Who is R-Mean?
R-mean is just a humble kid working hard chasing his dreams. He was blessed with a talent and he's trying to use it not only to his advantage but to help others as well by having people relate to what he's saying. R-mean is an emcee who's all about breathing some fresh air back into the game cuz Hip Hop is in need of it.

How was it growing up in the Netherlands?
Europe in general is cool cuz the government takes care of its people more than over here. I was born in Cali but we moved out there before I was even a year old cuz my dad started a business over there. But then he passed away when I was only one, but my mom still chose to stay over there just cuz as a single mom life would've been a lot harder in the States. So from that perspective is was good, but I always felt LA is my home though. In Holland there's a real defined distinction between who's Dutch and who's not. It's not a melting pot like out here. Every race can say they're American, know what I'm sayin'. But as a foreigner in Holland you get discriminated against and I always felt that a lot as a kid. I love my people out there to death though.

How was the Hip Hop scene over there?
I moved back to LA in '98 and up to that time hip hop really wasn't that big out there but it was fresh. That was another reason I always felt outcasted cuz I was one of the only kids at school with baggy jeans bumping wu-tang in my walkman. So the scene was real underground and small but it was good though. Cuz whatever scene there was, was all about the real shit. The raw shit. I remember going to all these underground hip hop parties and shows like Jeru the Damaja, Das Efx, The Liks. And it was all love. Nobody was trying prove something. The crowd was just showing love. I don't think I ever been to a show in the States that was that pure. All that shit influenced me into the way I see hip hop today.

What made you come to the states?
Well, like I said I was born here and I always felt this is my home so it was only a matter of time till we would move back. But my mom wanted us to graduate high school so we stayed there till after I graduated and came back.

What album do you look at as making you fall in love with Hip Hop?
Hard to Earn by Ganstarr - without a doubt. That album litterly changed my life. It taught me what real Hip Hop was. From then on it was all Hip Hop for me.

When did you begin to fully focus on Hip Hop?
I been Hip Hop for as long as I can remember but I think I was about 13-14 when I got that Gangstarr tape and from then on Hip Hop was the main thing in my life. I started digging deeper into the music myself and discovered KRS, Tribe, Wu and all that and I realized that was it. This was all way before I started emceeing myself though. See nowadays everybody and their mama rap but it wasn't like that back then, especially where i grew up. I never really thought I could be a part of Hip Hop in that way till one day I was listening to the "Paparazzi" instrumental from Xzibit and for some reason I started writing some shit to it. For a while I actually kept it a secret cuz I felt embarrassed but when people finally heard me they said it was actually not that bad. But it wasn't till I met Blind (my producer) out here in LA that I really started taking it seriously. By then I was already like 19.

Where are you based out of now?
I'm in LA man. Glendale to be specific. Bringing some lyricism to the west coast, u know?

What have you released so far?
For a few years I been releasing some shit locally but it wasn't until about 2 years ago that I dropped a mixtape that got my name out locally. The 'Back on Track" Pentagon mixtape Vol.1 And then just recently I dropped my first real project. My debut album "BROKEN WATER". It's all done independently by ourselves, so there's only so much we can do without help from major companies but out here in LA it's been creating a mad buzz already. The album is just straight fire honestly. It's real personal and it shows a lot of different styles but it all comes back to raw Hip Hop. Real lyrics, sick beats, but still with good hooks and good song concepts. See I'm all about the real shit but don't get it twisted, I'm here to sell records. I just gotta do it the right way. I gotta stay true to myself and I feel I owe it to Hip Hop to do it the right way. Quality music is quality music and I know if one day God willing the right people hear my shit it'll blow up. If not I'll just keep doing what I'm doing right now cuz I'm loving the love I'm getting from the underground anyway. Like Big L said "I love to hear cars cruise by bumping my shit!"

What projects are you working on now?
I'm doing a lotta things right now. I'm really pushing the album but I just keep recording left and right. I'm working on an album with my man Teo right now. He's a reggae vocalist who brings that real '70s roots reggae and when we blend that with Hip Hop the sound just becomes so unique it's unheard of in Hip Hop. Besides that I'm just trying to hit up the mixtapes and work with a lotta different people. My drops been getting mad play on LA's top Hip Hop radio station POWER 106. On my debut I purposely did not get any emcees as guest appearances cuz I felt I had to prove I could do a classic without the help of nobody. Now that that's done I'm moving on. I been cool with Chino XL for a while now so we gon' be doing some shit together real soon. And in the meantime I'm trying to hit up the labels to take this shit to the next level.

Who is Blind and how did you link up with him?
Blind is my producer. His cousin was an old family friend of mine and when he heard me rapping one day he hooked us up. Me and Blind started Pentagon with me on the mic and him lacing the beats. He fell victim to a drive-by shooting in Pasadena, CA back in '92. He got shot in the face, chest, and back and completely lost his eyesight. After that he got into making beats.

Who else is in your crew?
After a while Teo , the reggae singer, joined me and Blind. He's not only a singer though. He's involved in every aspect of the creativity and all three of us just work at everything together at whatever we do. R-mean, Blind, and Teo is Pentagon. A sick emcee, a Blind producer, and a very unique reggae singer put together makes a crazy team dawg. The game is ready for something fresh, something new. And that's what we gon' bring.

What do you look for in a beat?
I don't think I can exactly pinpoint what I look for but it just needs to spark a certain emotion as soon as I hear it. I love that dark grimy shit. That's my favorite shit, but I also feel the lighter stuff as long as it's bangin'.

What producers do you want to work with?
Right now I'm working with my man Blind who has the more raw sound and my man Humbl' Sohl who really brings a more industry sound though still real hard. So I got a crazy production team already. But I would obviously love to work with all the great ones man. Of course Dre - the best in the history. It would be a dream to work with Premier. And then of course Alchemist, Havoc, Pete Rock, Scott Storch, Kanye… really anyone who has hot shit honestly.

Where can Heads check out your music?
My website is www.r-mean.com. I'm also on www.myspace.com/r-mean. Yall can listen to the whole new album at www.cdbaby.com/r-mean. And hopefully right here in the audio section of hiphopgame.com nah-mean!

Shout Outs:
Just big up to everyone who's been supporting R-mean and Pentagon. The fans been showing mad love lately and that's real.
Throw your fives up! One.