can’t turn my back on the mixtape community now.  I see DJ’s and the sellers getting shook, but not the boy M. Reck. Gutta Muzic is going to rock till the tape pops. I put it all on the line for hip-hop. This is my religion plus mixtapes and DVD’s are the last two additions to the elements of hip-hop.  How was it filming your documentary 395?    I was actually outside of Hot97 for three months straight. I was on everybody’s shift, filming and trying to get my records played at the same time. I started the documentary because I was out there trying to get spins so I figured I might as well document it so people can see the grind process. I also got a lot of artists and DJ’s on the DVD with interviews. It’s my success story as well as a documentary going on about Hot97. I also incorporated the shootings that happened outside of the studio. I did my homework with that and I wanted to do something different. I want to make my mark on hip-hop in so many different ways.  I’m the of the first artist to actually pave a way for DJ’s by distributing their tapes under the Gutta Muzic umbrella and also make an avenue for myself as a artist by featuring on most of the tapes. I paved the way for cats like Remo Da Rapstar and Kochece. Those my peoples. Distribution is everything it can make you or break you. Shouts to DJ Wats, who put me on to this. I never forget where I come from unlike some people.  Also, the DVD features Cam’ron, Juelz, DJ Cipha Sounds, DJ Kay Slay, Ebro, DJ Clue, Ghostface, Juvenile, Dj Enuff, Funkmaster Flex and more.  How important is it to attack the game from a variety of angles today?  It’s very important because people look at you in a different light. At the same time, it’s more of a respect thing, because now when they see me, it’s more than “Mr. Reck, the aspiring rapper.” It’s “Mr. Reck who can help my artist get a buzz.” I can help them in more ways than one. It’s more than just “listen to my demo.” It also helps you build a brand. The way I did it, I have a strong brand with artists and DJ’s. Everybody’s familiar with all that. I think it was very important to put that down the way I put it down.  What advice would you offer other artists trying to come up in the game?  This is probably the most sincere interview that I’ve ever done. First and foremost, make sure this is something you want to do because me, personally, I have family issues behind this thing from people not believing in me. This is taking a toll on my marriage. That’s neither here nor there, but make sure you’re passionate about this. Before, you could get a deal with maybe three or four songs, but now it’s about how many radio stations are playing you and all that. It’s a process. You have to do your homework. Are you visible? You have to be visible on these DVD’s. It’s a process. You have to hit it from every aspect. I always tell people to make sure they’re ready to work hard from every angle. If I knew how much work it would be, I would have gotten a nine-to-five but I was in too deep already. I figured I would hit it from every aspect and I added it to my company resume. We do mixtapes, DVD’s, artist representation and everything. I’m about to start GM Management. I don’t want to put too much out there because cats bite my ideas, but you have to have hard work, dedication and sacrifice.  What’s going to be your focus for the next couple of months?    We’re going to push this 395 documentary and “Toss Da Paper.” Then we’re going to drop the remix to it. I know how these majors act. You have to flood the market. You’re going to be seeing that DVD all over the place and “Toss Da Paper” will be everywhere. You’ll see the mixtapes and the other DVD’s I’ve got in the works. You’re going to be seeing and hearing a lot about Gutta Muzic in the next couple of months.   What do you want to say to everybody?    Thanks for all the support. Everybody who ever supported Gutta Muzic, Mr. Reck, Vain and everybody else, thank you. Thank you to everyone who was genuine and gave good, honest feedback, regardless of how you felt. Anybody who’s trying to get into this game as an artist or DJ, it’s a lot of hard work. You have to have loyal people around you. Look out for that DVD 395 Hudson (Outside of Hot 97) coming soon like February of ’07, God willing. Shouts to my wife and kids, Mom and Pops, my sister, my cousin Mark aka Harry Cruise, my whole family and all the DJ’s and the stations that play my joints.  http://myspace.com/mrreck http://myspace.com/itsvainitsvain http://myspace.com/diamondsup

By Brian Kayser

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