CREATOR & FOUNDER OF MUSIC INDUSTRY LONG ISLAND MAGAZINE
T. GETER AKA LADY $LIM OF THINK RICH MGMT CHIEF EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Cheryl Bush
JOHN JIGG$ By: Cheryl “Chey” Bush
L
et’s skip the small talk, and dive into the inner surroundings of this Island they call “Strong”. There’s Nassau, and then there’s Suffolk which are both home to an array of musical artist. Let’s explore the untold narrative destine to change. I recently chopped it up with Strong Island’s own, John Jigg$. Hailing from Suffolk County, he carries his own bag of sound with him,
Chey: What artist from LI unknown or known would you want to work with?
Jigg$: If I had my pick right now it would be Roc Marciano. He’s known, but he’s not known by everyone.
( Music Industry LI: He’s underground famous. The people that are up there know him, and know what he’s doing. )
Jigg$: He’s the highest of the highest of the underground.
Photo credit: @TheRealShockB
Chey: What drives your inspiration? Jigg$ : Just life .. the hunger for more. It took a lot of work, but I’ve been able to create a pretty decent lifestyle from music. Not just music, but overall. Every year everything gets more expensive. That keep me hustling. That keeps me working...that keeps me thinking about the next thing. Obviously my love for music. I can’t remember a time when Hip Hop wasn’t a part of my everyday existence. At this point it just becomes second nature you know.
Chey: What artist from LI unknown or known would you want to work with?
Jigg$: If I had my pick right now it would be Roc Marciano. He’s known, but he’s not known by everyone.
( Music Industry LI: He’s underground fa-
mous. The people that are up there know him, and know what he’s doing. )
Jigg$: He’s the highest of the highest of the underground. Chey: What drives your inspiration? Jigg$ : Just life .. the hunger for more. It took a lot of work, but I’ve been able to create a pretty decent lifestyle from music. Not just music, but overall. Every year everything gets more expensive. That keep me hustling. That keeps me working...that keeps me thinking about the next thing. Obviously my love for music. I can’t remember a time when Hip Hop wasn’t a part of my everyday existence. At this point it just becomes second nature you know. Chey: What do you see different from Nassau, and Suffolk artist? Jigg$: To be honest, I don’t know if you can pinpoint a difference. One thing I will say is I notice the Nassau artist the tend to be able to get more of a follow behind them. Like as far as from their hood. It seems like they understand the concept of getting behind someone. The towns are more tight knit. So they understand, but maybe it’s because the towns are more heavily populated. It seems like you have certain guys that have their whole town behind them like literally. I look at Suffolk County, where I’m from, it’s like everyone is just rockin’ with their mans or whatever. I can look at Westbury, I can look at Jae-o Draftpick, and say they support him. I can look at Rah Hollow, and say Hempstead, Terrace Ave. they really rock with him and it shows. That’s just a couple of names I can think of off the top of my head. It seems like Suffolk County is more divided. Maybe because
we have so many more hoods. Suffolk County has a lot more different towns, and areas. It’s a wider space. Chey: What is your vision for you & your Team for 2022? Jigg$: The biggest thing is I’m trying to get everybody on the same level so we can be stronger. What I’ve been doing is whenever I get booked, I just take my guys with me like that’s part of the deal now. They have the vehicle, and have the tools. Number one, that’s to give them the experience of running around on the road. We got to catch this flight. We got to catch this car. I’m trying to get it to the point of where I could be on tour, and then Nam Nitty can be on tour. Then we can all go with him, and then Mouf… you get what I’m saying. I really want everybody to be on that level so we can turn into a real conglomerate. Chey: What’s your prospective of the industry now versus 2014? Jigg$: Well 2014, I would say that social media is a lot more important now. Music has become more disposable . Now you drop a project, and maybe you’ll get 2-3 months out of it. There’s so much out there that people don’t have much time to spend on it. It’s just the changing of the times. Hip Hop has become much more accessible to people. In 2014 it was a big thing to have your music on iTunes. Now you can literally go from not having anything online to having all of your stuff up tomorrow. Even as far as making the music, studio equipment wasn’t so cheap. Well, now if you have $400 or $500 bucks, you’re recording. Chey: Have you ever collaborated with an International artist/DJ/Producer? Jigg$: Oh yeah, definitely, I started off with K Sluggah. He’s a well know producer in Malmo, Sweden. He’s a legendary producer over there, and he’s done a lot with other people. We linked up around 2017, and we started working on our project. I not only worked with him, but another producer out
THE FOLLOW UP WITH JOHN JIGG$ MILI: Biggest accomplishment/Accolade for 2022? JIGG$: I would say my biggest accomplishment for this year was headlining at Sxsw the Flamingo Cantina just because it was something that I’ve always wanted to do. So when I got opportunity it felt good almost like I had arrived. MILI: Describe your perfect music festival. JIGG$:The perfect Festival would have sets from all the legendary crews in Hip Hop. From Wu-Tang, G-Unit, Dipset, D-Block, The Roc, Bad Boy, Deathrow, Aftermath, Griselda, and of course Mxnxpxly Family. MILI: Best show you did for 2022? JIGG$: My best show this year I would be the Go Crazy Festival because it was such a great turn out and the performance opened alot of doors for me in my career. MILI: Best City you went to this year? JIGG$: Salt Lake City, Utah was pretty cool very different from what I am used to. It’s also a place I never thought I would go so I appreciated that experience. MILI: Who is the Mxnxpxly Family? JIGG$:Mxnxpxly Family is Rockwelz, Mouf, Nam Nitty, John Jigg$, and our newest member the legendary Bad Seed
John Jigg$ is the leader or the front man
THE Bad Seed is the seasoned legend with the experience
Digit-Al is the behind the scenes shot caller
MILI: Describe each member. JIGG$: Rockwelz is like the glue that helps keep everything together
Mouf is the enforcer
Nam Nitty is the wild Card
MILI: Project release in 2022 JIGG$: Before the year is over I will be releasing a project called “Grand Royale” Rockwelz “Year of the Wolf ” out now, and Bad Seed “something greater than myself ” coming soon too MILI: What can ppl expect for 2023. JIGG$:More dope music more big shows and festivals. And Jigganometry 2 MILI: Any shout outs? JIGG$:Big shout to Lady $lim, and Chey from Music Industry LI magazine. Also big shout to the whole Mxnxpxly Family, and everybody that’s been supporting us. MILI: Who would you like to see in LI’ Top 5 for 2022? JIGG$: 1. Of course myself 2. Nam Nitty 3. Kudaboy been killin shit 4. Jaeo Draftpick been very consistent 5. Tie between Splash631 and Yvng Legacy who are both super-talented.
Grinders On The Come Up
YVNG LEGACY Chey: How old were you when you first stepped into a studio to record? YNVG Legacy: I was 15…16 . I was at Platinum Recording Studio in the City. I recorded a song called “Appreciated” & it’s out on all platforms right now. Chey: How old are you now? YNVG: 20 Chey: I see you have a buzz going on right now. You sing, rap, and dance. Do you ever foresee acting in your future to top it off as a quadruple threat? YVNG: I did a lot of Off Broadway in Middle School. So definitely I want to partake in acting later on. I want to blow up in the music industry first. Chey: How did the opportunity for you to perform at the Barclays Center come about? YVNG: It was a showcase that I won. It was a “turn you into a Star overnight” showcase. I won the whole thing. There was one night at Secrets, then Hall of Fame, and then the third night was at the Barclays. It was all back to back. Chey: How did it feel? YVNG: It was lit. It was good experience. It was a little short too me. I love to perform so I want all the time.
THE FOLLOW UP WITH YVNG LEGACY
MILI: What are your top three grinding moves or
Moments you made this year?
YVNG: My top three moves/ moments I made
this year are meeting more established artists, being able to learn more about the industry by working beside them, and becoming recognized as the new face in the industry.
MILI: What’s the best performance you did over
the last six months, and at what event or show?
YVNG: My best performance I did in the last
months was the Independent Artist Showcase thrown by Showcase King.
MILI: What made this your best performance? YVNG: I would say that was my best perfor-
mance because the stage was big enough for me to be energetic, do back flips, and dance. I enjoy being on stages that allow me to have enough room to dance and show the audience that I do more than just make music.
MILI: What can we expect from the Youngest in
Charge for 2023?
YVNG: In 2023 you can expect a lot more visuals,
and singles from me. I might even put out a project if I feel that is what’s best for me in that moment. I also want to get into acting, and possibly be in a show or movie.
MILI: Tell everyone how you can be booked for
shows, interviews , and guest appearances ?
YVNG: I can be booked for shows, interviews
and guest appearances through my manger on instagram @ifyousleepin_youcheating or email: dreammillionzent@gmail.com
MILI: What current songs or EPs do you have out
on DSP’s?
YVNG: The current song I have out right now
is “Darling”. It is out on all platforms, and my EP called “NO Co sign” can be found on all platforms as well.
MILI: Last but not least who do you want to shout
out!
YVNG: Shoutout my manger, Doc, and my team.
They always believed in me and supported me from the beginning. We came from nothing and really are making something out of ourselves. I really just enjoy the journey I’m on and how far MILI: What is your greatest motivation currently? I have come. Shoutout to Music Industry Long Island, and my supporters. They’re always showing YVNG: My greatest motivation is to become a love and been rocking wit me. millionaire and be a role model for all the kids that have dreams of creating their own legacy in the industry.
Interview by; Cheryl Bush & Tonia Geter
R
eek is far from a newcomer on the Music scene. From mixtapes to Labels to BET cyphers, TV appearances, and film, this talented artist keeps growing his resume. Long and Strong like the Island he reps! His bars are hotter than the concrete on bare feet Mid-August on LI! Long Island’s Golden Child was always destined to be King. Far from arrogant, he embraces his family, friends, and fans. Nestled on an Island in the middle of the sound ( those who geographically know just know). Back to this sound that crashes like waves off of the coast of Jones Beach set by a strong force wind blown through by way of “The Velt”. Side bar... Rosevelt,NY. Home to some of your favorite Actors, Comedians, and Artists just like Reek. His style will have you amped by day, and for the ladies, relaxed by nightfall. MILI: Do you come from a musical family? REEK: Yes I definitely do. I had an Uncle Pops back in the 50 from the Valentines. My cousin Karen is a violinist, and my mother used to sing. She used to be on TV with Donnie McClurkin. MILI: What part of the artist process so you love the most? REEK: I’m not going to lie I love doing remixes. MILI: What’s a day in the life of Reek? REEK: Well, I usually lay in the bed. I try to get some rest. I’m on my phone working the social media, and checking on missed calls. I go to the gym, and the come back home to get dressed for the day. Later on in the day, I mingle, and go to the studio. At night is when I might hit the club. MILI: How was the Soul Train Awards? REEK: It was beautiful. It was so good to see a lot of beautiful brown people looking good. There was Ashanti, Maxwell, and so many other beautiful people . One of the greatest experience I was a part of. Ashanti repped for the Island. It was just a vibe. The whole show was fire!
MILI: With the grind aspect, how do you maintain your cool? REE: It’s crazy. I’m not arrogant, but I am confident. I’m so confident I never have to put anyone down. I want people to feel the same way. I was raised by a queen. You treat anyone equally. I’m going to show you respect. I feel a lot of the young brothers try to “bro” everybody , but I try to treat everyone with respect. MILI: Lets talk about the Mechanics record. REEK: It should have been me, Busta and my brother Pilz. Busta looked out on putting Swizz Beatz on it. Nelly was in the studio next door and was like, “is there more room on that track? “ MILI: What did it feel like to complete this song? REEK: I really felt like I arrived. Chris Lighty, God bless his soul, he tweeted in like 2010 or something …this is going to be his year. Reek Da Villian is about to take off. I actually went on his page and it was there.
MILI: What’s your creative process? REEK: When I hear a beat, I like to get the melodies right. Then go off a feeling. I’m might not be too lyrical, but when I want to be aggressive I focus on punchlines. If I want to flow I work on wordplay. The beats talk to me and then I go from there. MILI: What is your best album so far? REEK: Reek What You Sow. I feel that’s the best project . MILI: What inspired your upcoming album “ The King’s Return” ? REEK: I’ve just been sitting back and grinding. I’ve been helping other people writing, and putting together moves.
Warren Wint MILI: What part of LI do you rep? WINT: I rep all of us, but I am from 516 Elmont. MILI: When did Father’s Favorite officially drop? WINT: June 2021.. father’s day weekend.. MILI: What’s the meaning behind it? WINT: ( Pointing upwards ) You know who that is? I’m his favorite.
“Long Island… We got a whole lot of soul !” - Warren Wint
MILI: TRL? WINT: When I was on TRL I was repping LI MILI: What message are you trying to send to your fans? WINT: There are so many messages. The one I would say is we are on God’s time. Get right because life is too short. When you see me moving it’s not cockiness. Im just utilizing the gifts that he gave me to give back to the world. I love to entertain. That’s what I’m doing in the moment.
SPLASH
MILI: What part of the Island are you from? SPLASH: I’m from North Babylon by the way of Wynadanch.
MILI: Favorite part and least favorite part of being an artist SPLASH: My least favorite part would be the over-saturation of this industry. A lot of people see the benefits of being an artist, but don’t want to do the work that goes into it. The best part is the emotion. It’s my way of letting people in. I’m a very closed person. I feel like its’ a deeper look my world. MILI: What song do you thing your fans most levitate to? SPLASH: Creepin’
MILI: What’s the concept SPLASH: Basically the normal fussing and fighting with your girl. You know like she’s leaving but you know she’s going to come back. MILI: Creative Process? SPLASH: Everything on the spot. Nothing is premeditated. Everything is new. MILI: How does it feel being selected for the top 5 from LI? SPLASH: It feels good. It feels like the work I put in is getting recognized. Its been a long time coming.
MILI: How did you get your name KING PIB: My Mom called my brother, and I Kings. MI: message to your fans? KING PIB: I say I’m a go getter. I want people to understand there’s no limits to what they can get and there team can get. You have to be a go getter. You have to studies and reflections on self. Sky’s the limit.
KING P.I.B
MILI: Best song or video you recorded? KING PIB: Pray.. It’s dedicate to my father and mother.. it features Terrance Barz, and Pharaoh da God. MILI: You have a label, and you’re a CEO. What is the best and the worst thing about the journey? KING PIB: The best thing is putting a team together, putting a family together. The worst thing is sometimes things just fall on you. You have to man up to certain things.
KUDABOY MILI: What part of LI do you rep? KUDABOY: I rep the whole LI but I’m from Hempstead. Terrace Ave. That’s Home Base. MILI: When did your musical journey begin? KUDABOY: It begun when I was 10 years old… just doing other peoples lyrics.. and I would spit them like they were mine. MILI: Who was your idol growing up? KUDAYBOY: Jada Kiss, LOX, Jay Z, Beanie. The whole Rockafella… Mainly the 90s. You can hear it in my music.. MILI: What’s the story behind your artist name? KUDABOY: Kudaboy is my artist name now. Rah Hallows was back in the day. My mother’s name was Kuda when she use to hustle back in the days on Terrace. So her name was Kuda, and I’m her boy. MILI: What’s this Baby Kuda doll about? KUDABOY: I like to step outside of the box. It was a promotional tool that got more notoriety for my music. I guess you can say it grew its legs. MILI: What’s your main inspiration? KUDABOY: Just to get my money up, and do good by my people. I just love music, and making music. I know I can make money and take care of my family with it. MILI: How does it feel to be Top 5 on LI? KUDAYBOY: Its amazing. I want to be top 5 of the World. I know I have to take baby steps, but that just motivates me to go harder. I can’t disappointment people.
JAMAAR MILTON MILI: what make you passionate: JAMAAR: It’s pretty much all I know. It’s how I feel for that day. It will be displayed. MILI: Where does the core spirituality come from? JAMAAR: Both of my parents are Ordained Ministers. MILI: if you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be? JAMAAR: Erykah Badu because she shares the same kinetic energy. I would do one with NAS. I think he would get me . If I had to pick one more it would be Jay Z. MILI: Being that you were selected for our top 5 do you have a top 5? JAMAAR: There’s very few I listen to.. I would say some of the best are Ali Vegas ( he’s queens all day but I still look at him as Long Island , Rakim , Busta Rhymes, Reek Da Villian ( He’s a heavy spitter) I’m going to have to say Prodigy…Mob Deep. He was like my ideal. He taught me a lot. MILI: Is there a memorable studio moment when you felt like “ I’m a real Artist”? JAMAAR: When I was on African soil. My queen actually helped me film in the pyramids. Santa Monic at the pier. That’s when I realized the people back home on LI were listening to my music on the radio.
TOP 5 FROM LI RECAP
JAMES “KRAZE” BILLINGS
MILI: When was Kraze Media Group born? BILLINGS: I started Kraze Media Group LLC in 2000. Right before I embarked on the whole DVD magazine era. It was a birth child that I had in my mind. Back then I was reading all the magazines. I read an interview one time where DMX said he did an interview and when it came out they changed everything he said. So I said wouldn’t it be cool if you just video tapped them during these interviews, and then they can’t dispute whatever they said out of their mouth. That was the whole idea for me to come out with the All Access DVD. MILI: Would you bring back the All Access DVD Magazine? BILLINGS: I kind of never stopped doing it. To be honest with you ,I don’t call it All Access, but all the work that I do is parallel to what I did then. I never really kind of changed my format. I just kind of extended it to more of a television format now. To answer your question if there was a demand for it maybe, but I don’t have the desire that I had anymore. Back then I had a hunger to really go out there, and be out there on the road chasing behind artists to get the footage. That’s not my life anymore. I wouldn’t do the physical DVD. If it took the same work that it did make then , then no. I have found a lot of ways to build a life for myself. I kind of removed myself out of the whole Music Industry circle for about 8 years now. I got into some other things that have been profitable for me ,and I’m happy about that. I’m embarking on those things. I still love what I do. I still love being creative,and I still love taking footage and turning it into something and then watching people’s reaction. I still have the love for that. So that part of it, yes the grinding and chasing an artist, and getting on the road...no not at all.
MILI: What was your era of Hip Hop like? BILLINGS: For me I’m a 70s baby so the 80s was when I was a teenager. That was really like ‘85, ‘86, ‘87. I think 88 I was like 14 or 15 years old. It was incredible. Even when I think about it now I just think about how untapped it was and how authentic it was. You gotta understand right, I’m from Long Island and I’m from Brentwood right so that back then I was also a Rap artist. I had a record deal back then. I had a lot going on at a very early age in my life so I was very embeded into Hip Hop. You asked me how the era was? I grew up with EPMD. They lived in my neighborhood. We’re still friends to this day. I grew up with Craig Mack. We went to the same high school together. JVC Force, Biz... all of these guys I would see all the time before they were major artists. At house parties you see all these guys rapping at the parties. So Hip Hop for me was a little different. I wasn’t the kid watching it on TV at 14,15 years old. I was actually at the functions you know. My mom told me back then you know that the Long Island railroad was like $2.50 to go to Jamaica Ave you spend $5. My mother said “OK you’re 14 , I’ll let you go to Jamaica Ave.” . Well I used to go to Manhattan. (Laughter). We used to go to Manhattan then go to the arcade rooms and I would get the fake ID’. I wasn’t the kid that watched everything on TV. I was always involved in the studio watching Redman, EPMD , and Das EFX come in and out of the studio. I had a different look on it. I felt like I was a part of it not just watching it so for me that ever with tremendous. I was so into the music, and you couldn’t tell me Rakim wasn’t the best artist ever invented. He’s one of my favorite artists, but my favorite group is EPMD. That era for me means a lot . That’s why I do what I do now as far as the documentaries are concerned. I took a real look into creating these documentaries because if you look at Hip Hop there’s not a lot of history that you can go back to and actually learn things from. There was documentaries on let’s say Naughty By Nature or Queen Latifah or Grand Daddy I.U. I mean the list goes on. These are all guys that kind of paved the way for Hip Hop to be where it is today. Everyone has their little or big contribution to get Hip Hop where it is today. I tell these stories because they haven’t been told. I think the thing about history is that it has no time frame. Something that has to do with history you can watch at anytime. You could watch it in 2010 you can watch it in 2014. The information doesn’t change period. I started a franchise called the Untold Stories Of... It was the Untold Stories of Grand Daddy IU...The Untold told story of Nice and Smooth ..and so on and so forth. I did about 25 documentaries. I created those documentaries so you can then go see what they’re doing now. I don’t really bring you into the futur. “We
tackle their first albums because a lot of their first albums were classics. It just gives you a visual idea of how they got on , who they got on by, and the music that they had. It shows how influential their music was. I think that was important. That is the core of most of my films or documentaries is getting to the core and highlighting their successes and their contributions to the culture.”
“Sort of like what y’all doing now” - Billings
MILI: How was it growing up in New Cassel at that time? What was the Culture? Doctor Dre: We being the African Americans multicultural people that lived there it was an endearing and engaging entertaining community feel. We had a lot of people from all over that lived there. We worked, and did many different things as a community. From social functions, Park Jams, BBQs, community cookouts...we did everything there. MILI: Before becoming Doctor Dre, what did you aspire to be ? DD: Doctor Dre. It sounds funny, but I’m going to tell you why. My name Doctor Dre came from playing sports. Especially basketball. I grew up when the New York Nets ( before they became the Brooklyn Nets) were the New Jersey Nets played at the Nassau Coliseum in the ABA League. I used to go there all of the time with my Godmother and my cousins. I went to all the ABA Basketball games, and I was there so much I actually became a NY Net Ball Boy. One of my favorite players on that team was Julius “Dr. J. Erving from Roosevelt, Long Island. So I kind of emulated his style of playing basketball, but I didn’t emulate his height. I would play with the same amount of determination, aggressiveness, and finesse. “ CAN YOU DUNK THE BALL LIKE DR. J? IN MY MIND I CAN”- DD DD: So that’s where Doctor Dre came from. I just absorbed Doctor Dre rather than Dr. J MILI: What were you studying at Adelphi? DD: Women ( Laughter) I graduated from Westbury High school, at that time my father had passed away, and my mother worked at Westbury high school. I went to Nassau Community College for two years. I ended up on the Dean’s list. I studied Biology Chemistry, Women’s courses, and I was in the African American studies program. After I finished at Nassau, I went to Adelphi University. because I was enamored by this beautiful young lady I was dating and she was going to Adelphi. I had a scholarship to go to school upstate ( Cornell) academically, and I chose Adelphi. I studied education, I studied business, and I studied communications. MILI: What sparked your interest in coming aboard on Adelphi’s campus radio station? DD: Adelphi’s WBAU 90.3 FM 516-747-4757. I still recall it. I was in a black music class with the late great professor Andrei Strobert, and my classmates were Bill Stephney, and a gentleman named Carlton Ridenhour. A.K.A. Chuck D. We were in this black music class together, and we were talking about music and its inception in Africa. Different nations and different cultures that were coming to the United States and being in black music. Certain artists like James Brown.. and I was always discussing Earth Wind and Fire. So they always turned and looked at me because back then I would go to school with a tie on sweater vest or sweater. You know, very dressed up to the nines. Bill and Chuck grabbed me and said, “Well do you know about the radio station here? “I said, what radio station? “I ended up doing the radio station at Westbury high when I discovered the room there for a while. I said I heard about it but I didn’t think WBAU was at Adelphi, and they brought me to the station and the rest is pretty much history. It’s in my book, I’m writing about that.
MILI: Did you face any diversity during times of touring with the Beastie Boys? DD: Yes, we had a couple of incidents that happened in Boston. We had an incident where I couldn’t walk through the front door across the street from Fenway Park. To their allegiance with me, we all walked through the back door. We did what I like to call one of the quickest sets we ever did, and then we just left. It was like a quiet ride back from Boston to New York. We heard stories about that from Frank Sinatra bringing Sammy Davis into Night Clubs in Las Vegas, and saying, “If Sammy can’t go through the front door, I’m not coming in.” When you experience it as an artist, and especially in the infancy of their careers, and my own, you kind of really just reflect and say wow we really haven’t gone anywhere. MILI: Was your special guest appearance on The Fresh Prince that moment that you broke into acting? DD: That was like the fourth role I was in. I was on NY Undercover, Juice, Crush Groove. Some of the things I was in hit the cutting room floor. That was the first individual acting because I knew Will ( Will Smith) for a long time since he did Girls In The World Ain’t Nothing But Trouble. I was Dj’ing with the Beastie Boys, and my group Original Concept. We were doing a show down in Philly. That was the first time I met Will. As a matter of fact I was interviewing him at Hot 97 with my partner Ed Lover, and he said “ Dre, I want to know if you want to come on the show. We got a part for you.” I said,” Get out of here..Get out of here... you’re joking.” When Will asked me I said of course I’ll do it! Why not? MILI: Over the years you’ve interviewed numerous people. What would you ask yourself? {DD: So just how many white women did you date? (Burst of laughter) } DD: What would I ask? What was my greatest passion for music, and why did I stick with it when things didn’t work out? MILI: The impact you’ve had over the years on the lives of not just adults but the kids growing up over the years rushing to the radio to hear you entertain... How does that make you feel inside? DD: A blessing because the one thing about what I got an opportunity to do is when we started DJ’ing in the parks, peoples houses, and bars carrying speakers and equipment with records everywhere. We couldn’t imagine all of the things ahead. You couldn’t tell me, “You’ll go on the television, you’ll go on New York Radio. Being at WBAU ( and I state this in my book) was one of the greatest experiences. That incubator was the greatest time of my life. We knew it was purposeful, and we knew it was a great thing. It helped even when we got to Hot 97. One of the blessings I have had is that I have been on every radio station in New York.
MILI: Doctor Dre has graced the airwaves in NY on stations such as Hot 97, WBLS... Power 105... the list goes on. He and Ed Lover had the #1 Morning Show in NY beating out Howard Stern’s cast.
SID SUPER PRODUCER FROM THE SUPERIORS MILI: Where are you from? SID: I’m from Wyandanch, Long Island, the hometown of the God Rakim , and the place where Daryl “Chill” Mitchell grew up. MILI: What is your musical background? SID: Man that’s deep. My musical background... I say it’s jazz influenced, and it’s heavy heavy hip-hop influence. I’m also the type where when I was young I got influenced by taking long trips listening to varieties of music. Some Rock to Country to a little bit of you know...Latin. I listen to a little bit of everything. SID’s musical background as he explains definitely comes from jazz. It shows in his resume of musical works. Let’s just give you a little tidbit from his past. He’s even worked with the late great Miles Davis. Sid was one of the last producers to work with Miles Davis . How’s that one for the books? See I only looked back as far as maybe his work with Slick Rick. Well he definitely wowed us with this one! MILI: what is your working style, and how do you get into your creative mode? SID: Well you know I got a partner which is my son. We usually bounce different ideas during the week off of each other. I’ll send him something and he’ll send something to me. He’s in Texas now. He bought a house out there so it’s usually just us collaborating. Now we also have other producers. We got a big team of producers, and we also got a big team of songwriters. MILI: What’s the one thing that a soul needs to have to put on the trail to make it a hit? SID: I would say it has to relate and it has to be conceptual. MILI: Who are some of your favorite artists currently? SID: Kendrick Lamar, Jhené Aiko, Billie Eilish.. I like some of the new rappers like Roddy Ricch, and Dej Loaf. I’m really feeling little Durk. I did one song on his platinum album and I would like to work more with him. I like his style. I like his personality.
MILI: Which era was your favorite? SID: The 90’s without a doubt. All the way. I mean I came up... my start was Rakim. We were standing out 29th street right when he was at his highest peak. I was going to him everyday and he was telling me different things to do in a song. At this time I was an artist . I wasn’t producing .He made a call to Lyor Cohen, and Russell Simmons. 40 minutes later he was in Manhattan, and papers were signed. There was a single made. But after the label folded, they invited him to stay on as a producer. His first project was for Nikki D. He produced her single Day’s Little Girl which went Gold, and is Platinum now. He went on to produce for Slick Rick, Apache, Queen Latifah, and the list goes on! Let’s back it up for a second. Queen Latifah! Yes! He produced, and arranged 7 songs on her Black Reign album. They won a Grammy for that Album. He also produced for Naughty By Nature. 19 Naughty III was his first Platinum endeavour. MILI: What do you use to produce your beats? SID: Logic, but I started out with MPC 62. I’ve had the 2000. Actually, Me, KG, Diamond D, and Lord Finesse...they asked us questions on what should be included in the MPC 3, but I use Logic now. MILI: Top Producers you like or admireSID: Dr. Dre, hold on let me think about it...Hold up ahhh Producer hmmm imma have to give it to DJ Khalid ( even though he ain’t a producer)
now if we go Street Producer- Havoc, and ohhh Premier. I’m bugging. He soon moved out of New York down to Atlanta. He purchased a house down there, and then he went cold for 10 years. He had difficulty getting placement as a producer. That’s when he decided to make a change and start a group with his son. He sold his house in Atlanta, came back to New York, and formed The Superiors. The new formation sparked up business again for production. They worked with T.I, Lloyd Banks, Tony Yayo, French Montana. Rick Steel was the connection for him to work with Chinx.. Actually, the duo also landed in the right ears when they were chosen to work on the Fabulous, and Chris Brown track She Wildin’. Despite all the heavy hitters that he has worked with throughout his career Sid stays humble. We’ve talked to numerous independent artists right in our own backyards of Long Island who have worked with Sid even after he has obtained all the accolades he has today. His response to why he still does it...”Humble”...gotta keep the ears to the street, you have to stay humble.” He knows what it is to have something and then lose it. He has a few other projects he is working on such as documentaries, new artists and dealings with content for Netflix. Be sure to follow him on this journey and continuation of greatness. I hear you might be coming out with a book also. His life already sounds like a movie, maybe that’s next as well.
Music Reviews: By Corey Cool
BEYONCE RENAISSANCE Released on Parkwood and Columbia Records, Renaissance is the 7th solo effort from the queen. Persevering through a rocky rollout which included leaked copies, removal of words for political correctness, and unpaid peers, the album still performed handsomely. I think this project was an envelope pusher, highlighting a DJ like blend from start to finish. Sonically a match for a tour stage, Renaissance merges upbeat dance with cultural world sounds creating a soul discotheque feeling. In my opinion Bey doesn’t receive the credit she deserves as producer and arranger. As for vocal performance the lyrics were unchained, unconfined and quite liberating at times. In a recent interview she says, “Creating this album allowed me a place to dream and to find escape during a scary time for the world”. You can tell she expressed a certain free spirit throughout this body of work. The lead single “Break My Soul” reached number one on several charts worldwide, including the US Billboard Hot 100. The album also debuted atop the US Billboard 200 chart. Although the release of zero visuals stunted the growth of this project Renaissance is part of the summer 22 story.
THE GAME DRILLMATIC
Heart Vs Mind The 10th studio album from the Compton native came with a ton of headlines. From undermining his former mentor Dr. Dre, to attempting to poke a sleeping bear in Eminem, these decisions may have overshadowed a great body of work. The lengthiest of this quarter’s projects, Drillmatic holds 30 songs with some of the industry’s biggest names. Lil Wayne, Roddy Ricch, G Herbo, Fivio Foreign and Chris brown (I always love when the work together) are among the many. Usually there is no confusion of what you will get from a Game album, but this one was totally unpredictable. My first major observation is that he unapologetically took a few notable rapper’s flows and made them from Compton. Conceptually as well as lyrically, he showed real maturity. In the song Heart vs Mind, he says he “lost his mind in the middle of the ring” expressing a fall on your sword mentality. Hurricane also showed no composure aiming a 10-minute (currently unanswered) diss song at Slim Shady. On the production front Game pulled out all the stopes. Drillmatic contains beats from Timberland, Swizz Beatz, HitBoy, DJ Mustard and even vets like DJ Premier. The lead single EAZY, produced and featuring Kanye West, received substantial radio play across the country and reached number 8 on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Billboard chart. I can sum this up as a supreme effort, a real care for the craft, and a solid collection of songs. The Game truly did everything he could to keep one entertained for 2 hours.
BRENT FAIYAZ WASTELAND Wasteland, the sophomore effort by the DC native, was released on Lost Kids, Venice Music and Stem Disintermedia. As I began my research, I was introduced to his cult like following and after the first listen I understand the fanfare. Wasteland contains strong elements of classic R&B, but delivered in a real accessible and approachable way. There were interesting voice tone changes, at times he honored the great Raphael sadik but also reminiscent of Asap Rocky. I would describe the vision as tranquil, melodic, stoner music with an absorbing storyline that happens to make for a shock ending. Production from The Neptunes, No I.D, as well as Fiyaz himself alongside features from Drake, Alicia Keys, and Tyler The Creator, Wasteland is the perfect soundtrack to the LA hills. Brent described the recording as “less of an album process and more of a life process” where he “made a collection of songs and tied a story line together once I saw that they all kind of shared a similar theme” Despite mixed reviews Wasteland Debut at number 2 on the billboard 200, It Briefly held the number one spot on apple music and gained over 107.5 million official on-demand streams.
JID The Forever Story
At almost 4 years since his last release through Dreamville and Interscope Records, The Forever Story was met with much anticipation. Two days before the release, JID hosted a promotional scavenger hunt in three different US cities. Those who were able to locate a Pontiac G6 (a car JID once owned) got to hear the album early. This really fast-tracked the rollout. Throughout the 15 songs, there was a beam of originality (mixed with a little Andre 300), relatable topics, as well as a large sense of self-awareness. JID also did an exceptional job displaying the cold yet familiar elements of street life. Features from 21 Savage, Lil Durk, Ari Lennox, Yasiin Bey, and Lil Wayne, were a great addition for the Atlanta rapper. This project possessed some of the best production of the quarter. The beats were very unpredictable but compatible to the overall vison. When asked about the album JID stated “it is the best shit I’ve ever done in my life. “Every step I’ve taken was worth it, and our blocks are building”. The Forever Story was a fun and lively listen with the potential to age well. Empathetic story telling along with humility helped solidify some generous first week numbers debuting at number 2 on the Billboard 200.
I appreciate the journey I have been through, but I also know there’s so much more for me to go. I’m making a lot of mistakes as I go. If I could create a blueprint for others so they don’t make the same mistakes that I made…I feel like it’s my purpose to lead the way. - Malik Dupri
By Cheryl Bush Photography by Ralph Summers
MILI: I see you you do have a Doctorate in Physical Therapy… MALIK: I’m a retired doctor now. Malik went to Ithaca College. He graduated with his Doctorate when he was 23 years old. The program was a 7 year program which excellerated into 6 years. He started college immediately following High School at 17. He also played Football in college. He was even the Captain of his team. He choose Ithaca College because it was a good Academic school even though it wasn’t his ideal school. He previously had dreams of attending a Florida State or California school. In general, one of the larger Football Colleges or Universities. He graduated in 2018 with his Doctorate in Physical Therapy. He worked in the field for approximately 2 years until Covid came around. That’s when his Physical Therapy location closed. At that time, he started formulating alternative ways to invest in himself. He decided to dive fully into entrepreneurship. With available funds to invest in himself, there was plenty of space and opportunity in his life to follow his new goals.
“I wouldn’t be where I’m at right now if it wasn’t for those decisions, and choices”- Mailk Dupri MILI: How did you come up with the concept of your brand? MALIK: Originally, when I was in college, I had another brand called Savage Ruthless. There’s a Migos song called Bad and Boujee…one of the biggest lines from the song is “ My N***s are savage ruthless” It was basically the mind behind that in college. It’s a cool brand that is still alive today. I do more of the backend work, and designs. Starting that brand in 2017, I was a part owner. That’s how I learned entrepreneurship, and how to create a successful clothing line. Also how to manufacture goods, and run a business. Malik Dupri came from me liking sunglasses, and doing Instagram
videos with sunglasses on. Once I learned how to manufacture things correctly, I knew I could create my own brand of sunglasses. That was the main thing that has been successful to the growth. I launched it in July 2020 which was a few months after the start of the Pandemic. Sidebar: Two days prior to his planned launch, he received his first shipment of his products. A good friend of his came by wanting to purchase a pair. He was relentless at first, and after seeing them on, he took straight to social media with a post. That night he sold his first 30 pairs. It came to a point where his house was frequently flooded with consumers coming to buy his sunglasses. That’s when he decided to get a Kiosk in the Mall. That gave him new exposure. MILI: From the Covid situation, and some of the businesses closing down in the mall, did that give you an opportunity to open the store there? Malik: For sure. That’s the only reason I was able to open up in the mall at that time. His store is now located on the second floor of Roosevelt Field Mall in Garden City, NY. He is strategically place amongst a section of what’s considered the “Designer Stores”. MILI: What date did you officially open your store in the Mall? MALIK: The kiosk or the store? MILI: The physical store. MALIK: June 12th 2021.
He also has a clothing line which is also sold in his store, and online. After all, he already proved he could do it with the clothing back in college so why not add that extra flare to the store. Ultimately his signature products are his sunglasses. When he had the kiosk, he only carried glasses. MILI: What’s your signature sunglass? MALIK: The Guapo Collection. It’s a rimless style. That’s our most popular style. I would say they look good on about 90% of people with all types of looks. MILI: How would you describe the Ghost Collection, and what inspired it? MALIK: The name Ghost… when you wear those you feel incognito. You have your hater blockers on. I feel like a ghost. I can see you, but you can’t see me. MILI: How did you gain your notoriety with a lot of celebrities? MALIK: A lot of my peers ask me that as well. Honestly, the very first person was Rick Ross. He reached out to me on social media. It’s crazy that he even found me. He sent me his address, and he tagged me in everything. The way I get to other celebrities is by knowing people. I have a lot of connections. They invite me out to be around them. Maybe a Music Video shoot, or an album release party. I’m a real relatable person. I can walk up to anyone and have a true, honest connection. I’ve learned how to network so well that even if Obama or Jay-Z was in the room, I could get to them. I’ve learned different strategies as well. Sometimes you have to just go up to a person’s manager. I walk up to them, show them the box ( which has a nice presentation with good quality), and they get interested. I show them the Instagram with 70k followers, and the other people wearing it.
MILI: How did social media help your brand? MALIK: First of all, social media is free. Whatever I post is free marketing. Nowadays with this culture of commerce, and the people on social media buy a lot on instagram. When they see something is trending, and see a lot of celebrities wearing a product, they just want to feel a part of the culture. And they are a part of the culture, but being able to stay in tune is what they want. Photo -TheGuapo Collection- Photo Credit: Ralph Summers BlockSocietyMedia
MILI: What type of work culture do you encourage in your store? MALIK: I encourage a family culture. If a person comes to my store, I don’t ever want them to feel forced to buy something. The best thing that I like about this business, is people buy things not to support me, but because they actually like the product. The product is making them feel better about themselves, and gives them a certain confidence. That’s very meaningful to me. MILI: Have you reached international status yet? MALIK; Yes. We sell overseas. It’s not heavily over there yet. MILI: Are you planning on expanding, and opening up storefronts in other states? MALIK: The biggest expansion plan is to work with Sunglass Hut. Ultimately we do want to open a store in Los Angeles, and Miami.
MILI: What is the Drew classic Festival? How did it come about? PIB: my father passed away a couple of years ago. I felt like it was important to keep his name alive. Started doing some thing with the family, gathering the family to eat and chill. She has a nonprofit organization so I started thinking we need to do something bigger with this. I’m a music artist, and I also do other things in the background. I thought to myself what can we do in the music aspect to it. That’s when I add at the music festival. At first it was just called Drew Classic. The first year of the Jewel classic festival, 400 people came out. After that, PIB felt he had to keep this going. The festival has been going strong for six years now. MILI: Where did you first hold this event? PIB: Uniondale, my backyard. MILI: Has the number of artist grown that come to perform at this event? PIB: Oh it has definitely grown. I feel like this is going to be the biggest year because we didn’t do it in the past two years. So I added more artist to it. A lot of artists kept coming to me asking me when we were going to bring it back. It made more sense to have more artist since the word really got out there. PIB, and his team put the word out about the festival which draws in artist across Long Island wanting to perform. He also knows a lot of artist who are more than happy to get on board to be a part of the celebration. MILI: do you see yourself expanding this to bigger locations? PIB: I want to keep it in Roosevelt Lake Park. We have a relationship with them. s
MILI: Will vendors be there? Is it an all day event? PIB: yes. We’re going to have all different types of vendors from clothing to food to smoke shops. Don’t forget the kids! He has his event set up for a day the whole family can enjoy!
money off of the people coming to the event. We have sponsors now. Some of the sponsors include Applebee’s, and ShopRite. King PIB used to be a manager and executive producer. So he’s no stranger to bringing people together, and orchestrating a plan. His goal is to continue on to keep striving to show the world how great Long Island artists are.
MILI: Are you going to be performing at your event? MILI: What are the highs and lows of being PIB: I definitely am. For a fact. multitalented? PIB: It is kind of stressful. You have your King PIB also has a clothing line but everygood days, and you have your bad days. I one to check out my light at the festival. It’s feel like when you have your bad days, you called Braveheart edition. This particular line just have to remember who you are. I have to caters to women men and children. remember your main goal. You can find them online to check out all the sleek styles in this boutique MILI: Is there a message behind - www.braveheartbotique.com the Drew Classics you want people to absorb? MILI: Who are some of the artist that PIB: The message - Give back. are Give back to the community, performing at this event? and make sure the kids have fun. PIB: we have artists from all over perWhen I was young, we had places forming at this event. We have people to go to kill time, and have fun. I that are from the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens feel kids these days don’t have that as much. other than from Long Island. We have ConSo for them to have something like this to nie Diamonds, Billy B.. of course Kedda look forward to, it’s dope. Face, CakeboyCheeze, Mos Lit Linx, Jaeo Draftpick, Eastwood Slim, Passport General. There’s going to be face painting, a bounce We also have my brother Drolix, and YVNG house, and other activities there for these kids Legacy. The list goes on. We look like an All outside of musical performances. Star game right now. Special thanks to Shantaye Bailey for being an MILI: It sound like a unified type of moveintricate part of organizing this event. ment. PIB: Now I want to showcase, and bring others form outside of Long Island, and start Instagram: @kingp.i.b mingling with them. Yes. It’s about unity, and to give back to the kids and the community. It’s free for everybody. We don’t make any