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10/2/2007 What’s up?  I’m feeling all right, man. I’m feeling blessed. I’m watching my son. I’m good. I have a new album coming out and a new day to look forward to. I’m going on tour with Common and Q-Tip. Pushing music isn’t easy. People look at me like I’ve been doing it for years. I have been doing it for years, but it’s not easy to have people support you to keep you afloat.  Your debut album, Perseverance, is finally dropping. How does that feel?    It feels really good, man. It’s what we’ve been waiting for for a long time. I appreciate all of the people that supported me. I’m talking about people that have known me since I started. I appreciate those people that stuck it out with me from ’92 to now. I appreciate all of those people that were around before I was selling mixtapes. This is for those cats. This is also for those cats that never got deals but for the people that put their music on CDs and hoped that people would hear them one day. That’s what I did. I know that I have skills. I always knew I had something and that someday somebody would hear me and take it to another level. That’s what Perseverance is about.  Perseverance is a perfect album title for you when considering how long you’ve been on the hip-hop grind. Was it ever hard for you to keep going?    I never felt like I wanted to give it up. Not to be cocky, but I always felt like I had skills and I felt like I was better than other cats in the game. I felt like lyrically, I was up there with other cats. Listening to a lot of other artists, I felt like I had what it took, but people  listen to you and they judge you and they’re jealous. I wish it was more of the way it was when I was coming up in the Bronx and just watching cats in the park. Before hip-hop was on records, people were more about judging you on your talent. It wasn’t about “Do you have a deal?” When you went to a park, people watched you anyway even if you didn’t have a record out. They would watch you to see if you were good and if you were, you could get on at the next show.  When I was selling mixtapes, people were like, ‘I’ll support you when you have an actual album come out.’ They didn’t know that I put those songs on CDs. I just put them on CDs and they’re judging me off of that. They’re not trying to listen to me to see what I’m doing. I had to go through all of that, but I still felt like I wasn’t going to stop. It was all about reaching that right person. That’s why I kept standing outside of Fat Beats. More people know about me now because I got out with the people, I hit the streets and I hit the clubs. But back when I was on Big Beat and I was actually working, not everybody knew who I was. From those days and selling CDs, it all led up to this. I never felt like giving up. I felt like if I did, I would be letting my dreams go. If it wasn’t for me selling my CDs, I wouldn’t have been on a tour over to Europe and I would not have done stuff like that if I would have given up.  “A Man To Praise” has you recounting your history in the game. How necessary was that track, especially for your new fans?  That’s my history. My history has to be told. If you want people to know where I’m from, you’ll know from me. I want people to know about my history. Every artist has a story to tell and instead of having a magazine article telling about me, it’s important that I tell my story and talk about who helped me get in the game. Who are these other cats, like my DJ, DJ Kim? How did I know him? He’s from a different part of New York from me. What were we doing when we first came out? What was he doing? He was DJing with Kid Capri and I mentioned that. Back in the day I did shows with DMX. We performed together. Those are people that I met back in those times. The names that people consider big names now, I was working with. I battled Lord Finesse before he made a record and I knew Big L. He got on through Lord Finesse. People look at me like, ‘How do you know these people?’ If you know my history, you’ll know why I know these people. I’m from the same projects as A.G. Nobody knows your history better than you. That’s why I made the song. I walked everyone, step-by-step, through my influences and how I got on the mic when people were fronting on me and didn’t want me to get on the mic. And the same cats that fronted on me wanted me to get on after that. There’s a lot of dudes that didn’t want to support me when I was selling CDs. I had to go through that.  Are a lot of the younger fans more familiar with you because you worked with Madlib and J Dilla instead of being the Rhyme Inspector?    Yeah. A lot of cats know me from my work with Jurassic 5 and Aesop Rock. People ask me, “How did you do a song with Aesop Rock?” I tell them, “Well, before he was out there on Def Jux, I worked with him. I made a song with him because his producer in the studio that he was working with was telling me that Aesop wanted to work with me. I heard him and I liked him.” I did the song and that was before Def Jux even knew who he was. He was just an artist doing songs with his producer. I did the song because I believed in his talent then. I met the Molemen in ’96 and in ’97 we did “Keep The Fame.” I met artists way before they got big because I’ve been around and rapping for so long. Some of the cats at the open mics will be tomorrow’s superstars, if you want to call them that. But I’ve always been rapping and busting with cats and some of these artists just happened to be ones that are making records now. I’ve been around.  I remember meeting Nas when Akinyele was on Big Beat. MC Serch remixed “Here It Comes.” That’s us singing the hook. That’s me, Nas and Akinyele doing the hook. He never put that out and that’s history. That’s something that could have been released and it never was. It never materialized.  How did “2 Brothers From the Gutter” with Diamond D come about?  I’ve known D.I.T.C. for years. Me and Diamond D aren’t from the same projects, but he wanted to get me beats for the album. People knew about my talent, but I never had the videos and all of that. People were like, ‘You need to have an album out. I don’t know what the people are thinking.’ A lot of producers gave me tracks and looked out. They were just looking out for me. It’s not like they were asking for money for tracks. Diamond D came over to my home and blessed me with a beat, straight up, and he was like, ‘We’ll worry about the money later.’ Stuff like that happened and Kid Capri did the same thing for me. Cats have looked out for me on that level. Lord Finesse told me he would do some shit with me and have Fat Beats put it out. He would do the beats and I would rhyme but it never materialized. I’m lucky that a lot of artists looked out for me in various ways. They saw me selling CDs. Jurassic 5 saw me selling CDs and they had me perform every time they performed in New York. They said they wanted me and Big Daddy Kane on a track. Those dudes kept it hip-hop. They remembered me from back then and wondered what I would sound like with Big Daddy Kane. To me, that was respect right there. A lot of artists would have skipped over me and they would have waited for me to get a deal before they would want to collaborate. When I get a deal, they forget that I’m the same dude that could spit before I got a deal. I could still spit those same types of rhymes even if I wasn’t on Stones Throw. I respect Jurassic 5 for that because they could have had Eminem on there.  Have you ever felt like an honorary member of D.I.T.C.?    Yeah, even though I battled Lord Finesse. At the end of a song, he said I was the newest member of D.I.T.C. Even though they never really inducted me in, I guess he thought I was in because I was from the Bronx too. That was cool, but see, I was on Big Beat at the time when he did that song, so my label kind of heard that. Then I ended up getting the Source Rhyme of the Month and that was kind of helpful too to keep me out there and get more notoriety for myself. I’m happy for them. All of those guys are legendary artists. Fat Joe was down with them. To me, it’s an honor to know and to have worked with them. If you’re on their history, you’re going to know that Percee P knows them and that I worked with these cats. Even if you don’t know these artists, like when you watch videos, you don’t see Kool Keith, but I know about Kool Keith. We know now what Jedi Mind Tricks is doing. These artists are touring all over the world. There are artists that are out there making moves and I’m affiliated with them and I’m proud of what everybody who I recorded with is doing. You just have to be a part of the game to realize that it’s bigger than what you see on TV.  And even the pioneers, a lot of people talk badly about them, but if it wasn’t for them, what would we be doing now? If it wasn’t for Kool Herc and Bambaataa and all of them, what would we be doing right now? It’s important that we pay homage. We have to pay homage. They are the reason that a lot of these cats are on MTV and flossing their cribs and their million dollar deals. If it wasn’t for Kool Herc, they wouldn’t have that. That’s why all of these cats have to pay homage because shine doesn’t last forever. I’m the perfect example of that. This is my second coming around. I always just try to stay afloat. I’m still here. I see people coming and going and doing it big, but I managed to survive through not giving up. That’s about more than the music. That’s about sticking to your heart, following your dreams and sticking to what you believe in.  You really went in on “Rap Throwback Attack.” How did you approach that song when you started it?  You know what? I’ll tell you the real truth about that song. Back in the days when I would write rhymes and when we weren’t even really making records like that, I used both sides of the paper. We all did. It wasn’t about writing 16 bars. That’s why it was so long. And at the same time, there’s a film called S.B.X. That’s an independent film that’s out with me, Lord Finesse, Showbiz and A.G. This was in 1989. That was the first verse I wrote when I met Lord Finesse. That’s the history. If you watch the movie, you’ll see that there. The first words were “Throwback rap attack.” When Egon from Stones Throw watched that movie, he said, “Yo, you used this back in ’89? You should use this now! You should make it a song.” I was like, ‘Nah,’ but we did it and that’s why it’s called “Throwback Rap Attack.” That’s from 1989 and “Lung Collapsing Lyrics” is from 1992.   Your history in the game is deep. Do you get the respect you deserve today?    I think I do on the streets. People come up to me like, ‘Percee P! Don’t sleep on this dude! You need to know what’s up. Do you know who this is!’ I’m like, ‘It’s all good. My time will come.’ At the same time, some dudes get upset seeing that and some people aren’t showing support. Some dudes want to be spokesmen and you don’t even know who they are, but they’ll go through my whole history to people. They’ll say things like, “You’re supposed to know Percee P!” and they would get mad! I always felt like my time would come. The reason some people know me is because they took the time to stop and talk to me outside of Fat Beats or they saw my 12” in their face or they did searches on YouTube and Google and saw that I was still out on the streets doing my thing.  I represent the hip-hop where you can’t sleep on the underground. People are like, ‘I listen to the commercial music. I don’t listen to the underground.’ Commercial doesn’t have a sound to me. If radio DJs started playing my music every day, I would become a commercialized artist. Back in the day, people made records the way they wanted to make them and radio would play them. Now you have to have 16 bar hooks and all that. Now people are trying to tell you how to make records and it’s taking away from the creativity in the game. You have people trying to tell you what’s hot and to listen to them. I know hip-hop is international and each region has a different sound, but it shouldn’t be about me having a southern-sounding track. It should be about doing what’s hot and a lot of people are losing their identities. You have a lot of dudes from New York trying to sound like they’re from the South.  I’m just sticking to myself and what I am, Peceee P. And people will get it. Hopefully they will. I’m into that and I’m into doing what it takes. On “Legendary Lyricist” I have a lot of lines where I talk about being in the street “in the cold and the heat.” I’m out here and people sometimes don’t know what it’s like to not have a job and be out hustling on the streets and having to think about where I’m going to go to make money. I can’t go in the clubs. I have to go somewhere because I don’t want to be broke. It gets below 0o in New York and I’ve been out in that for years too. I would hit up anniversaries and shows that would be hip-hop oriented so that my face could be seen. Without a deal I still had to find a way to promote myself to people. I would even pay to get into the show to promote who I am. It’s all good to me. I’m a fan of myself. I’m an artitst but I’m still a fan. A lot of people get in the game and they don’t want to be fans and they don’t want to support people.  A lot of artists, writers and fans consider you a legend. Do you feel as though you are a legend?    I feel as though I’ve made a lot of contributions and I know where I’ve been. I’ve seen things and I’ve been places. I’ve been in the Source magazine for the Rhyme of the Month 10 years ago. Being that it was the Rhyme of the Month, a lot of artists were thinking I was one of the artists out. You can’t make anybody a believer if you don’t believe in yourself. To me, it’s not all about needing all the money. Money does help, but I had exposure. Lack of exposure wasn’t getting me to where I needed to be. I believe in my talent.   If you put all of these underground artists next to these artists that the fans see on TV, watch what would happen if you got to see them on the same stage as the mainstream artists. You might see a change when the people see and hear what Immortal Technique is talking about and Jurassic 5. Put them where everybody can see them. Some of these cats don’t have a show. It’s just a bunch of dudes walking around on stage. Look at Cold Crush shows. They practiced back then. You could tell that Cold Crush practiced in their house. The scratches were on point. Now you just have a lot of people standing and taking up space on the stage. They’re not really useful. When you saw Leaders of the New School, you could tell that they rehearsed and that they were from that era. Check out Melle Mel and Run-DMC.   A lot of these cats today just depend on hype, like their label is just going to blow them up and pay for their cars, videos, chains and mansions and that they’re going to be big. I can see that. There are a lot of artists that are really talented that are getting the short end of the stick.   Even R&B was better back in the day with groups like the Stylistics, Blue Magic and the Force MDs. They really could sing and they had good stage shows. You had the Temptations. You could see their stage shows and they practiced with their choreography. Nowadays you don’t see that anymore.   There won’t be a James Brown again. Look at his music. It’s timeless. People aren’t making timeless music anymore. All of these songs live for a reason. Michael Jackson made timeless music. That’s timeless. People need to get into that and stop making music for right now. Think ahead and think of being a trendsetter. Make your own trends so that you don’t die out with the times.   That’s why I stay away from what other artists do. I sell my music on the streets because this is a business too and what separates me from other artists? I can stand out there and I don’t have too much pride to not do that. People tell me that they don’t see any other artists doing that. You don’t see other artists out here but I’m out here myself and I need to let the people know what I have.  Your critics have always said you can write great verses but not make great songs. Has it ever been a challenge for you to make full songs when you’ve done so many guest verses over the years?    No. It’s just that I’m doing what the people never thought. I’ve never gotten the chance to put a full album out. I can write stories. When you’re collaborating with another artist, you’re battle-rhyming. Now this is my time to show that I can actually have concepts and stories. When I’m doing an album, I have so many ideas. It’s really not hard. It’s just that people have never gotten a chance to hear songs from me.  Have you finally silenced your doubters with Perseverance?  In my mind, I think they should be quiet, but at the same time, people are going to hate regardless of what you do. I tell people this all the time – always keep your head up high. People are always going to hate you. I can’t expect every brother from a magazine to go and say something good about me. If I had $200 million and I was walking around the streets giving money to homeless people and giving them food for free, they would think of bad things to say to me.  Good and evil exists and you have to have both and I can’t expect everybody to have something good to say about me. Some people call me a legend and other people are like, ‘I don’t know what you see in this dude.’ They think of reasons not to like me. I already know. In my mind, I’m speaking to dudes like that on “Legendary Lyricist.” I say stuff to answer people. And anybody that’s a fan of mine can pick up on that. I’m addressing the haters and maybe I’m saying things that other artists can use in their songs as scratches.  I know what it’s like. I’ve been through the struggle and hopefully from what I’ve been through, it can inspire other artists coming up in the game to not give up. I dedicated my album to all of the independent artists coming up in the streets and pushing. They have to get out there and grind. And I don’t wait for shows to come. I know I’m not guaranteed to sell any CDs when I go out, but I try.  You sold your CDs outside of Fat Beats in New York for a long time in the past. Will we ever see you outside of Fat Beats again now that Perseverance has dropped?    Oh, yeah! I’m still going to do whatever got me to where I am now. I’m going to still stick to the game plan. I don’t want it to seem like I’m too big to be promoting and pushing myself. Even though I’m on a label, shouldn’t I be showing people that I can promote my own product as well? I know that all of the records I made, Fat Beats was supportive and I’m not disrespecting them. Fat Beats would carry my independent songs and my mixtapes and I figured that anybody coming in there would be more likely to know who I am. And plus they had flyers there and I needed the flyers to know where I was going (to sell CDs and network). I needed Fat Beats.  What’s your best story from selling CDs outside of Fat Beats?  Elemental magazine wanting to do a story on me. It wasn’t even about me. It was about selling mixtapes and how I was out in the streets and making a name for myself around the world. People would come from London and Japan to hit up Fat Beats. The Elemental and Mugshot articles were big for me. They were big things for me. People would want to come and take pictures with me and dudes from Japan would want to come and get CDs from me in bulk. I was like, ‘I didn’t know it was like that!’ They would tell me, “In Japan, we know what it is.” That allowed me to see that it was working and that I was being seen. That’s what helped me to stick with it. Doing that allowed me to do other stuff.  You’ve done a lot of collaborations over the years. Looking at everything you’ve done, what’s been your favorite collaboration?    Wildchild’s “Knick Knack.” That was a dope song. “A Day at the Races” with Jurassic 5 was dope. Chali 2na was recording the whole thing with a camcorder. We did it and there’s actual footage of all of us recording it. You can see me and Big Daddy Kane there. We were doing it in his studio. That same week I recorded “Knick Knack.” I love that song too because the energy of that from the beginning to the end just flows. That’s one of my favorite collaborations.  On Perseverance you featured a lot of artists that featured you in the past, like Aesop Rock, Chali 2na and Vinnie Paz of Jedi Mind Tricks. Just how important was that to you?  I didn’t want them to feel like I forgot about the favorites. But I had a limited amount of space on the album, so putting on Diamond D was me reaching out to the entire D.I.T.C. I knew Diamond was still in the game and doing tracks with cats and still rhyming. So that’s why I reached out to him. And with Aesop Rock, I saw where he went with his career. He’s gotten bigger and I definitely wanted to reach out to him to do a song. Me and Vinnie Paz linked up. I got a song with Wildchild on a remix, so people can buy that too.   What was it like working with Madlib on Perseverance?  Basically, I was never actually in the studio with him. I take CDs that he gives me, take the tracks and go in and record. They tell me what tracks are available. I do the songs and leave the hooks open so that he can fill it with the scratches. I just did verses on a lot of songs. I try to leave space for him to incorporate the song into something that I didn’t think about.  Speaking of Madlib, what was it like working with him and J Dilla on Champion Sound?  I linked up with Champion Sound when I was recording my album and they asked me if I wanted to get on that. I was like, ‘Yeah!’ That’s how I ended up getting on that. Now I feel honored because I’m a part of J Dilla’s legacy because the beat was produced by him. I worked with him.  You recently moved from the Bronx to Cali. Has the move been good for you?    Yeah, it has. When you do things for so long, you begin to take things for granted. I was pushing CDs for so long that people didn’t see me as an actual artist that made records. People just saw me as a guy pushing CDs in the street. I think because I’m not from the West Coast, me coming out here was a big deal because they didn’t know me but they had heard about me. People were like, ‘You’re Percee P? You’re in the club?’ “Yeah, I’m Percee P.” “What are you doing out here?” I have a lot more to prove. I have a lot to prove. It’s been good out here. Plus I’ve been able to do shows that I wasn’t able to do in New York, like Rock the Bells. So a lot of things happened. I hooked up with a lot of West Coast artists that I couldn’t have done by being in the East. I’ve been building my fanbase up more since I moved out here. I’m bi-coastal now. It’s like South Bronx-Angeles.  Have you enjoyed working with the Stones Throw family?  I see me growing since standing in front of Fat Beats in New York. I see how I’ve grown. I’ve gotten on more features. It’s just showing my versatility and my diverse sound. I’m more than a dude that’s pushing CDs. I’m on more records and that came from being out here. Things are happening slowly, but a lot of stuff is happening and I can see it. And it’s my environment too, man. I came up in the South Bronx back in the days. You saw it on Wild Style and Beat Street. Nowadays if you go there, it’s fixed up and it’s different. I grew up in a time when it was burned down and all the gang stuff was going on. I was growing up when we were going through that and I was getting caught up. Now I can sit back and talk about it.  People glorify coming out of the ghettos. I never glorified that. I acknowledge my people and my peoples know that I represent. I can not forget where I come from. I give the people in the Bronx pride, like, ‘He did it. We can too!’ I’ve never been to jail and I’m proud to say that. A lot of cats glorify that. I’m a grown man. That shit makes me look ignorant to say that. You’re not going to hear me talking about selling drugs to people and all that kind of stuff. I don’t glorify all that kind of stuff. You’ll never hear me talking about that kind of stuff in my records. But I am a hustler. That’s the atmosphere that I grew up with. I had to be. My mom had six kids. I grew up kind of poor, but I think it was better for me. It taught me to be a man and it taught me how to get through the hard times and it taught me how to appreciate things more. I can appreciate getting on airplanes and going places.  Plus I grew up in the birthplace of hip-hop. I have that to offer too. I can tell you what it was like in the park and with the park jams. I can tell you what it was like when they were filming Wild Style and Beat Street. I can tell you about all of the artists coming up. I’ve seen all the eras. I’ve been there. I’ve seen it go through all of the stages and all of the changes. That’s what it is for me.   How would you describe how your flow has matured over the years?  I think I’m still the same, but I try to do other things. A lot of people always tried to pigeonhole me like I was Fast Rapper Percee P. I don’t always want to be a fast rapper. I slowed things down at times. On “2 Brothers from the Gutter” I have a fast flow and then I paused up. “Master Craftsman” is off-tempo rhyming like “Lung Collapsing Lyrics.” I’m showing you different stuff. People might say that Percee sounds the same, but you have to analyze it. You have to re-listen to my songs. I just try to be original and not be repetitive. I don’t want every song to sound the same each time. I’m also trying to give the people what they know me for and give them respect. That’s where my long verses come in. “Master Craftsman” was kind of a long verse. Madlib cut it in half and scratched in between that. That was kind of dope. That was kind of giving people what I’m known for. That was an up-tempo style. And the collaborations I did with Chali 2na and Prince Po were up-tempo rhyme styles. I try to give fans something that they would want to hear from me but also try to give them something that they wouldn’t expect from me.   How are you approaching the tour with Common and Q-Tip?    Well, to me, I feel like this is my chance. All of those years that I’ve waited to get to this point, this is great. I just have to do my best. That’s how I’m approaching this tour. I’m going to take care of my voice and practice harder than I ever did because I’m going to be exposed to so many people on the tour. Common’s on another level and he’s giving me an opportunity to go on the road with him. That’s what hip-hop should be about. If you know someone that has talent, give them an opportunity. Hip-hop would be better if the game was more like that. I’m going to give it my best and prove to the people that doubt the underground. Maybe they’ll give a chance to others if they like me. Maybe they might give other people chances. They might see somebody else and be like, ‘This cat might be another Percee P. Let’s see what he has to offer. Let’s not wait for him to get on a big tour.’ That’s what this tour means to me. I’m real grateful for Common putting me on there and it just seems like everything is stepping up for me. That’s what it’s about. It seems like everything is getting to that next level.  You’re still here after all these years of pushing yourself independently. What advice would you offer to other MCs and producers trying to survive the game?    Don’t give up. I can tell you this much – if you don’t stay in the game, you don’t know what will or can happen. My homeboy hooked me up to go to a show where I met the Stones Throw cats. But if it wasn’t for my homeboy showing love, I never would have met them and I wouldn’t be on the phone with you now. All of those things that I did added up to this. I might not have had an album out before, but people knew that Percee P was still doing it. People knew that I still existed. And I’m trying to show you my history. I’m not just some dude that’s trying to come up. I’ve been in the game for a long time. And I’m keeping that same approach.  But what I would say to all of the artists is that you have to believe in yourself. If you want other people to believe in you, you have to believe in yourself. And bounce around. Don’t stay in one place. Get in your car and bounce around. If you’re in L.A., get in your car and go to San Diego for a show. Even when I wasn’t performing, I still went to the clubs. I just tried to be somewhere where the people could find me. If you keep on doing it, people are going to recognize. Your work is going to show and people are going to be able to tell. Every CD that you’re pushing is one extra person that is letting other people know and they’re going to tell someone. What you’re trying to do is contaminate people with your music so that it spreads. That’s what it is. Keep doing it.   You have to prove something with your music. If I would have given up, I would have given more people a reason to smile right now and I’m not going to do that. I’m about to be performing with Common and Q-Tip. I do feel like I’m successful. I did accomplish what I wanted to, but I still want to be known in places where I haven’t been and lived. That’s what it is. When I’m going to London and Germany and on a European tour, that’s success. That’s something successful that I wanted to accomplish. I did it and I’m still in the game, trying to accomplish more.  What’s the next move for Percee P?    When you see me selling CDs, that’s already letting you know that I’m in an entrepreneur mindstate. I’m down with a label but I’m thinking like a label. You never make more than your boss. I’m trying to create a business for myself. I can step up things like selling t-shirts and do this myself.  Will it take another 20 years for another Percee P album?    Nah, I need to get on that! I was just talking about that. I need to work ahead. I’m working on a lot of features and I’m on the 2K Sports album coming up. I’m working on little things to keep my name buzzing so that people don’t forget about me. I’ve managed to survive and keep my name out. A lot of artists weren’t in the streets but I managed to keep my name out there. That’s what it’s about. Artists don’t even reach out for collabos when they don’t think you’re doing anything.  What do you want to say to everybody?    I just want everybody to buy my new album on what it represents. Support me and support what it represents for yourself if you’re trying to come up. This is for the underdogs and for anybody that’s trying to make it. This is for everybody that ever stuck to anything and never gave up. This is your shot. Maybe a kid has been playing on the courts all the time and now he’s going for the title. Some people have been singing on the corners their whole life and then American Idol comes up. This album is my chance. I have to prove things to the people.   What artists from the ‘80s have albums coming out now? I’m opening the door for those artists. By me even being on this label, it’s showing that it’s possible for these artists to come out. Fans can say, “Look at what Percee P is doing. Let’s see what Lakim Shabazz and others are doing.” I’m fortunate to have a label that is helping me to get out there and do things for me. To me, that’s what I represent. I just need everybody to buy that. You can buy my CDs on my MySpace. I don’t really want to get a job. I want to do this hip-hop music for the fans.   If you don’t support that artist when he’s still trying to hold onto his dream and if you feel it in your heart that that dude is hip-hop, if you know that they have it, support them. If you know that they have it and they have to go and get a regular job, that’s one less person around. That’s what’s happening with the game. That’s what’s happening all of the time because people are not showing their support. That’s what’s happening with the mom and pop stores too. We have to keep the ones that are alive alive. We need to help them pay their rent so that we can have a place to do an in-store. That’s what it’s all about. I have to support open mics and things like that. That’s basically other outlets for artists trying to come up. If you don’t support things like that, there’s going to be less outlets for us to go to. You’re going to have to wait until you get a big deal to be on big stages.   What I’m about is supporting the little guy. I represent the little guy who just happens to have a breakthrough and make it. If you want to support me, I believe in my heart that I have something good for you. Just believe in it.  It’s about making your contribution to hip-hop. We all have to make contributions to save hip-hop. Every artist is making their contributions and I’m making my contribution.

By Brian Kayser

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