Power 105’s The Breakfast Club’s DJ Envy chats with Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson on Scoop B Radio. Photo Credit: Eric Salvary/Get Fit Radio.TV

Power 105 The Breakfast Club’s DJ Envy chatted with Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson about his evolution as a DJ and more on Scoop B Radio. Press Play Below To Listen. 

Host of one of the hottest morning radio shows in the nation, DJ Envy chatted with me about his journey from being DJ Shrimp to working from any and everyone that is hot in the nation.

Check out our Q&A below.

Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson: Last year  I had a podcast over at play.it called Brown and Scoop. We would take a photo in front of the CBS sign and I would put my right leg on the back  of the wall. Where did that come from?

DJ Envy: You know I don’t I know. At the end of the day I’m a Queens n**** and that is just some Queens shit and that is what it is. I really don’t know what it is I have been doing it since I was a kid and that is my swag, my style,my thing. I didn’t really notice it. People just started pointing it out to me when I was doing it.

Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson: You’ve got a new something going out with Fetty Wap right now. Tell me about it.

DJ Envy: New single is called “Text Your Number.” It is my first single off my album. Like I said, it features Fetty Wap. It features DJ Sliink. It is called “Text Your Number” and it’s off my album, Just A Kid From Queens. It comes out next year sometime.

Check Out Fetty Wap’s Text Ur Number featuring DJ Envy and DJ Sliink

Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson: One thing that I find very interesting about you is the fact that you have the balance being college educated, you are a Hampton University Alum and you have your foot in hip hop. That is rare. Someone that is able to balance corporate, street and education. Why is that so important for someone of your stature that is a DJ and hosts a top rated radio program?

DJ Envy: I think for myself, I don’t have my foot in hip hop. I am hip hop. That is how I was born. I didn’t look at it like: I have to get into hip hop. That is how I was raised listening to the music. I enjoyed the parties. I enjoyed the clubs, the DJ aspects of it, the graffiti aspect of it, the dancing aspect of it. It’s just how I was raised. It wasn’t like I was anything but hip hop, you know? I was just a person that loved hip hop, that went to school, got my degree and then when I graduated said: ‘I gotta  do something that I am going to enjoy.’  I was DJing at the time and I was like: ‘listen this is what I am going to do.’ I am going to try and make money off of it. I didn’t have any responsibilities, all I had was school loans. I didn’t have a car or a crib. I lived with my mom and I was like: ‘I am going to give it a shot.’ I didn’t have no kids and the rest is history.

Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson: A guy that I interviewed and featured a couple of years ago is DJ Steph Floss out in Cleveland. He told me a story about how the movie, Juice inspired him. His mom wouldn’t let him spin records in the house, but when he got his refund check in college at Ohio State, he bought a DJ set and aspin table. Do you have any stories like that? What got you beginning to spin?

Power 105’s DJ Clue and DJ Envy. Photo CreditL Flickr

DJ Envy: Mine was DJ Clue. Clue was my neighbor and I knew him as Ernesto. Like we used to ride bikes together and play ball together. I didn’t know he was a DJ. One day I was waiting for the bus going to school and I seem him drive by and at the time he had a Honda Accord. Honda Accord when we was kids that was the BMw, that was your Lexus, that was your Mercedes. He had that and I asked him what he did and he told me he DJ’ed and I was like: ‘Yeah aight!’ I thought he sold drugs at the time. I didn’t have any money, I was broke and all I wanted to buy was some sneakers, so I was like alright. So one day he was like: ‘come by my house and he will show me.’ I went by his house and I saw tons of mixtapes turntables, CDJs and everything.  Right then and there. I was like: ‘ok I am going to give this a shot.’ And you know, I would call Clue and ask what turntable should  I buy? And he would tell me and I’d buy one turntable. I would work some more and save some money and buy another turntable, buy records and then the rest of it I just started. I started as a host. I was an MC. It was DJ Mono and DJ Shrimp was my name. And together we were Envy Productions.

Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson: Why Shrimp?

DJ Envy: I was shorter at the time. I was 5’2 and I was real small. So I was like shrimp and what people don’t know is together we were Envy productions. But back in the day we would stamp the cassette tapes Envy. When my partner, the guy that actually taught me how to physically dj, Mono stopped DJ’ing, we weren’t making no money. We were just doing it for fun. He stopped doing it and when I continued to do it, I would hand off the mixtapes to the Africans on Jamaica Ave, & 125th Street, they would be like: ‘oh you got the new Envy?’  And the name Envy just stuck and I went with it.

Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson: I had DJ Clue actually on Scoop B Radio a few weeks ago and we talked about the evolution of the DJ. You look at The Breakfast Club. You have Angela Yee who was a manager of someone you have Charlemagne who was Robin to somebody’s Batman and you have you, who is aDJ. You guys are the underdog. What is next for the DJ?

DJ Envy: I mean, a DJ can never go anywhere. It is not like the DJ is going to be nonexistent and they are going to have robots spinning. The DJ has to feel the crowd. It’s just the type of DJ has changed. At first it was the pop DJ and then it was the mixtape DJ. Then it has changed a little bit. Mixtapes don’t really matter anymore because artists do their own stuff. Before it was all about exclusives. That doesn’t matter anymore. DJs are still existent. You look at the radio, you look at clubs. You look at: you still have to go out every night and you want the DJ to spin the dopest s***. So the DJ will never go anywhere, just like the way of doing it will change. Like with me, it is just a matter of changing your platform. I was a mixtape DJ making a lot of money, making mixtapes. I was making 20 or 30 thousand doing mixtapes a month at the age of 20, 21,22 years old. I knew it was about to end. I seen it before it happened. So I was like: ‘Alright I’m going to jump on the radio.’ Some DJ’s didn’t. You can name 20 or 30 DJs that were doing mixtapes back then, that you don’t know where they are right now because they didn’t see it. You have to foresee everything and that’s the same thing today. I went to the radio and started mixtaping on the radio and i was like: ‘alright.’ And everybody was like nice DJ. Let me stop yelling on the radio and start being a personality and learn how to interview somebody and learn how to talk. learn how to almost be like a point guard where I can pass the ball to Charlemagne and pull it back and pass it to Angela Yee and be able to make a play like that. You know, it is foreseeing what the future is.

Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson: Ok. So I think it’s interesting. It must be instinct because when you look at LL Cool J, a guy that was on ‘In the House,’ he was able to transition from hip hop to acting. Was there someone in your ear? Or was it just your foresight? What was the light that came on?

DJ Envy: I think for myself, I always next. I always want what’s next and I alway want more. Even when I am doing this album, I did an album in 2003, but I wasn’t there yet. I was good and we did 60 or 70 thousand units, but now I am in a better position. So me doing an album now, means a lot more to the people. I owned a sneaker store before, I owned a car wash before, that is cool. But now me owning a juice bar, is I am in a better position to talk about a juice bar and really do it. I own a Soda company, I own so many different companies and real estate. So many different things that I can profit from. You know, before I was living check to check. Now I can throw some stuff out there and see if it sticks. If it sticks, great. My whole family is set for life. If it doesn’t, then ok we keep pushing.

Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson: When do you sleep?

DJ Envy: I don’t. I take naps. That’s the truth. I try to take naps. With me, I don’t have many hobbies and the reason I don’t have many hobbies is because if I have time for a hobby, I have time to take a nap. So like some people take flights and they read or listen to music while they are on the flight, but I sleep. Some people play video games. If I play video games I am playing with my son because it is bonding time because I enjoy playing with him. But I am not going to be at home playing video games by myself. I really don’t watch TV shows, the only TV show I watch which is my little guilty pleasure is Game of Thrones. Other than that, I really don’t watch TV, I don’t have time.

Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson: I think that it’s interesting that hip hop has kind of gone Barbara Walters, in a sense. You are able to get those interviews that everybody wants to see. When you do interviews for The Breakfast Club have you ever consulted with journalists on how to conduct the perfect interview”

Power 105’s The Breakfast Club. Photo Credit: YoutTube

DJ Envy: No. I mean, no not at all. And I think that The Breakfast Club has really opened it up for people outside of the hip hop community to want to do interviews because they see how far our reach is; how far our arm goes. No. I never reached out to anybody. I always watch and see how people do interviews, but here it is a little different. Here we all kind of have roles and I know what my role is here. I know that if there is a question that is controversial, it sounds better coming from Charlemagne because that is out character. It is what it is. It is kind of like, I can dunk on a player in the NBA and it be like: ‘ok Envy dunked on a  player.’ But now, if Blake Griffin dunks on somebody, everybody is like: ‘oh shit!’mIt is what it is. That is what keeps our show alive and that is what keeps our show good. If all three members of The Breakfast Club are all saying things that are controversial, you get to the point where you really don’t like them and that whole show is negative. If you get  a little bit out of Charlemagne and a little bit out of Yee and a little bit out of me, it keeps it balanced. And a well balanced show there is always someone that agrees with Charlamagne, there is always someone that agrees with me, there is always someone that agrees with Angie. But if we all have the same mentality, then people will be like: ‘no i don’t f*** with them.’ It is that perfect balance that makes The Breakfast Club really successful and everybody really wants to come on the show and give us that reach. We all grind and act like we are broke.

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The post Scoop B: DJ Envy Discusses Just A Kid From Queens Album, When He Sleeps & DJ Clue As A Mentor appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Rapper Fabolous and sports and entertainment journalist Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson. Photo Credit: Angie Vasquez

Rapper Fabolous Chatted With Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson about rapping the intro of EA Sports’ NBA Live 2003 on Scoop B Radio

In today’s video game world, face and tattoo recognition and a soundtrack littered with hot tracks is a must for gamers. After an unsuccessful run with NBA Live 2002, EA Sports went back to the lab and brought in some fire power. NBA Live 2003 featured then-New Jersey Nets All Star point guard Jason Kidd as their cover athlete and keyed in on the halfcourt game; much to the delight of San Antonio Spurs fans everywhere.

The defensive strategy was also a focus with Dikembe Mutombo and Kenyon Martin having nightly block parties on their respective teams. But quite honestly, the thing that stood out the most was the game’s soundtrack.

Anyone who purchased a copy of NBA Live 2003 got an added bonus. They got a copy of the NBA Live 2003 soundtrack on a CD. The tracklist included cuts like Busta Rhymes and Flipmode Squad’s Here We Go, Angie Martinez’s If I Could Go, Joe Budden’s Drop Drop, Freeway and Memphis Bleek’s Let’s Go.

“It’s In The Game,” the game’s intro song performed by Fabolous and also featured DJ Clue. Fabolous’ wordplay was insane especially when you say things like:

‘I’m the crowd favorite and I believe the fans love the way I finger roll it with either hand, my handles pull it through presses plus I can play the lane and block shots like bulletproof vestes.’

 

Fabolous had a buzz going strong on the mixtape circuit at the time and was also coming off of a successful album, Ghetto Fabolous, that he’d dropped two years prior to NBA Live 2003’s release. The Brooklyn rapper was in a league of his own, rapping about sports and donning the most exclusive of exclusive Mitchell & Ness throwback jerseys. Fab was a natural fit as the game’s intro vocalist. “I was a bigger video game fan then,” Fabolous told me on Scoop B Radio. 

“It was a cool experience. The whole video game. I actually got to visit the EA Sports headquarters and got to see the stuff behind games; the real geeky, techy side, that was even cool. It was really, really, really a cool experience.”

The song’s producer, DJ Clue had fun working on it too. “I think that sometimes  you get caught in the moment and you don’t realize how big something is that you are doing,” DJ Clue told me on Scoop B Radio. 

“They gave me no restrictions on how to be with sound, but they gave me sound effects that they wanted me to actually incorporate into actually beats.The whistle, the feet squeaking, the dunk, they gave me all those sounds. So I was in the studio, I was doing a beat and I came up with the beat and they came up with the rap and I had to go back and put the sound effects in from what he was rapping about.”

According to the Fabolous, the coolest part was that while being on tour. He did a promotion in conjunction with EA Sports.”I did a tour stop where in each city somebody would come on the bus and play me in NBA Live,” Fabolous said. 

“I pretty much beat everybody that we played. A couple of them were girls, I had to beat them too.”

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The post Scoop B: Fabolous Recounts What It Was Like To Rap The Intro To EA Sports’ NBA Live 2003 appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Power 105’s DJ Clue and Scoop B Radio host Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson in New York City. Photo Courtesy of: The Brandon Robinson Brand

Check out DJ Clue and Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson on Scoop B Radio

The NFL and NBA’s season are literally around the corner. That means one thing: the release of Madden 18, NBA Live 18 and NBA 2K 18 video games are a fast break pass and a 2-minute drill away from releasing.

Over the last ten-plus years, the NBA 2K franchise has established itself as a premier hoops platform. This year, EA Sports has made a comeback with their release of NBA Live 18 and James Harden as the game’s cover athlete. One of the coolest features of the game is a mode that allows you to play with WNBA teams; the first of its kind and according to my buddy Brian Mazique at FORBES Magazine, by way of Chicago the game’s soundtrack is pretty solid!

Speaking of soundtracks, I’m always enamored by the evolution of video game soundtracks. One of the catalysts of that was NBA Live 2003.

The game had Jason Kidd on the cover and the game’s intro, ‘It’s In The Game,’ was performed by Fabolous with DJ Clue producing the track. “You know it’s funny I was just thinking about that today,” DJ Clue told me on Scoop B Radio.

“I was thinking about how,  I think I saw James Harden say he was on the cover of the new Live. So I was thinking: ‘Man it wasn’t too long ago that I produced the intro to Live and it had rap on it.”

Added DJ Clue:

“I think that sometimes  you get caught in the moment and you don’t realize how big something is that you are doing.”

The track and video was pretty legit!

“They gave me no restrictions on how to be with sound, but they gave me sound effects that they wanted me to actually incorporate into actually beats.The whistle, the feet squeaking, the dunk, they gave me all those sounds. So I was in the studio, I was doing a beat and I came up with the beat and they came up with the rap and I had to go back and put the sound effects in from what he was rapping about.”

That he that DJ Clue is referring to was Fabolous.

Fabolous’ wordplay on the track was insane:

“‘I’m the crowd favorite and I believe the fans love the way I finger roll it with either hand, my handles pull it through presses plus I can play the lane and block shots like bulletproof vestes.’

How the heck did Fab turn the plural of the word ‘vest’ into his own wording? Years later he’d do it again in his song “Breathe,” when he changed the plural of the word ‘mask’ into ‘maskes.’

But I digress!

“It was a cool experience,” Fabolous told me in a recent interview.

“The whole video game, I actually got to visit the EA Sports headquarters and got to see the stuff behind games; the real geeky, techy side, that was even cool. It was really, really, really a cool experience.”

According to DJ Clue, not only did he take part in the producing process of the game, in the NBA Live 2003 game, EA Sports created a creation of the DJ Clue if you put a special code in. “If you typed in the code ‘Mixtape,’ I personally came up in the game as a player you could play with a 96 rating,” said DJ Clue while on Scoop B Radio.

A 96 rating Clue? Don’t let current NBA players hear that!

Apparently EA Sports crafted the Power 105 dj’s likeness after Tracy McGrady, who will be a minted an NBA Hall of Famer in a couple of weeks at the NBA’s Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Make sure to check out DJ Clue’s interview in its entirety by clicking here. Not only did DJ Clue discuss NBA Live 2003, he also discussed his infamous ‘Clueminati’ and William M. Holla Drops before the start of songs.

“I have always heard people talk about the Illuminati,” said DJ Clue.

“But it was, I wanted to try and put my own little twist to it. So I came up with Clueminati, Clue Fargino you know all those names, just to keep it interesting. You know Fidel Cashflow, you know.”

DJ Clue also discussed what it was like working with Mariah Carey on tracks like  “Thank God I Found You Remix,” a track that DJ Clue produced:

“Mariah is a super perfectionist man,” he said. “So she wants to make sure that when she does vocals that it are done right. She definitely is that person that if she wants you to hear her music it has to be right. She isn’t playing around.”

Clue says Working with Tamia on the So Into You Remix with Fabolous challenged Tamia in a good way: “I feel like I pushed her,” he said.

DJ Clue weighed in on why Jay-Z doesn’t write his lyrics down: “I think Jay started doing that because I think it helps him remember songs,” said DJ Clue.

“There have been times when we have been on stage when he first started. He would be on stage and he would forget a line or two. He would tap me and be like: ‘Yo what’s the line?’ I think coming from that he would just sit and be like: ‘yo maybe if I just memorize it better if I just sit and say it to myself over and over again.. He used to get in the car and be like: ‘yo give me a day or two. He would ride around with his driver and make up his lines. He would call me up and be like: ‘Oooh I got a line.’ That is how it would be.”

He also says Puff Daddy has a pretty good routine while in studio:

“I think with Puff working with him; when I would go to Daddy’s House [his old recording studio]  he would have Total in one room working, then you would have BIG working in another and then have Craig Mack working in another room. He would be bouncing from room to room working on songs; it was crazy! Je would say: ‘Ok I’m working with Total in one room and then be back in an hour, he was going for it. He had a movement, he would be there all times of the night, working on songs. Puff’s work ethic was serious!”

DJ Clue also discussed his own business ventures like his DJ Clue Ap, his forthcoming documentary and his no-tie shoelaces that he has called Clue Lace. The partnership that he and business partner, Randy Parker, a fellow DJ who goes by the stage name DJ ESSO is successful so far. “It is definitely the first no-tie shoelace,” DJ Clue told me.

“If you have kids out there, you know how strenuous it is when you get yelled at to tie your shoelaces. You don’t got to do that! These are the no-tie shoelace. They are flexible, they are dope. They are good for kids in sports. You don’t want to stop the game from the moment on the court because their shoelaces are untied, or trip over them. You can set them one time and it will never go loose. They look stylish too.”

 

There are about 12 varieties of his laces available.

As for DJ Clue’s forthcoming documentary he told Scoop B Radio:

“It is going to take you into different phases of my career,” he said. “The start, obviously you have to go into Queens and check out mom’s crib and the place it all started at. Different times when I was producing with different people, my different travel, of course. It is going to have my trials and tribulations and that kind of stuff. It is like any story. You have to make sure you focus on the good and the bad and all the positives and all the negatives. We want to have it well-rounded so that people can really understand the story and know where the grind came from.”

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The post Scoop B: DJ Clue Discusses Working With Fabolous on NBA Live 2003, Clue Lace, Documentary, Producing For Mariah Carey, Puff Daddy & Jay-Z appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

After finishing the 2015-16 season at 32-50 and 13th place in the NBA’s Eastern Conference, the New York Knicks had to make some upgrades during the offseason.

The team hired head coach Jeff Hornacek, acquire the rights to Derrick Rose in a trade with the Chicago Bulls and signed free agents Joakim Noah, Brandon Jennings and Courtney Lee.

DJ Clue a long time dj on New York’s Power 105 has been a long suffering Knicks fan and he’s happy that key names at key positions are in place. “Any move is a good move because we were struggling,” DJ Clue told me. “I think some good trades and some good pickups, I’m not mad at all. They’re just missing a solid free throw shooters.”

Check Out Fabolous Recounting His First DJ Clue Freestyle

Since the Knicks made the blockbuster trade with the Denver Nuggets that brought Carmelo Anthony to New York in 2011, Anthony has played under four head coaches. Hornacek makes it his fifth.

Anthony has always been an efficient scorer. Last season, basketball purists marveled at his ability to play a team concept. In 72 games last season Anthony had a productive 22 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists and had a successful gold medal run with USA basketball this summer. “I’ll be entering, what…my 14th season,” Anthony told me earlier this summer.

Carmelo Anthony’s 2015-16 Highlights

“I have to continue to lead this team. We’re professionals and we’ve certainly improved from last season.”

HoopsHype has the Knicks pegged at third in the NBA’s  Atlantic Division and seventh in the Eastern Conference.Actor, podcast host and die-hard Knicks fan Michael Rapaport sees it a little different. “I’m looking for a four seed in the East,” Rapaport told me.

Rapaport Talks Knicks on ESPN’s The Jump

“I think the Knicks’ moves were good. I expect them to make the playoffs. You got a lot of pieces. The ‘umph’ is the health factor, not just with Rose, not just with Noah, you know Brandon Jennings; I love him. So hopefully, if they’re all healthy and their hands are on deck for at least 65 games and all of those guys are playing, we’ll definitely make the playoffs.”

The Knicks begin their season on Tuesday in Cleveland against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

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The post Scoop B: DJ Clue and Michael Rapaport Are Excited For New York Knicks’ Season appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

RESPECT got a chance to catch up with Mad Skillz to discuss DJing and what makes a great emcee during part one of our interview. Today we are back with part two, discussing his illustrious career, his thoughts on some of the most memorable records in Hip Hop and why “Vinyl Destination” was the ultimate show showcasing the DJ experience.

Out of everything that you have done over the span of your career, what would you say was the most memorable moment?

That is tough because I am one of those people who doesn’t realize what I’ve done until after it’s done because I never set out to do some of the things that I have done. Like Barry Gordy didn’t set out to change Black music, he was just having fun. So when people say, “you put Virginia on the map”, it’s crazy to me, because I wasn’t trying to shit on anywhere else I was just repping where I was from.

Over your career, I know you have met a lot of people. Who is one person that you’ve met that had you a little awestruck?

I would have to say when I met Michael Jackson. I was with Missy and it was when he did the big show in 2001 at Madison Square Garden, matter of fact it was September 10, 2001; the day before 9/11 because I remember after it happened Pharrell and I were stuck in New York and were trying to get a rental car to go back to Virginia.

Ok so let’s switch gears, from time to time I like to ask emcees about classic Hip Hop joints and where they were when they first heard it, so let’s start with “Put Ya Hands Where My Eyes Can See” by Busta Rhymes?

That came out in ‘97, I was in Virginia at the time and I first heard it on a DJ Clue mixtape, but I didn’t understand the impact of it until I was at this party and DJ S&S was mixing. It was cool, you know everyone was chilling and socializing, I think “DeJa Vu” was playing, then all of a sudden the drums came in on Busta’s intro and everyone ran to the dance floor and he pulled it back. [Laughs] Man, I knew then Busta had a certified banger.

How about “Takeover” by Jay Z?

Aww man, I heard that on the bootleg before the joint came out because my homeboy did the intro for The Blueprint, but I remember thinking, “it’s over for Nas, Nas is done”. But then Nas came back with Ether and I was like, “gawt damn!”

That leads to the next joint, “Ether”…

I heard it on a mixtape, because my homeboy was like, “have you heard the new Nas?” Personally, I was like I don’t care what Nas says he ain’t coming back from that; because you know Nas was so laid back and you didn’t expect that from him. But my homeboy was persistent and yo, when I heard that joint and the beat dropped and he started going in; I was like, “yo, this n*gga is back!”

Finally, where were you when you heard “I Used to Love H.E.R” by Common?

Oh that’s easy. It was college radio, WDCE 90.1, Mike Street was DJing when he played it and I remember I was so caught up in the story and when he revealed at the end the whole time he was talking about Hip Hop; I was mind blown. I was like, “hold up, run that shit back”, because that was the first time that someone had “usual suspect” me in a record. I mean that joint had me so intrigued and the way he worded it was dope.

Looking back at Hip Hop back in the day, who do you think had the potential but for whatever reason didn’t blow?

I would definitely say Shawnna (from DTP). She had all the elements, she had sex appeal and she could really rap.

You traveled a lot over the past few years with DJ Jazzy Jeff and the “Vinyl Destination” series. Why was that never brought to TV?

I stopped touring with Jeff a few years ago, but I was saying then that we need to look at taking this to TV because I know they would have a place for it. Also, I have to shout out Chris Schaffer for the phenomenal work he does. Looking at it, you would have thought we had a crew, but it was actually just one guy and that was Chris. He’s so dope though that he made it look like we had several. One thing I noticed is that I didn’t know we were impacting as many DJs as we did, when I arrived today for my show I saw a guy had on the Vinyl Destination t-shirt, it’s crazy.

Being a veteran emcee, DJ and overall music lover, what element of Hip Hop from back in the day would you bring to the current state of Hip Hop if you had your choice?

The rule of no biting. Now you can bite someone and it’s nothing, like you can literally take someone’s whole shit. But people don’t realize that it started when emcees were quoting lines from other rappers and some people you wouldn’t question because you knew that the rapper being quoted was cool with that person; so when Jay quoted Biggie, no one said anything because we knew they were cool. But now people will literally copy your whole swag and try to tell you that it’s theirs and it’s acceptable. Like they don’t even go back far enough to know who did it first.

You have been doing a lot lately with the mashups, namely Michael Jackson and Prince, almost all of your events have sold out; is that something you plan on doing every year?

Honestly, I have been thinking about it because that it the type of music that needs to be heard and I know there are a lot of Prince and MJ fans out there who would love to hear them included in sets. Most of the time when you hear old school sets, especially where I’m from, they all sound the same. They usually start with “Outstanding” (by the Gap Band), then it’s going to go into “Before I Let Go” (by Frankie Beverly and Maze) and then you are going to hear “Poison” (by BBD) and I’m like yo, there’s more music than this and that’s why “The Art of Noise” events work, because we play what everyone else doesn’t play.

Your events are always so packed, when is the next one that fans can see you rocking at?

The next big one I am doing is in VA on September 18th called SBV, Surrounded By Virginia, which is playing all Timbaland and The Neptunes because many people don’t know that Magoo, Timbaland and Pharrell were in a group back in the day called SBI, Surrounded By Idiots, so it’s a play off of that letting people know who Virginia really is.

In the next five years, where do you see yourself?

World domination. My goal is to let the music to speak for itself. I want my music to be so far ahead of anything that I ever thought I could do like I want to have the number one record in the country as Mad Skillz the DJ, but people wouldn’t know that it was me, the rapper.

Let’s touch on your social media game, your Instagram account stays popping, but your Snapchat is so hilarious and cool because it’s you being normal. Are you planning on being on Snapchat more often than just on Snapchat Friday?

[Laughs]  I thought my snaps were corny because I was just doing regular shit. I am such a private person and I honestly like to keep certain parts of my life private, so I try to scale back as much as I can because if it’s done too often it becomes normal. So many people act like that having a lot of followers online is the end all be all of their life. [laughs] Let one of these rappers wake up and all their followers are gone, they will lose their minds.

Do you think that social media has given people a false sense of celebrity?

I think that people confuse followers with support because artists will have 30,000 followers but sell two records, that means they don’t support you. People don’t realize how it was back in the day, like I actually had to go to the show in 1996 and see A Tribe Called Quest, wait at the back door and hope to see them and if you missed it you had to take people’s word for what happened on the play by play; they don’t have to do that anymore.

Last but not least, what is one thing about Skillz that no one knows you can do?

I cook. I love to cook and I can make a mean lasagna.

Keep up with the latest from Mad Skillz online at http://www.gotmadskillz.com/

Twitter/Instagram/Snapchat: @SkillzVA

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The post Mad Skillz: Allow Me To Reintroduce Myself-Part Two appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

We’ve all heard the stories of record labels and the ups and downs being contracted with one may cause.  Here and now BET network is taking us all behind the scenes of some of the greats.  Tonight, May 17th at 8:00 ET and 9:00 ET make sure to tune into the first part of the eight-episode-docs-series.  Uptown Records is the first up in the spotlight to dig into all the dirt, good and bad with a Part I and Part II episode of the journey.  Some of Hip Hop’s most iconic labels will be featured  in the eight-week series for one-hour long like, Grand Hustle, Loud Records, Slip-N-Slide, Terror Squad, Ruff Ryders, Disturbing Tha Peace (DTP), and Murder Inc.  

Founder, Andre Harrell will be among the industry insiders like, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige, Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, and Guy’s Teddy Riley and Damion Hall giving they’re unique takes on Uptown’s success, legacy, and so much more.  We can expect to see some never-before-seen footage in an up close, first-person narrative kinda way.  The series is executive produced by A. Smith & Co. Productions and DTP co-founders Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Bridges’ manager Chaka Zulu, and Jeff Dixon.

“The dreams and visions; the successes and failures … we want young aspiring entrepreneurs to have a blueprint as to what really goes on in this business and understand how much work it takes,” says DTP’s Dixon of the inspiration behind the series. “We [as African-Americans] also want to document our own history, especially in this industry. This is like our natural resource. No one can tell these stories like us.”

According to Billboard, these are some of the other power players that will be “playing” in each episode of Inside the Label:

Uptown Records: Andre Harrell, Diddy, Jay Z, Mary J. Blige, Babyface, Teddy Riley, Damion Hall, Brett Ratner, Laurieann Gibson, Robin Thicke, Sanaa Lathan, Doug E. Fresh, Al B. Sure, Eddie F, Kim Porter, Father MC, Jeff Redd and Monifah.

Grand Hustle: T.I., Jason Geter, Young Dro, Kevin Liles, Lil Duval, Killer Mike, DJ Toomp and B.O.B.

Loud Records: Steve Rifkind, RZA, Xzibit and E-Swift.

Slip-N-Slide Records: Ted Lucas, Rick Ross, Trick Daddy, Trina and DJ Khaled.

Terror Squad: Fat Joe, DJ Khaled, Noreaga, Cool & Dre and Jesse Terrero.

Ruff Ryders: Joaquin Dean, Darren Dean, Chivon Dean, Swizz Beatz, Eve, The Lox, Irv Gotti, Drag On, DJ Clue, DJ Kool Herc, Lyor Cohen and Jimmy Iovine.

Disturbing Tha Peace: Ludacris, Chaka Zulu, Jeff Dixon, Chingy, Bobby Valentino, Shareefa, Lil Scrappy, Bangladesh, Lil Fate, I-20 and Poon Daddy.

Murder Inc.: Irv Gotti, Ashanti, Ja Rule, Jay-Z, Charlie Baltimore, Kevin Liles and Lyor Cohen.

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The post BET Network Takes us ‘Inside the Label’ appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, we’re pretty sure you know that Fabolous has been steadily dropping fire 90s inspired freestyles with the help of DJ Clue for the past couple of months.

With fitting pop culture references and intricate wordplay Loso showed that freestyle game was on point, with tackling tracks like “B.A.S.,” “Take It Easy” and “Black Girl Lost” just to name a few.

Now Fab has released a mixtape with all of his Friday Night Freestyles and a few unheard gems. “Life’s A B***h,” serves as one of those gems. On it Fab  hops on the Nas cut with Jadakiss to deliver some verbal heat. Peep Friday Night Freestyles in all it’s freestyle glory below.

The post New Mixtape: Fabolous- Friday Night Freestyles appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.