One Mic Magazine Issue 2 by One Mic Magazine

BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN INDEPENDENT TALENT & MAJOR MARKETS

WIZ KHALIFA

UNDER THE INFLUENCE

Young Coppola

+Directors Cut

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT + JAE HaSH

INDIE GRIND + LIL D

STAIRWAY TO SUCCESS

+ CONTROL YOUR OWN CAREER

Photography by Miko Lim

AUS/UK/EUR/CAN #ISSUE 2 W W W.ONE M I C MAG A ZIN E.COM

DECEMBER 2014

Jeezy rich homie quan ty$ sage the gemini joey badass big krit ab soul STEVIE J CLIFTON POWELL JB SMOOVE SCHOOLBOY Q MAC MILLER KENDRICK LAMAR

Available at:

monsterproducts.com

MERGING MARKETS

a YOUNG COPPOLA PRODUCTION.

Featuring:

@youngcoppola

mergingmarketsdvd.tumblr.com

DVD Available Exclusively Free of Charge at: www.mergingmarketsdvd.com

FEATURED RNBass

The Music industry is constantly evolving the most recent evolution of Rhythm and Blues into what is now being known as RnBass. By Cici Nicole

Stairway to success

Entreprenuership in the Music Industry. Creating value out of your Brand

Stadium Mania vs Small Venue

What is the right path for your band? We answer those questions.

Swag ideas for website

This is for the up-and-coming, startup musician. Ready to break!

Ambition of a Hustla

The street calls the shots the value of life is determined by your will to live. By @YoungCoppola

Losing the Flava

When your current scenario is not working anymore. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time to make the change.

www.onemicmagazine.com

El Jefe of Media @CEOofOneMicMag President Young Coppola Creative Director Paula Stopka @SPDesigns1 Staff Writers @DopeIsEssy Anthony Fiasco @rKulture Alison The Queen Caroline Fielding Cici Nicole Interns Kayla Novak @DRTSndTKS @_Stylesz Marketing/Publicity Lead Publicist Karen Cohen Contributing Publicist @INDIELoopMKTG Mixtape Production Power Moves MGMT Photography @YoungCoppola Erin Wiese Online Contributers @XstreetsTV @ICEY_STYLESZ Sales Manager Sean Livingston

For all inquiries: Email: info@onemicmagazine.com Phone: +1 (323) 386-2371 EXT 1

+ICONOGRAPHY

THE GAME is a well-connected artist

and with a star studded lineup for his newest project “Year of the Wolf” fans are guaranteed to receive quality music by the West Coast King.

Photo taken By @CEOofOneMicMag at 97.7 Radio Station Miami, FL

WWW.ONEMICMAGAZINE.COM

50 CENT is the most feared and

respected artists of our time when 50 Cent is apart of the scenario it makes it that much more interesting. Always on the Forbes list 50 Cent reigns supreme on the competition.

Photo taken By @CEOofOneMicMag at Legacy Studios NYC

WWW.ONEMICMAGAZINE.COM

+ICONOGRAPHY

R O F S A E D I G SWA ite ///// s b e w r u o yENTREPRENEURSHIP AND THE MUSIC INDUSTRY

You are an up-and-coming, start-up musician. Not a writer. But you do need a website so your fans can seek out information about you and your band, read about your new releases, find out about your upcoming events and also how to contact you. Unless you have a ton of cash to hire a creative content writer, you need to come up with new, fresh content for your website all on your own! If the thought of this makes you tremble, fear not!

Remember! you are a creative person by nature, coming up with musical history on a daily basis! You can certainly do this!

Here are some edgy, out-of-the-box ideas to get you started:

Make a “Guess What This Is?” post //

Take photographs of your equipment and instruments, but don’t include the entire item in the photograph. Hear me out. Take a photo of the corner of your acoustic guitar neck, or an up-close photo of a part of a piece of equipment. Upload it to your website, and ask your fans to guess what it is. You can ask them to post answers to your social media outlets like Twitter, or answer by sending you an email. Promise them a free gift if they are one of the first 20 to respond (even if that free gift is just a sticker with your band name, or a guitar pick with your logo on it). Fans love free stuff!

Make a “Put this on your iPod Now!” section of your website //

Create playlists with certain songs for different occasions and post them on your website. When you click on the “Put this on your iPod Now!” title, it will bring you to a page that has a listing of playlists. When you click on the various playlists, it has a listing of songs with a link to download and buy the entire playlist. For example, make a “boating day” playlist with upbeat songs from your portfolio, or a “road trip” playlist with some of your more philosophical beats. Slow it down a little with a “dinner party” playlist containing ballads and slower songs in your library. You can get creative with the playlists and name them whatever you want, like Funky Swag or Beautiful Blues.

Make a post entitled “I Can’t Live Without…” //

Fans love to hear the personal preferences of their favorite band members. In this post, pick a member of your group and tell them to write a short post on what they “can’t live without” on tour. Tell your band member to write about what they can’t live without in the mornings (coffee), what they can’t live without immediately before setting foot onstage (kissing a loved one’s photograph or taking a shot of vodka), what they can’t live without when unwinding at the end of the day (playing with meditation beads, shooting marbles, gambling online, sleeping or watching television), or what lucky piece of clothing they simply cannot live without when they are performing (lucky red underwear with the heart drawn on the backside with gold puffy paint). Ask your fans to contact you with questions they would like answered. This will keep them engaged and coming back to your website over and over.

g n i s o o L

E H T a V FLa When your current scenario is not working anymore

hen you first put a piece of gum in your mouth, the flavor is succulent, tasteful, and full of mouth-watering yumminess. You chew it, roll it around in your mouth, blow a big bubble, pop it, snap it, and chew it some more. It’s wonderful, it’s fun, and it’s delicious. Your mouth is fresh and full. When that piece of gum starts to lose its flavor and it begins to taste bland, you start to think about the exit strategy. Should I look for a garbage can? Should I stick it in a piece of paper and shove it in my jeans pocket? Should I add a second piece to it? Should I (gasp) spit it out in the bushes? Come on, don’t tell me you’ve never done that before! But I digress. This happens in life sometimes also. The flavor is lost. Musicians all of a sudden get a bland taste in their mouth and look for an exit strategy. Creativity becomes elusive. Your heart is not in it, and your mind is not focused. You get in to disagreements with each other. There is zero time to get together to practice, let alone plan the road your band will go on. Nobody is on the same page. Getting together seems more like a struggle than the passion and fun it used to be. In essence, it seems like this band is more trouble than it’s worth. It is bringing you no joy anymore. Nothing to look forward to. It goes from bland to stale. It keeps you up at night and is very distressing. Just like a piece of gum gets disgusting after a while.

This should not be viewed as a failure. Just as you don’t see tossing your gum into a garbage can as a failure. It lost its flavor, it’s as simple as that. It’s not a disaster. It’s not the end of the world. It’s not like you will never put another piece of gum in to your mouth again. There are thousands of flavors out there, and this is just one of them that happened to lose its flavor over the course of time. It has been chewed until it can’t be chewed anymore. The good news is, there are many, many other choices of gum to choose from. You may take a break from chewing for a while, and that’s okay. At some point down the road, you will pop another, fresh, piece of gum into your mouth again. Perhaps it is the same flavor. On occasion, after time goes by, you crave more of the same. Maybe you miss the tried-and-true flavor that your taste buds are accustomed to. Other times, you want something brand new, like a minty or fruity taste, or a combination of both. Meet new members of other bands who want a partner, reconvene with your old members from a fresh, new perspective. Add another member, just as you would add another piece of gum to extend the flavor. Go solo. There are many options to reignite the flavor. Whatever you decide, just remember to pop another piece in your mouth and go for it! Do not give up chewing gum forever!

a E V H a T FL Contributed by Caroline Fielding

INDIE GRIND

JEROME

BROOKS

Music has a climate that forever changes every year, someone new comes into the game and takes over Having the look, drive and determination to win

Jerome Brooks is next to take over the industry.

How did you get your start in music and tell us where you’re from? I’m from San Antonio, Texas. I kind of got a musical background from my family. Both of my parents are vocalists and I have other family that’s just musicians. Where do you draw inspirations from? I pretty much draw my inspiration from the things that I’ve been through in life. What I see in people. I love John Legend, Tank, & Terrell Carter from Tyler Perry shows. Who are you currently working with and any current or future projects? Lately I’ve been opening up for a lot of people. I recently opened up for Lil Flip. I drop my first single, that was in stores called “Beds”. That’s been on iTunes and a few other stores for a few months. I have a project that’s about to be released, my first album dropping called “Better”. I’ve been doing a lot of networking with different artists and I have a few people that’s featured on there. My project was produced by Jerry Jones “J Tunes”, Music For Your Soul. What are your immediate music and career goals? I have a big dream within it but all I just wanna do is just bless others with what I’m capable of. Hopefully my lyrics can either help somebody understand that somebody like me understands or help somebody pull through wha ever they’re going through. To mend relationships back together, cause I’m an R&B artist. Do you have a target music audience? No I don’t have a target music audience. I more so would focus on an international level of all ages I don’t want just a young group to focus on me. You know we have, 30, 40, 50 year old’s who can respect my music so I really don’t have a target audience. By what terms would you say you measure your success? It’s more less in the beginning stages (his music). I’ve had a lot of support from my city and within a matter of time we put small YouTube videos up or snippets of pieces from my album that just grew throughout my state and then I started getting anonymous messages from people who said they love me and they respect what I do so that’s always a plus, not necessarily for my ego but for my creativity. Do you write all your own music and what’s that process like? I write all my music. The process of making my music; sometimes I could sit down, look at my own life. Sometimes I can examine others lives and kind of put it all together to make something blissful out of it. I co-write a few songs on the “Better” project United Destiny Entertainment. For our readers who have never heard your music, explain your sound in 3-5 words: I just have a unique sound. Unique, smooth, soulful, rich at times, strong.through in life. What I see in people. WWW.ONEMICMAGAZINE.COM

Are you looking for an independent label deal or a major label deal? And why? The reason why I would be looking for a label or record deal from anybody would not necessarily be just to enhance my own bank account but it would be to enhance my bank account to do things for my community and open up more Boys & Girls Clubs, state parks, and everything for my city then from there spend money on a school zone, the whole nine yards as far as trying to make a better world. Where do you hope to be 10 years from now? Within my music within that time frame I really just wanna be respected. I don’t really care about being the best, you know with everything’s that’s out here that’s a one in a million shot, I’m not trying to be that guy. I’m just trying to stay in my own lane and do what I do and hopefully people love me as much as I love them. Do you hope your music will help you to transition into other things in the next 10 years or is your primary focus just music? I write, I can act, can dance, the whole nine yards. Complete entertainment. Not just music in itself. Of course anyone would hope there would be a gateway to open up other things, so yes that is my vision. My vision is to be blessed within my endeavors and hopefully. land some rolls in various movies. How can your fans keep in contact with you through social media etc?

Follow me !

INSTAGRAM @Jerome_Brooks TWITTER @Jerome__Brooks (two underscores) LIKE MY PAGE AT: Facebook/JBrooksMusic

INDIE GRIND

Kritikal & Khizman are two of the hottest artists on the verge of making history out of their story.

How did you get your start in music and tell us where you’re from? I’m from the 5th borough of NYC, Staten Island. I got my start in music at a young age. I always had a obsession with music. I first started out playing or at least trying to play instruments. As I got older and started listening to Hip Hop, I tried my hands at DJing. It didn’t work out to well but I started trying to write rhymes and here we are today. Where do you draw inspirations from? I draw inspiration from the emotion of the music. After I connect with the music’s emotional feel, I just vibe with it and just pull the inspiration from out of the vortex. Who are you currently working with and any current or future projects? I currently have the pleasure of having recently released an EP titled “N Y 2 V A” with Khizman. Khizman is a hip hop artist based out of Virginia Beach, VA. The album is currently available on iTunes, Amazon, Spitify, Rdio & every other major online music store. What are your immediate music and career goals? My immediate career goal in music is to sell at least 20k downloads of “N Y 2 V A” and to coordinate a 20 city tour. Do you have a target music audience? My target music audience is anybody with a brain who listens to the music for the lyrics, over dope beats of course. Oh, and they probably smoke weed. By what terms would you say you measure your success? I measure my success by the the smile on my face

when I wake up in the morning. If I wake up with a smile, I’m successful. Most people can’t do that. Do you write all your own music and what’s that process like? I write all my music unless I’m collaborating with another artist or producer and we’re actually together in the studio working on a track. I’m always open to using other creatives ideas. I want the music to be the best it can possibly be. For our readers who have never heard your music, explain your sound in 5 words: The word of god himself. Are you looking for an independent label deal or a major label deal? And why? I’m not looking for a deal. I’m actually currently in the process of getting out of contract with an independent label. I’m signing to myself. I’m my own label. Where do you hope to be 10 years from now? I don’t hope to be anywhere in 10 years. I know I will be on a private tropical island , enjoying the fruits of my labor, sitting at the top of self made empire involved in music and clothing. Oh, and smoking some good ass legalized weed. How can your fans keep in contact with you through social media etc? Fans keep tabs on me 24/7 on Twitter & Instagram at @KRTNYC . Like me on Facebook.com/ KRTNYC, on soundcloud.com/KRTNYC Official website: www.KRTNYC.com. They can even download the official “Kritikal” mobile app for FREE on any Apple or Android device.

How did you get your start in music and tell us where you’re from? From Va Beach , VA (757) ... Started making beats 1st ... Transitioned into rapping early 90’s . Won a boat load of battles @ school so I started doing open mics. Kept running into Nottz & DMP in clubs (99-2k) ... & they eventually “drafted” me . Got a Indy group deal in 04’ with KOCH records ... & the rest is history. Where do you draw inspirations from? GOD , Family , Money (That order). Who are you currently working with and any current or future projects? Mixtape early 2015 w/ DJ Static (NYC - DJ for Immortal Technique) ... & A few other big collabs i won’t let out the bag just yet . but def some more stuff with KRT ... it’s only right ! What are your immediate music and career goals? GITMO publishing checks ... more licensing ... more shows ... & generally keep the quality assured for the listener. Do you have a target music audience? Yes ... My target audience is ANYBODY with 2 ears ... & hearing is only required in 1 of them . By what terms would you say you measure your success? In terms of FAN or consumer LOYALTY . Anybody

can take your money, or garner your support, the 1st time . The real “success” is keeping them coming back . Do you write all your own music and what’s that process like? Yes I do & I write music for others as well . It’s actually simple when you just let it flow & don’t force anything . Sometimes lyrics come immediately after you hear the music .... Sometimes it takes weeks . But it doesn’t matter , as long as the end result is a BANGA ! For our readers who have never heard your music, explain your sound in 5 words: ORIGINAL - HIP-HOP - INGENUOUS - FRESH - INNOVATIVE. Are you looking for an independent label deal or a major label deal? And why? Not looking 4 any deal @ the moment ... wouldn’t turn the right 1 down either . I’m just working hard to gradually grow my name / brand into a “every other household” name . Where do you hope to be 10 years from now? I hope to be ALIVE ! ... somewhere on an island ... surrounded by good people, drinks, & MONEY ! (That order) How can your fans keep in contact with you through social media etc? Twitter - @khizman Instagram - @khizman Email - khizman757@gmail.com

I’m Climbing the Stairway to...

SUCCESS!

verwhelming, chaotic, racing thoughts go through every aspiring musician’s head. How am I going to get from here… to there? I need to find a fan base. I need to land gigs. I need to make cash. I need new equipment and new instruments. I have a crappy van that barely makes it to a paying gig, and I’m short on gas money. My drummer has a new girlfriend and barely shows up anymore. My family tells me to grow up and focus on my day job. But in the back of my head, I hear the screams “but this is my dream, my passion!” But how on earth will you make it all happen? I was exercising one day on the cheap, in the stairwell of my building. Believe me, I was setting my own turtle’s pace and was impressing nobody! After what seemed like 15 minutes I had climbed 10 stories. I stopped and looked out the small window in the stairwell. I saw that I was “in the trees.” After a few breathers, I slowly climbed again, step by step, up the stairs. I was not counting, but after what felt like another 5 minutes or so, I stopped again and looked out the window. I was above the trees now, looking down on the cars and people below. They were trying to make their way into downtown office buildings, and ducking into sandwich shops. Inspired, I picked up my pace a little bit. By this time, I was up 25 stories. I stopped and gazed out the window. It looked… how shall I say this? Easier! Life looked uncomplicated from this high up. It was quiet, people did not look as hurried as they did when I was on street-level with them. The hum of cars was somewhat peaceful and the birds were eye level, flying in the summer breeze. I had climbed so high and was so proud of my accomplishment. At this very moment, as my entrepre-

neurial brain almost always does, I thought of a parallel to the business world with what I was seeing through that window. You see, at first, 25 stories looks overwhelming and way too daunting. However, once you start, no matter how slow, whether it takes you 15 minutes, or 3 hours, you are moving upwards. Every painful step is a step closer to your success at the top. A step towards your easier, more peaceful existence. Sometimes you have to stop, take a respite, other times you

“Every painful step is a step closer to your success at the top.” will be full of energy to climb two at a time. As long as you keep climbing, you will make it to the top. You will look down one day and find serenity and ease, and you will be so proud of all your hard work, looking down and seeing how far you have come. Just take that first step! Draw a staircase and mark each step with something you are going to do, to get to the top. It can be something as simple as “send five emails a day to local managers of restaurants/bars and ask them to add us to their trivia nights.” You may only play 5 songs, but you are getting yourself out there. You never know who you may run into, or who might hear you play. Another suggestion is to make set hours and days for practices. Make it clear you are “open for business” on Wednesdays from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. No excuses. If a band member can’t make it (i.e. they are not “clocked in”) then they get docked pay when you actually do get a paying gig. You may think this would never work, but if you treat it like a business and take it seriously, others will too. Act professional, and you shall receive professional treatment in return.

Other suggestions for each of your stairs may include: • Write one new song every 5 days • Make a list of new equipment needed complete with cost estimates • Reach out to local venues asking for a chance to play • Research music contests to enter • Design your next album cover • Come up with 10 names of potential songs and write lyrics around the titles • Experiment with voice pitch and equipment • Make a list of special effects, lighting, and dramatic effects for your next gig • Consider designing or dreaming up a mascot for your group • Go on a photo shoot at a location to fit your band’s image and make a “look book” • If you have a writer in your crew, have them guest blog on music websites to get your name out there

Whatever fits with your gang’s intentions and goals, write it on a stair. Take steps upwards, on a consistent basis, and you will eventually reach the top. Begin

your stairway to success today!

STADIUM MANIA? OR SMALL VENUE SCENE? What is the right path for your band? Make a plan! Contributed by Caroline Fielding

What genre are we working towards? Are we going to mesh two categories together? Focusing on whatever you decide is very important because you do not want to be all over the board with your music. If your fans can’t tell what category you fall in, you may run the risk of being too broad and obtaining a small amount of fans from different categories instead of a large amount of fans in just one category. Specializing on just one genre and focusing only on that type of sound, will help you succeed.

You’re a band! An awesome one at that! You rock. You bring the house down. But when you lay down at night, do you ask yourself why do you want to succeed? More money? Fame? Recognition? Of course! All those things are awesome, but you have to figure out how you want to succeed. Every group, every individual, has different ideas of what they want and where they want to go. It is important to check in with your team to make sure you are all on the same page. Much like an intimate relationship, sometimes two people think differently, have misunderstandings, or believe that the other person wants the same thing as you do; however, down the road you find out that was not the case at all. So, it is very important to have a question and answer session from time to time to make sure you are all in agreement with the same goals and/or can work around compromising. This will omit angry misunderstandings, or worse, later on down the road.

HOW BIG DO WE WANT TO GET?

how much money do you want to pour into?

Are you all in agreement that you are performing side gigs for now? Do you want to go big, as in, stadiums one day? Some people’s thresholds for fame, fortune, and recognition are huge, others simply want an extra few grand in their bank accounts every month without the hassles of being on the road and everything that comes with it. Perhaps you may want to be somewhere in between, a moderate success so to speak.

How much money do you want to pour into this endeavor? Equipment, road trips, merchandising, marketing, website design, food, gas, a storage facility to house your stuff. All these items take money. Where will you get it? How much do you want to spend on your dream? Family? Investors? A little of both? Deciding up front will help you prepare your budget and agree on your spending habits.

HOW MUCH TIME DO YOU WANT TO PUT INTO?

Discussing specific goals instead of open-ended fly-by-night conversations will get you on the fast track to success, no matter how small you are, or how big you want to be.

How much time do you want to put into perfecting your band? Everyone is running the rat race today, no matter how young or old you are. However, you need to set aside days of the week and times in order to succeed. It is no use if you say “we should practice next month.” Or “let’s get together this week sometime.” Then, two weeks go by and you email each other and say “oh we really need to get together soon!” Stop that. Now. You need to say “we are practicing every Wednesday at 8 p.m. from now on.” This will force you to rearrange your schedule and set aside Wednesday nights to focus on your band.

JAE HASH Bar for bar he is considered a verbal assassin everytime a song ends you crave for more combine that with a strong team and you get Jae Hash How did you get your start in music and where are you from? I’m from Rialto California and I got my start in music at an early age. I was into music writing and I just pretty much built and started to take this seriously 2 years ago. Who are you currently working with and what are your current/future projects? Currently I am doing my next project I don’t have a name for it yet but I am trying to get some big names on there.

Do you write all your own music and what’s that process like? Yes I do write all of my own stuff and sometimes it can be a long process. It depends on your mode, the beat, it changes with the beat. Where do you draw your musical influences and inspiration from? From my life experiences and other peoples life experiences.

Where do you draw your musical influences and inspiration from? From my life experiences and other peoples life experiences.

How important is it for you to succeed in this music business and what do you think it’s going to take to achieve your goals? I feel like I’m still trying to get heard and I feel it’s important and I feel like this is going to be taking off pretty soon once I get these other contacts that I have connected, get the ball rolling. It’s always hard work, dedication and just time.

Do you want to target your music towards a certain audience? Not a certain type of audience. I just want it to be heard. So yea.

If you could describe your music/sound in 3-5 words, what 3-5 words would that be? I would say timeless… and inspirational.

Are you looking for an independent label deal or a major label deal? And why? Right now, I’m just doing it independently and trying to get it rolling independently that way I have full control over my music as opposed to being in a deal. Where do you see your career headed in the next 10 years? I would want to grow my brand and possibly have my own label and other plans like clothing, different types of merchandise. Just like a real entrepreneur. How can your fans keep in contact with you through social media and info to booking? My Twitter: @IAmHash909 Facebook.com/J.Hash Booking: therealjaehash@gmail.com Website: JaeHash.com Jae Hash shout out to: Gwap Music. T Why Xclusive. Family & Friends. One Mic Magazine.

WWW.ONEMICMAGAZINE.COM

RONBLACK Combining youth, hunger and determination along with the will to win Ron Black brings diversity back to the rap game!

How did you get your start in music and where are you from? I got family in music. My uncle really got me into the music business and then you know as the years went on I started really perfecting my craft. It just kind of came easy to me. I am from Philly. Who are you currently working with and what are your current/future projects? Right now I’m working on the mix-tape that I’m coming out with, “Yeah I Said It”. I got my single that’s getting ready to hit the radio and getting ready to perform with “Coast To Coast Mix-tape”. I got my label “Black City Entertainment”, that’s basically my entity and you know we building from there. Where do you draw your musical influences and inspiration from? Mainly I get a lot of inspiration from artists. I’ve always been a big 2-Pac, Jay-Z, Nas…I also like some of the newer guys. Actually, I’m liking Rich Homie Quan right now, you know everybody that do this thing in the music industry gives me big inspiration. It influences me a lot ‘cause we’re keeping the culture moving, so there’s a lot of young guys out that I’m loving right now. Do you want to target your music towards a certain audience? That’s a real good question. I want to target my music towards everybody to WWW.ONEMICMAGAZINE.COM

Philadelphia

feel my story but at the same time everybody likes different types of music so, you know I know that a lot of the younger folks like a lot of the street stuff so I got a lot of that on the mix-tape but I’m a diehard artist, for real. I really put work into my craft so I’m versatile so I can reach everybody but I do have a range that I’m in and I’m more of a story telling type of artist. I like to talk about my life a lot. Do you write all your own music and what’s that process like? Yes I do write all my music. The process is pretty easy, well I’m a say I create all my music. I really haven’t had a pen and a pad in about a good 7 years and I think that’s because it’s easier for me to memorize in the studio. So it’s like, if I go in the studio and try to read off a paper I’ll mess up a thousand times whereas though, if I memorize it in my head I could play with the flow. I mainly do most of my recordings in two takes. I don’t really write nothing down. I create all my music. How important is it for you to succeed in this music business and what do you think it’s going to take to achieve your goals? It’s very important for me to succeed in the business ‘cause this is what I do. I put a lot work in and I put a lot of time in and I got a lot of people that depend on me. So, its very important. You achieve the goals with hard work, dedication, and I’m definitely going to be at as many events that I can be at. I’m just now starting to

get used to the technology wave, so I’m gonna give’em everything that I can do to get my feet planted. If you could describe your music/sound in 3-5 words, what 3-5 words would that be? I’m a say lyrical. Swag. Out the box. Entertaining. Outstanding. Are you looking for an independent label deal or a major label deal? And why? I’m looking for an independent label deal. Mainly because I know that the majors is so hard to get to and then they do the 360 deals and things of that nature and me I’m kind of like smart on the business aspect because I’ve studied the business of music and I think me owning my own company is more important than having somebody eating off of what I built and so I definitely rather have an independent label deal. Where do you see your career headed in the next 10 years? Obviously a lot of downloads, a label deal, and I just see myself very successful on the business side of things you know and basically just living life. How can your fans keep in contact with you through social media and info to booking? Twitter: @RonBlack Facebook: Type “Ron Black”. www.BlackCityEntertainment.com Booking: BlackCity215@gmail.com

LIL D

HIP HOPS NEXT BIG STAR IS BASED OUT OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIa. His name is LIL D How did you get your start in music and where are you from? I’ve always loved music since a kid. I recorded my first rap when i was 7 and I’m from Oakland California. Where do you draw inspirations from? My main thang mary jane lol watching cartoons and just living life everyday and how i see my future the obstacles and goals i went and go threw all the stuff i do did or have witnessed all play a part in my raps. Who are you currently working with and any current or future projects? I’m working with my team of producers wich includes J. $wavey, Dj D Higgs, DLK The Genius and Jae Mazi Bangerz we have alot of hits coming out of this Clouded Wealth camp and i plan on working with Big Sean very soon and some other producers so be on the lookout were gonna finish the year of strong with some great music.

What are your immediate music and career goals? I plan on expanding my brand to a global stance and getting my clothing line more out to the people i want to get artsit,videographers models and producers for my company. Do you have a target music audience? Some people think my music targets stoners but i doesnt alot of my music is smoke influenced so it may feel that way but its for everyone. I make MBAS (Mind Body and Soul) Music things you can feel and groove to sounds that make you feel good and happy to be alive. By what terms would you say you measure your success Having fans and having them tell you they like what your doing keep it up and having them wanting to hear new music fom you. Also video views going up social network followings increasing and doing more shows. Do you write all your own music and what’s that process like? Yes, everything I write is 100 per-

cent me and will always be. The process to when I’m writing to a song is the first thing I do is: play the beat, light some tree watever ideas I get from the beat write em down and just just play of the first few bars. I write it comes together pretty quick and in no time you have a song. For our readers who have never heard your music, explain your sound in 5 words: Electricfying,Soulful,historical,Real, and Uplifting. Are you looking for an independent label deal or a major label deal? And why? I want a independent label deal because I want all the profits and I can make the connections myself that a label can do for me. I feel my talent will take me all the places i need once its seen. Where do you hope to be 10 years from now? I hope to be on an island relaxing making big business calls from the beach and working on my own time when I want. WWW.ONEMICMAGAZINE.COM

How did you get your start in music and where are you from? I was born in Kansas city MO and did a lot of moving throughout my childhood from Dallas TX back to Missouri then Kansas and ever since its been back and fourth between the two growing up. Before taking the step forward towards becoming a HipHop/Rap artist as well many other aspiring artist I started out as a fan but not only of that specific genre but of good music as a whole and coming up I remember the inspiration and energy I would absorb from these pieces and wanted to create that same feel. It didn’t take long for me to find my passion for rap and it wasn’t until freshmen year in high school I started getting active in going to studios and performing at small time events here and there its been a mission ever since.

SAVI

Where do you draw inspirations from? I draw inspiration through multiple aspects in life whether it be past memories good or bad, energy being received by people with the up most amount of faith as well as others with doubt, I balance with both negatives and positives sometimes in order to bring out a piece that deals with a serious issue but a the same time can maintain a universal appeal that doesn’t have to bring out just one specific feel I feel it gives the audience a chance to be creative in a sense in giving an opinion. Who are you currently working with and any current or future projects? Right now I’ve just been Independently moving other then Networking the artist I’ll have featured on my upcoming mix-tape Mind of a Mad Man will also be indie I’m in the process of building a name for myself at this point before doing any major collabs. This upcoming tape will give a perspective of a dreamer(me) with dreams big enough the common person would consider them crazy or in other words mad which hints the title and through the tape the topics discussed will be about the many obstacles faced during this pursue so fans can definitely be on the look out for that which will be released this winter as well as single releases leading up to its official drop. What are your immediate music and career goals? I plan to bring a wicked gritty fresh sound to hiphop I want Savi Kilo to go worldwide I want to contribute my voice to a league of mad men the type to dream hard and work even harder whether their body of work deals in entertainment business etc. Its deeper then music stay true, put in the work and expand in wealth that’s the objective. Do you have a target music audience? Honestly I don’t have a specific audience I want to draw, team savi has open arms to whoever’s inspired or entertained enough to claim their self a fan. They should have no shame rocking this jersey. By what terms would you say you measure your success I I would say you measure your terms of success by the amount of

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MO time your willing to invest, how much your willing to financially invest into your career, you have to be a risk taker and a person with faith in what their doing or headed. If you don’t like were your at take some time to really look at the flaws and improve its that simple. In my opinion chances of running into Jay-Z at the mall or getting his attention tagging him in a twitter post are least likely to happen put the formula together and make something happen. Do you write all your own music and what’s that process like? Yes all my music is self written and it will always be that way I’m not with the whole taking bars process it hurts the creative respect in my opinion at least when it comes to Hip hop & rap as far as singing I feel there’s nothing wrong with it although it is more fascinating when the singer is able to deliver in both fields. Usually before i began writing I have a private smoke session were i can just relax and really open up my imagination and mix it with the many inspirations we discussed previously and then the piece begins. For our readers who have never heard your music, explain your sound in 5 words: For someone curious of Savi Kilo’s sound I would say its real, gritty, powerful, wicked and soulful a dope combination. Are you looking for an independent label deal or a major label deal? And why? Preferably I would like an independent deal with major distribution assuring your sound will be heard while also allowing for you to keep your creative freedom which I feel is very important as artist I like having a say so. Where do you hope to be 10 years from now? 10 years from now I see myself making money doing something I love, I see myself expanding in the many fields of the entertainment industry I definitely see a bright future ahead. How can your fans keep in contact with you through social media and info to booking? Anyone looking to keep up with the latest on current and future projects from me can follow me on Twitter & Instagram @therealsavikilo like me on Facebook or hit up the Soundcloud both under SAVI - KILO I have the up most amount of love for my fans so feel free to holla like share & support #TeamSavi.

The Evolution of A Genre ( Written by Cici Nicole )

The music industry is constantly evolving. The way we create, listen to and visualize music will never be the same as it once was, but that’s definitely not a bad thing. It’s probably the most amazing part of being a creator and it’s producers like California’s own, J Maine, that are currently spearheading the most recent evolution of Rhythm and Blues into what is now being known as RnBass. How did you get your start in music and where are you from? I made my first beat when I was 16 so I’ve been making a music a long time, but I really got deep in the industry 3-4 years ago when I moved to LA from The Bay. What is RnBass? RnBass is pretty much the way we, the youth today and the new generation, connect. It’s our R&B. So it’s not just rhythm and blues like it used to be, where people sing about heartbreak, breakups and sadness. It’s more like a party vibe. A fun, uplifting vibe plus the beats are a little bit more modern, bass driven and more technical. It’s a whole new era. What was your first step in getting artists to connect with the RnBass genre instead of the R&B genre? I used social media to get the awareness up that RnBass is different than R&B by using promotional videos, but also with people that know my production, fellow producers that have songs on the radio. Their co-sign gave me the green light to really push it and I called artists that were making RnBass individually and I told them about it. Who was part of the journey that helped you to create that genre of music? I could name two producers off the top of my head that really influenced me. Raw Smoov, from The Bay area, from Sacramento, was a pioneer and making his sounds and creating his own lane. Another was Sho-Nuff. He is

like a mentor to me in the way he puts the sound to his stuff, the slaps to his beats are crazy. What advice would you give up and coming producers that are looking to change the music industry? Don’t be scared to make music with some of your friends and colleagues in your immediate circle to really build and grow. Create your own lane, your own journey, your own history and destiny. Don’t be afraid to just build. If you just make a solid song, and you get light and recognition from that, you could go crazy. Where can new artists go to submit their music if they identify with the RnBass genre? They can submit by emailing submit@rnbass.com and go on the website: www.rnbass.com Where can people that are just super into music go to learn more about RnBass, follow the new genre, and be a part of the growth? They can find it on Instagram, @RnbassMusic. They can follow on Twitter @RnBassMusic, and read the website. The website keeps you updated on all the newest stuff. Everyone is a part of RnBass. RnBass is the world.

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KASHA LEO How did you get your start in music and where are you from? Music has always been a huge part of my life and my family’s lives. We are from Sulphur, LA and in elementary school I was a member of honor choir as well as having a wonderful music class. Playing the recorder and singing in choir definitely initiated my interest in the music industry. Where do you draw inspirations from? I draw my inspiration from real life experiences I have been through, and wanting to see the best in society. Change is a must! Who are you currently working with and what are your current or future projects? Currently I am working on a few new singles. VERY EXCITED about the upcoming works! Also, be on the lookout for a new video for my single “Did Me Wrong” from “The POP Tape” I released in August 18th. What are your immediate music and career goals? Immediately I’d like to see a change in society for the best, and see more compassion and love for others displayed in our everyday lives. We have lost touch with what is truly important. We need to get back to that. Career wise: I’m living my dream by simply making music every day. Success takes hard work, and I am looking forward to it! :) Do you have a target music audience? I try not to target my audience to strenuously. I feel that the right

people that can relate to my music and the positive people in society will hear the messages and flock to it. I know that nothing is given, and success in music is hard to come by, yet I believe in my music, my message, and the people. We want positivity, we want change, we want a happier & safer life. #WEareALLinThisTogether By what terms would you say you measure your success? I measure my success on the positive impact I may have on society. That alone is enough for me! Do you write all your own music and what’s that process like? Yes, of course I write all my own music! The process can definitely vary but usually it starts with the lyrics. I started writing poetry, and expressing my thoughts on paper. Lyrics pose the same opportunity for expression, and I love to utilize that. Being a songwriter was always my dream, and now to be performing my own songs is truly a blessing! For our readers who have never heard your music, explain your sound in 5 words: Bluesy, raspy vocals. Sultry & BOLD.

Are you looking for an independent label deal or a major label deal? And why? I’d definitely love to stay Indie simply for the fact that I have had Major labels discuss deals with me, and needless to say I didn’t accept. The details are too messy to go into in this interview, but know this. They are NOT there to help you. There are there to hurt you. If you do not cooperate they will try to take you down, in the worst falsified ways. It is unacceptable. Greed is the devil. I literally was appalled & disgusted in the lengths they went to when they saw my success without them. It is humorous today, but through the process it was BOLD and very hurtful. Where do you see your career headed in the next 10 years? All I can ask for is a happy beautiful life. That is what it is all about. The simple things really do mean everything. How can your fans keep in contact with you through social media and info to booking? Twitter: @KashaBLeo Facebook.com/Kasha.Leo KashaLeo.Tumblr.com Instagram.com/ms_kleo

How did you get your start in music and tell us where you’re from? I’m from Billerica, MA which is a town outside of Boston. I started making music when I was 15. My friends and I would freestyle and I was actually pretty good. So I decided to make a mixtape and pass it around my high school, and people liked it. It’s history from there. Who are you currently working with and any current or future projects? I work with my engineer Brendan Hynes who mixes and masters my music. I’m dropping a mixtape titled “Que Sera” soon and then I’m starting working on my first ever album. What are your immediate music and career goals? I want to be able to relate to everyone. Most people from the suburbs will like me, but I want people from everywhere too. Do you write all your own music and what’s that process like? I write all my own music. Whenever I’m in the mood to write I do so. I usually wait to pick a beat until after my rough draft is written. Then I go back, match the syllables to beat, and really refine my flow. Are you looking for an independent label deal or a major label deal? And why? I want to be independent because I like being in control. I hate waiting for labels to process and get what I need done. How can your fans keep in contact with you through social media etc? Twitter: @mully_mull15 | Facebook: mike “mully mull” james | YouTube: Mike James Music | Email: mike_james71@aol.com

MIKEJAMES

How did you get your start in music and tell us where you’re from? I’m from Dallas, TX. Lewisville is the actual city in Dallas that I’m from. 8 got my start in music from my brother “reif burna” being persistent in being successful in it. He was always rapping and I would chime in and I wanted to contribute one way so I started producing. Who are you currently working with and any current or future projects? Currently working with Kottonmouth Jesse. An o.g. in dallas. Also Big-E for producing. I wouldn’t know alot about the game if it wasn’t for them two. I’m looking to get way more legends under my belt, because they have the knowledge and I can relate to them. Do you have a target music audience? Main music audience would be the south and the West with no limit range on age. I feel my music is relatable to everyone. I touch base on subjects that are for the people, not one person or a group. Are you looking for an independent label deal or a major label deal? And why? Major label, and I strongly believe this is the right route for me because running independent is so tough now. Everybody and their mama raps or produces today. Having that label to back you will provide you with the push to keep out of the lane of everyone else.

SHADDY D

How can your fans keep in contact with you through social media etc? Twitter: @shaddyd21 | Instagram: lane2lane21 | Email: shaddydmusic@gmail.com

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How did you get your start in music and tell us where you’re from? I started recording original songs i wrote when I was 8 years old. I was inspired by ton Moore projects Daddy Kayne, EPMD, Erick B n Rakhim, Biggie & Pac. I enjoy telling stories of a struggle to success, because after all the goal is to be successful. I’m originally from Wilmington, NC ( The Port City), where I grew up on the SouthSide in the Houston Moore Projects where I was influenced by drug dealers and single parent mothers. I eventually was kicked out of my mother’s house and sent to VA to get a new start in life where i would become the artist VA Crysis. Who are you currently working with and any current or future projects? I just wrapped up a new project titled “YouAlreadyKnow” hosted by Dj ThaKidQuest which dropped October 10, 2014. You can download it for free on sites such as Spinrilla, Audiomack, Datpiff, Topmixtapes, and more. I have New projects dropping Thanksgiving and Christmas which will feature the top industry producers and the same producers on my team that I been working with for the past 4 years.Be on the lookout from new hits produced by Drum Majors ATL, Track Massters, ABizz, Demolish, and many more.

VACRYSIS

Do you write all your own music and what’s that process like? My immediate music goal is to become a household name and to be known a teliing a story of “Life”. In the process I’ll be peforming around the country, so make sure to check my website for show dates and booking. Website: www.vacrysis434.com Email: vacrysis434@gmail.com

How did you get your start in music and tell us where you’re from? I’m from Broward County. Pompana Beach, Florida. Seeing my brothers growing and they were rapping and they had a group. They was rapping around people who do music. Where do you draw inspirations from? Just my family. My loved ones is where I get my inspiration from. Rick Ross, Young Jeezy, Drake, BG also. Who are you currently working with and any current or future projects? I I got a mixtape already out right now in these streets called “Grind Now Shine Later”. You got my brother Will Bric, my homeboy Lil Spitta. You got Baby D. My cousin Trouble Child. My homeboy Young Block. How can your fans keep in contact with you through social media etc? Twitter: @IamLilSkip | Facebook.com/LilSkip | Instagram: @LilSkipFanpage | Reverbnation.com/LilSkip2013 iTunes, Lil Skip “This Club On Swole” Amazon, “This Club On Swole” YouTube, Lil Skip “This Club On Swole”

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LILSKIP

How did you get your start in music and tell us where youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re from? Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m from San Jose, California. It started with my love for trap music, and I looked into making music while I was in a rehab from drug and alcohol abuse. The rehab had a computer with garageband so I played around with it and made a few beats. They were nothing special but I loved it and knew that I was going to dedicate my life to it when I got out of rehab. Who are you currently working with and any current or future projects? Currently I am working with Shep BSM, a new member of Bricksquad Monopoly. I have an instrumental mixtape that I am also working on. Where do you draw your musical influences and inspiration from? I get a lot of inspiration from my past and definitely from producers like zaytoven, Murda, Doughboy Beatz, Glory Boyz Producers, 808 mafia, Ect. If you could describe your music/sound in 3-5 words, what 3-5 words would that be? Trap, Futuristic, Drill. Where do you see your career headed in the next 10 years? I see myself working for a record company with artists who are above all dedicated to making music, while going to school and striving for another career as well. How can your fans keep in contact with you through social media and info to booking? @NorthcuttBeatz on Twitter, for business and other inquiries my email is NorthcuttBeatz@gmail.com and striving for another career as well.

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JANAY WHITE SHOEZ

TIZZY

Pittsburgh, PA

UPTOP

CUNDA

UNIVERSITY UP TOP FETTE

How did you get your start in music and tell us where you’re from? We got started in a small basement as a youth at Todd Hill house...were from Pittsburgh, PA. Where do you draw inspirations from? We drew inspiration from guys like Puffy, Ross and Jay Z ... Older groups like no limit, bone thug n harmony and cash money...and new ones like Migos, MMG And Gucci Manes brick squad... Who are you currently working with and any current or future projects? We’re currently just working wit us as a team just to better are skills. But we got young scooter hosting da new mixtape Uptop university presents no play play that’s about to drop. But we got good artists like Owey , trapping Deezlee free him, Young 1000 from Michigan he got a big buzz in da D and da homie Sk free him too and many others that’s from da city. Do you write all your own music and what’s that process like? We just vibe off of each other we also just come in and write to a record. For our readers who have never heard your music, explain your sound? Our sound is similar to know one we have our own sound honestly.

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Are you looking for an independent label deal or a major label deal? And why? At this moment if a deal comes my way I may entertain it we want to own our material, merchandising and distribution. No 360 deal! What are your immediate music and career goals? We make all type of music are goal is to work hard and make history. Do you have a target music audience? Like I said we just target people that like good and real music. By what terms would you say you measure your success? Our success is just taking off so by me saying that we still got work to finish. Where do you hope to be 10 years from now? A Grammy Winner. How can your fans keep in contact with you through social media etc? You can go to Uptop Blocc on YouTube or Email tizzyhill28@gmail.com for any questions, soundcloud Uptop University or Uptop Fette, reverbnation for current and older mixtapes or you can contact Todd Hill Phone: (412) 801 1229 for booking information.

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JANUARY 2014

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2015

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YUNG

KNOWLEDGE Destined for greatness Yung Knowledge plans to take over the Entertainment industry in 2015 How did you get your start in music and where are you from? I first got into music from watching my older brother do music and having me do hooks on his songs, which inspired me to do want to make my own songs! I’m from the most underrated place in America, Atchison, KS where talent is overlooked but I’m here to put my section on the map. Where do you draw inspirations from? I draw a lot of inspiration from personal experiences, I like to give my audience a piece of me in every song I write. Who are you currently working with and any current or future projects? I’m working with Stevie Stone from Strange Music, Codak Carter, various artist from my camp Valerie Ford a phenomenal singer, writer and also my mother, and my producer “Main on da Beat” on my upcoming mixtape Still Reppin One Eleven Vol. 2 which will be dropping in the summer! WWW.ONEMICMAGAZINE.COM

What are your immediate music and career goals? My immediate goals are to keep perfecting myself as an artist and business man and to make sure everyone gets a taste of my music and what I have to offer!

For our readers who have never heard your music, explain your sound in 5 words: My music in five words hmmm Explosive, Ambitious, Hungry, Determined, and The biggest one of ‘em all, Real.

Do you have a target music audience? I don’t feel I have a target audience because I feel my music is real and can be felt and understood by any audience regardless of race or age!

Are you looking for an independent label deal or a major label deal? And why? Right now I’m not especially looking for anything, whatever’s going to happen is in God’s Hands! I’m just going to continue to make hot music and play the cards I was dealt!

By what terms would you say you measure your success? The way I would measure my success in the music industry is like a house without a roof. Because musically I have no ceilings the sky is the limit! Do you write all your own music and what’s that process like? Usually I get the song from my producer and ask him what are his thoughts and ideas on the beat and what he was thinking about while making it. If I like his ideas I run with it, if not I just let the beat take me to one of my personal experiences!

Where do you hope to be 10 years from now? 10 years from now I hope to have bought my mom a mansion and just to be happy and wealthy so I can make a difference in my community! And show people in my community that dreams ain’t dead everybody just scared! Where do you hope to be 10 years from now? My audience can keep up with me on Facebook and Instagram: Yung Knowledge and also on twitter as well @1andOnlyYK

+ICONOGRAPHY

WIZ KHALIFA is one of the hottest MCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s on the planet selling out

venues across the globe. We had the exclusive opportunity to cover the Under The Influence of Music Tour in Houston also featured on the tour were artists Jeezy and Ty$.

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RICH HOMIE QUAN arrived

on the scene in 2013 and now is in high demand from sold out shows to walking boxers into the ring on Showtime. Rich Homie Quan now teamed with hip hop royalty Cash Money Records has no plan of slowing down. WWW.ONEMICMAGAZINE.COM

HOP -AUSTRALIA GLOBALKIDHIP INK It’s a semi chilly winter night in the streets of downtown Melbourne as I approach Hi-Fi (125 Swanston St). The time is 7PM, 30 minutes before doors open, and already 100 excited fans are awaiting the start of the Kid Ink “My Own Lane” tour as it hits Melbourne. As I walk into the venue, I am reminded of the Opera House in Toronto, only smaller. With a maximum capacity of 850, the bodies start piling in as the lights turn down and the house DJ starts his set. There might be about 200 people as Savo hits the stage. To be honest, I am unfamiliar with Australian Hip Hop, and I am not sure who Savo is, but I give him a listen. At first I am a little confused. As I close my eyes, I am reminded by 360, but then again, it could just be his Australian accent because 360 is the only Australian rapper I can compare him to. As he goes through his catalogue of music, I admit that it’s not all that bad. Definitely something I could listen to as I chill and smoke some weed. End scene! Savo finishes his set to a good-sized crowd of about 250 people. Not a bad turn out. Queue DJ for intermission. Up next; Fortafy. Again, another person I must admit I have never heard, but the venue seems to

Written by: Joel V | Edited by: Brandon Photos by: Bret Trigg Visual & OneShotMedia

be filling up more so this could be promising. End DJ, queue Fortafy. Coming on to a packed house, Fortafy gets the crowd pumped and hyped as he performs a surplus of original hits with fellow artist Will Singe from the Australian boy band The Collective, but also a catalogue of commercial hits including Chris Brown, Jeremih, and a few others. The crowd enjoyed the set, and now it’s time for the main attraction. But not before another 15 minute intermission with the DJ. I must say, I was actually pretty surprised at the response the crowd was giving the DJ as he goes through banger after banger. Having lived in Australia for the past 3 months, I was beginning to think that no one in Australia actually knew hip hop past 2010, but I was proven wrong as the crowd was rocking and singing along to a selection of School Boy Q, Jay Z, YG, Rich Homie Quan, 2Chains, and yes, even some Drake! Now, if we could only get these guys doing the Shmoney dance, we might be onto something! But no time for that, Kid’s coming on! Queue Kid Ink - Right out the gate, Kid Ink explodes out the back and into his first track filled with energy, charisma, and stage presence. He sets the pace for his performance and it’s looking like it might be a good one. The crowd sings along as Kid Ink categorically goes through the “My Own Lane” track list. Hits like “Iz U Down”, “No Option”, “Tattoo of My Name”, “Show Me” and eventually closing off with “Main Chick”. During a break in the set, Kid cuts the music, and changes the tempo as he drops his EDM collabo with Steve Aoki/ Afrojack “Boneless”. Now a shirtless Kid is in the crowd, jumping and singing with the crowd proclaiming “this is my favourite part in the show”. Definitely a performer for the crowd, Kid Ink surprised me. This is my first time watching Kid perform, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. The crowd knew his category, and knew the words, which was a huge surprise to me especially since Australia seems like a VERY commercial/R&B market. Not to take anything away from Kid, the turnout was decent, but I believe the market had something to do with it. Australia is not known as very diverse market for hip hop. They prefer their Drakes, Big Seans, Arianna Grandes, and anything else that is hip pop, and on the radio. Hopefully, sometime soon this will change, but until then, it’s clear to see Kid Ink definitely has a solid following here in the land down unda!

GLOBAL HIP-HOP BIG KRIT - AUSTRALIA

Written by: Brandon Benguaich | Edited by: Rkulture Photos by: @ScionSessions (scionsessions.ca) & @VisualBass (visualbass.com)

Scion Sessions presented Toronto with Big KR.I.T. this past Friday October 10th for the Pay Attention Tour that rocked Tattoo! Tattoo is a small venue, and thus it was filled to the brim with rap fans of varying demographics but mostly those loyal to the southern producer/rapper. Overall, a good place to vibe for any genre, especially rap, and since the place is intimate, you could say it has a ‘cozy’ vibe to it. Before I knew it, the clock hit 10pm and Toronto’s own Flex the Antihero came on stage. As usual, Flex’s quick, clean style was felt throughout as made sure to play to the crowd which is something you don’t often see from a lot of opening acts. He utilized the stage by performing his butt off, dancing and jumping all around the stage. He then extended that stage to alternative and soulful Allan Rayman for a couple tracks which was a nice treat. After a quick set transition, the popular DJ duo The Bass6 hit the stage. Next up was Two-9, from Atlanta. This was there first time in Toronto and overall I was not so “into” them that much. Mostly because their DJ kept playing the same sample over and over again which was “Two-9 to that grave dirt” in some radio voice. In fact, they must have played it 20 times total. Two-9 was very overwhelming, and they mostly just screamed and ran around. They did have some amount of stage presence, as many people were vibing, and they did really respect the audience stating how they have come so far. The crowd seemed to enjoy the ATLiens. And then, after waiting for about three hours, the man of the night came out. Big K.R.I.T. hit the stage with ‘King Without A Crown’ and immediately his stage presence took over, and everyone in the crowd was sucked in. He played lot of good material like the tracks ‘Mt Olympus’ and ‘REM.’ Big K.R.I.T. showed a lot of character and contrast, especially when he did REM, which was really cool because he samples James Blake in the track. Another thing that makes Big KRIT a great overall musician, is that he produces all of his own beats, which is something you just have to respect. K.R.I.T. showcased a lot this evening from spitting acapella verses to kicking a freestyle, all those watching were loving every moment as their uncrowned King delivered real rap royalty. In a lot of ways, Big K.R.I.T. is a ‘country boy’ and that definitely comes out in his music, but he is also really diverse and appeals to a wide audience. Soon enough Big K.R.I.T. brought out his long time friend, Big Sant who really played the crowd and worked well with Big K.R.I.T., you could really tell the two had good chemistry and knew how to work well together. Overall, Big K.R.I.T. put on a great show, showing love and getting that same love right back. Perhaps in corporate America K.R.I.T. may not sit on top of the throne, but to his fans and for us that night, we were in the presence of a true King that is soon to be crowned. Make sure you check out Big K.R.I.T. anytime he is in town. He’s the total package and loves his craft and his fans.

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I had a few friends in the business that I worked with outside of what I did with my team, my dude Trigga was a known hitta in the hood a cold blooded killer the type who you just didn’t fuck with, he didn’t give a fuck who you were or who you were with so not many would approach him. I knew his weakness, he was a fan of young pussy not under age but fresh out of high school that type. We kept bitches around us so that was easy to put together. I would only reach out, if I needed somebody dealt with that was too close to my team or unreachable because of our affiliations in the street. I never was a fan of taking someone’s life but it came with the business some people just don’t learn from their mistakes. The situation I had for him was one of our workers, he was related to my right hand somewhere down the line, so it was a tricky situation you see; I caught ole boy stealing from us on several occasions, he would try to cover it up by passing the blame so I put a plan in action to confirm my beliefs. I had Dumb-out send him on a collection run nothing heavy I made sure to have the count well over what it was supposed to be just to see if he would tempt fate greed is an unnecessary evil trust is everything when it comes to your team not the trust you would expect from blood but the trust that they can handle the job you gave them its that simple and money turns people into monsters. I have seen way to many people lose their lives over greed instead of taking the commission. They want what is not theirs, so that can lead to even bigger problems based on that, we just remove the problem from the equation. I hate having to worry about unnecessary problems, especially internal problems.

“...money turns people into monsters”

I told Trigga: Yo I got this new bitch for you and she was ready to go! A face to face with him would be complicated so I had the broad deliver the message for me. It was simple I need him to meet me at a certain time and place, so we could go over the details. A few days later we link up at our normal spot and I filled him in I’m look dude has got to go and he needs to disappear no body no trace. He laughed and responded, he would have it no other way. I pulled out 25 bands all hundreds which is a lot more than the normal body would cost, we could get a nigga hit for a stack but this was a mission I needed complete with no mistakes. Trigga looked at the cash but wouldn’t take it, he simply told me this one is on the arm. I wasn’t going to argue with him. We were a go! The tricky part was catching him when he wasn’t doing a run for us and when he would least expect it coming because even though he was a thief he was from the street and if you’re in the streets your guard is always up you always have your hand close to your pistol but that wasn’t for me to be concerned with. Just to put my mind at ease I decided to leave town for a few days but what I didn’t expect was for my right hand to want to travel with me I knew once he asked to go the plan was going to go wrong, cause if dude got hit while we were out of town it’s a hustlers intuition to question every move made around them. My trip was too convenient he would know I had something to do with it. I couldn’t afford to risk it, I had my entire operation at stake. My blood was boiling but I couldn’t show my intent or that I was concerned. There was some many times I wanted just tell him, because I knew he would see the bigger picture but I always go with what comes to me first and that was to keep the situation close to my chest. I called let Trigga know to move forward despite the new information and when he picked up I could hear someone moaning in the background I asked him “Did I catch you at a bad time”? He replied not at all so I proceeded to tell him the new plan but before I could get anything out he told me yo I got the situation tied up as we speak. I said “Say no more” It turns out Trigga had been sitting on him from day one of our meeting and he caught him slipping coming out of one of his bitches house.

“My blood was boiling but I couldn’t show my intent ...”

It was an all bad situation, a person I trusted ended up being a thief it wasn’t the best solution looking back on it but it needed to be done. Some say karma only exists to those that steal or kill that may be true but in a lawless game there are no rules just a code and if you don’t follow that code you end lying in a pool of your own betrayal and the only chance you have of redemption is in the afterlife. If there is such a thing. Young Coppola CEO/Founder One Mic Magazie | Follow me @CEOofOneMicMag

I constantly find myself defending hip-hop. Not exactly how you may think, but rather as I debate with other “hip-hop heads” who cannot seem to adapt and accept the inevitable evolution and change within the culture. I start by asking the person I’m speaking with, “Well, who are you listening to and how do you listen to music?”. Most common answer is as follows:

re”

“I have old cds…I still listen to that stuff..the stuff today is not the same as befo

DUH! Music, much like most things in the world we live in, evolves. How can you enjoy or even attempt to enjoy the current hip-hop landscape if you’re still listening to albums from 1996? Yes, those were some of the greatest times and music created that shaped the game today, but I refuse to be a bitter “head” and not accept the incredible talent that is in front of us now or stop loving hip-hop which has been apart of me since I could remember. Another integral aspect has been the sub-genres created within hip-hop. While some may see that as “not traditional”, imagine not having artists like Kanye West, Kid Cudi or Pharrell, to name a few, that have pushed the creative envelope and contributed immensely to the culture. A lot of the less “tech-savvy” people may struggle with this since, to me, hip-hop lives on the internet. Sadly unlike years prior, radio and TV only showcase a handful of the elites the industry has to offer. Of course there is going to be sub-par artists as there are in any genre of music, but to others they may not be. Variety in any form of arts and entertainment is essential. Do you think most people would attend the circus if all it offered were clowns ONLY? Maybe, but probably not. Instead, a circus offers clowns, stunt men, freak shows, animals etc. I am not suggesting that hip-hop is comparable to a small town circus (Although at times it can get crazy), I am only stressing that variety, styles and dynamics are essential to the industries growth. As nostalgic as it may be, pay homage to the greats as most always do, leave your boombox, cassettes and vinyls mounted for sentimental reasons or in box and embrace! I can dig deeper and discuss the impact of social media, all the greats from years prior, or all the great MC’s that are presently carrying the hip-hop torch, but I rather simply let those who refuse to accept the current state of hip-hop, give it a chance or get left behind. You have no idea what you’re missing out on. By Greg Longo

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Digital Insanity (Can we autocorrect humanity?)

Rapper and activist Richard Williams, better known as Prince Ea, has that raw kind of talent that all artists strive for. His words not only touch the heart and intrigue the mind, they also pierce the soul. One, of many, spoken-word poems by Prince Ea is titled, Digital Insanity. The sad truth behind this piece puts awareness to how often society is engulfed in social media rather than real human interaction. Are we truly losing ourselves to a technology crazed world? Tori Lopez

- Prince Ea

Did you know the average person spends 4 years of his life looking down at his cellphone? Kind of ironic ain’t it, how these touch screens can make us lose touch? But it’s no wonder in a world filled with iMacs, iPads and iPhones. So many I’s, so many selfies. Not enough us’ and we’s. See, technology has made us more selfish and separate than ever because while it claims to connect us, connection has gotten no better. And let me express first, Mr. Zuckerberg, not to be rude but you should reclassify Facebook to what it is, an anti-social network. Because while we may have big friend LISTS, so many of us are friendLESS, all alone cause friendships are more broken than the screens on our very phones. We sit at home on our computers measuring self-worth by numbers of followers and likes, ignoring those who actually love us. It seems we’d rather write an angry post than talk to someone who might actually hug us. Am I buggin’? You tell me because I asked a friend the other day, ‘Let’s meet up face to face.’ They said ‘Alright, what time you wanna skype?’ I responded with OMG! SRS! And a bunch of SMH’s and realized, what about me? Do I not have the patience to have ‘CNVRSTN’ without ‘ABBRVTN’? This is a generation of media overstimulation. Chats have been reduced to snaps, the news is 140 characters, videos are 6 seconds at high

FASHION KILLA

ate him or love him, Kanye West’s style has it going on. Everyday its something different & he never seems to disappoint us when he steps out on the scene “different” is what he defines in his style Kanye West’s expression of style has changed from his white t-shirt days and Louis Vuitton duffle bag boy image to when the Roc-A-Fella era was hot on the hip-hop scene. Interning for Louis Vuitton himself he had a vision & a journey that soon he himself would prove to the world that he has next in the Fashion industry and he exceeded expectations.

Kanye West’s obsession with style runs deeper than just an internship. Fans got the unique opportunity to see the 10 x Grammy winner collaborate on two different design projects: a men’s footwear collection for Louis Vuitton (Kanye for LV) & the launch of his own label, Pastille. Kanye West has even said himself that the line was an organic and natural progression for

speed and you wonder why ADD is on the rise faster than 4G LTE. But get a load of this, studies show the attention span of the average adult today is 1 second lower than that of a goldfish. So if you’re one of the few people who, or aquatic animals that have yet to click off or close this video, CONGRATULATIONS! Let me finish by saying you do have a choice, YES! But this one my friends, we cannot autocorrect, we must do it ourselves. Take control or be controlled. Make a decision! ME? No longer do I want to spoil a precious moment by recording it with a phone, I’m just gonna keep them. I don’t wanna take a picture of all my meals anymore. I’m just gonna eat them. I don’t want the new app, the new software or the new update. And if I wanna post an old photo who says I have to wait until Thursday? I’m so tired of performing in the pageantry of vanity and conforming to this accepted form of digital insanity.

Call me crazy but I imagine a world where we smile when we have low batteries because that’ll mean we’ll be 1 bar closer to humanity.

KANYE WEST

Everyday Run Way Style. Written By Lily Million

him, confessing that “(his) first love is for fashion”& that he was a designer before he was a rapper” his style ranges from retro hipster & to the life of ghetto fabulous. He always gives a 110% all the time and never seems to disappoint the fashion frenzy Gods. If Kanye was in school I would vote him for best dressed he is never afraid to stand out from the crowd and always keeps us wondering, what next? well according to Kanye he has Fashion is a place where you some advice if you want a few can be anyone you want to be pointers the music mogul says in the sense of STYLE. to “dress like you’re coming from somewhere & you got someplace to go” runway meets the streets is what I see when I see Kanye West. Daily style choices he is never afraid of bold color different textures and brings something old back while making it funky like it never left so gentlemen never be afraid to bring that inner Kanye out with your style “not his ego” even though it comes with the perks that brings the bad ass out his everyday run way look.