Who are you?

We are Clipping. Our names are Daveed, Jonathan and William.

Where do you live?

Midcity, Los Angeles.

What do you do?

We write and record rap songs.

When did you start?

We began as a remix project in ‘10 maybe, then we Daveed joined on vocals and we transitioned into writing all original material in ‘11.

How was your first show/performance?

What would you like to gain from your work?

We just want to make music we would want to listen to and would be fans of.

What would you like your audience to gain from your work?

That's not really up to us to decide. We'd like to spark some sort of dialogue and engagement in an audience—but we think it’s arrogant to pretend we can decide what that reaction would be.

Who or what are your biggest influences?

Too many to name. Lots of harsh noise, aggressive or otherwise non-traditionally musical electronic artists, field recordings, musique concrete. Stuff like that. Listen to Fear of a Black Planet, De Natura Senorum, A Little Noise In The System, Noisembryo, Innercity Griots, The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggytardust, 400 Degreez and The Cold Vein—and you'll get a pretty good idea of where we're coming from.

What keeps you up at night?

Literally, right now it's this interview. We're in a hotel in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Jonathan says he's not terribly fearful, though he is afraid he'll die before he's made something he's truly happy with. Daveed's afraid of spiders, maybe.

What's Next?

We're doing a small US West Coast tour with our friends Foot Village in May and probably one or two more tours this year. Two music videos will drop very soon and we've got a bunch more tracks in the works—talking to some labels, so definitely expect some physical releases of new music this year.

Who are you?

Jeff Hilliard—www.jeffhilliard.tv.

Where do you live?

Los Angeles.

What do you do?

Make songs, videos and direct.

When did you start?

Made my first song in ‘07/08

How was your first show/performance?

As far as music goes, I'll let you know when it happens.

What would you like to gain from your work?

Great memories and the opportunity to work with other artists who inspire me.

What would you like your audience to gain from your work?

I want their heads to explode!

Who or what are your biggest influences?

Too many to list... Any artist that comes from a real place and real life insanity.

What keeps you up at night?

Car alarms.

What’s next?

A music video for my new song entitled “Jumpsuit Man”—it's another collaboration with Jeordie White aka Twiggy from Marilyn Manson.

Who are you?

My handle is Curly Castro. I am an emcee. I’m what you’d call "your friendly neighborhood rebel". Love both the smoke of a Molotov cocktail and a finely rolled phantom filled leaf. Your favorite rapper's favorite rabble-rouser, Nat Turner incarnate, Peter Tosh acolyte, lightening in a cracked bottle.

Where do you live?

I was born and raised in Brooklyn, but I reside in Philadelphia.

What do you do?

I speak for the people, I rhyme for my Wrecking Crew, I banshee for myself. I am a full-time artist, part-time human.

When did you start?

I started rapping in the late 90s, when the streets of rap were paved with platinum and million dollar videos were commonplace—you can see that is not the case now. [laughs] All jokes (and reality) aside, I’m proud to have emerged in that era and to of seen all the transformation and evolution since.

How was your first show/performance?

My first show ever was a triumphant disaster—I messed up my verse, but played it off as best I could. That very next day we had another show in front of 40x the people the night prior and I redeemed myself with a solid performance. I’ve never ever repeated that faux pas in any of my performances since. Only gotta learn me once… [laughs]

What would you like to gain from your work?

I want my voice and subsequent message to reach critical mass. Everyone that wants to unlock their “enlightenment” should give my sonics a listen—you just might ‘unlearn’ something. I am an aboriginal educator—Imhotep would be proud of his progeny.

What would you like your audience to gain from your work?

A sense of immense self-worth and racial pride—I am very proud of my African Diaspora and the roots bore of that. I want people to look at my sound and me as leaders. Much like the late, great Peter Tosh and the impervious Fidel Castro (my namesake).

Who or what are your biggest influences?

Some of the pioneers of my time: Charles Mingus, Nas, Wu-Tang, Biggie, Robert Nesta Marley, Aesop Rock, Portishead, El-P, Peter Tosh, the Juggaknots, Thelonius Monk—the list is enormous. My personal list is shorter: My Mother, my Wrecking Crew brethren (Zilla Rocca, Has-Lo and Small Professor). The rebels that came before me: Harriet Tubman, Denmark Vesey, Nat Turner, Gabriel Prosser, Malcolm X, Marcus Garvey, Medgar Evers, the Black Panther Party, the Black Arts Movement, the Zulu Nation and so on and so forth…

What keeps you up at night?

Besides the plight of my people, and the upbringing of our lost generation… A song, at times, will drive me to intense insomnia—like I can’t stop writing until I reach a finish line, pun intended. It’s what us songwriters do.

What’s next?

After FIDEL drops (February 19th), a multitude of works: I'm cultivating an LP with the legendary Fakts One, I have a high-concept EP with Zilla Rocca, another LP with Man Bites Dog Records (my label) in the fall and, of course, more Wrecking Crew madness. Stay tuned to the static, the beautiful chaos only gets worse from here on in…

Who are you?

I am murder making Mike Mictlan Marquez, aka Z3R0K00L8D, aka Johnny Mexico, aka Reservoir Doug, aka Benecio Del Torso, aka Chlamydia Banderas, aka Antronne Eatington.

Where do you live?

My head: Minneapolis, MN—Southside.

My heart: Los Angeles, CA—Westside.

What do you do?

On a good day—sit back in the sun and watch my little girl blow bubbles. On a regular day—rapping in your face, lurking with mad crazy intent.

When did you start?

On the 8th day God created meth and like a week later I popped up rapping at local corner stores.

How was your first show/performance?

Via satellite—fifty thousand fans in the matrix. I’d say pretty heady—‘97.

What would you like to gain from your work?

Absolution. Immortality. Singularity. I’m a simple man.

What would you like your audience to gain from your work?

Cancer. In the face.

Who or what are your biggest influences?

My personal poverty and the five other voices in my head. I like food. Snaxxx comes in all sizes—http://bit.ly/snaxxx

What keeps you up at night?

Drugs, duh.

What’s next?

World Domination. Doomtree Doomtree Doomtree.

#HELLAFRREAL #BLKWZRDS MINNEAPOLIS RAP MUSIC.

If you looking for me you can always find me on the West Bank in Minneapolis, or on the 21 bus, or the Light Rail, or down E. Franklin, or having sex in a college town near you.

http://twitter.com/mikemictlan http://instagram.com/mikemictlan

Who are you?

I am Himself the Majestic of the rap group Shadowrunners from the Nature Boy Gang.

Where do you live?

I live in Los Angeles and Froskees (the producer in the group) resides in sunny La Puente, CA.

What do you do?

I rap and lift the most weights in the group. Froskees produces and DJs live as well as signing autographs and enjoying exotic women.

When did you start?

We started making music in ’07, but did not get going as a group until ‘08 when our first mixtape dropped. We didn't become fulltime until ‘11—since then it's been very wavy.

How was your first show/performance?

It was cool actually. We tricked all our friends into coming to a party at our house for what would supposedly be a video shoot. I was living in a very desolate neighborhood in East LA at the time. The house was on a block that had no residences around it so we had an all night party and we performed. Had a bunch of girls roll through and random people out the street were walking in. People sliding around on alcohol.

What would you like to gain from your work?

We would love to travel most of all—and to be able to live off of it. We hate working a 9 to 5, that's bullshit. So we're going to take this as far as it goes. If it fails, then whatever. I'm enjoying myself and I get to do what I love.

What would you like your audience to gain from your work?

I just want them to treat each album or song like a different movie or scene. Each one has a different feeling and purpose. We don't have an overall message—I'm not with that shit, I want people to have their own opinions and thoughts on shit. So our music is just us. But I hope it influences people to live life in a ridiculous manner.

Who or what are your biggest influences?

Kind of hard to say, I mean I could name some, but we have a very wide range of influences. Main ones I would say are Dipset and Three 6 Mafia—a lot of punk and heavy metal bands as well as some video game composers. Movies and shit like that play a big role too.

What keeps you up at night?

The fact that our reality is probably a computer simulation created by some type of more advanced beings.

What’s next?

An album that differs from Cyberdine and everything we've done before—something with more depth lyrically and more layered/moody production—songs with concepts as opposed to just rapping and shit. More shows as well... A Nature Boy Gang EP. Solo mixtapes/EPs from Froskees and me. Basically ‘13 is going to be dope if you follow our music.

Who are you?

Collectively, we are theWHOevers, a Chicago-based hip-hop duo. As individual emcees/artists, we go by J.Arthur and DotKom.

Where do you live?

Chi-City, theWINdy City, Chi-Town… most know it as Chicago.

What do you do?

A Cook and Teacher by day–flame throwing, crime fighting MCs by night.

Nah... To be honest, we do what we love and that’s making dope hip-hop music.

When did you start?

A mutual college friend introduced us back in '07. It wasn’t until early '10, after we got familiar with each others work that we decided start working together as theWHOevers.

How was your first show/performance?

Some of our first performances together were held at the Abbey Pub here in Chicago. They were a great way for us to get used to working and sharing the stage with one another.

What would you like to gain from your work?

Ultimately, we want to inspire and make great quality music for the people. Everything else will fall into place.

What would you like your audience to gain from your work?

As artists, we understand we need to gain appreciation for our fans/audience, so we always want to be on point with what we do. Whether it's music or something else, we want our audience to connect with us through our work. We hope that our music allows others to express themselves, as it does for us.

Who or what are your biggest influences?

It’s hard to narrow down a long list to just a few because we’re influenced by so man. Wu-Tang Clan, A Tribe Called Quest, Gang Starr, etc. Our parents also introduced us to jazz, R&B, soul and funk, so we’re not solely influenced by hip-hop.

What keeps you up at night?

Because so many legendary artists inspire us, we like to look at what we do as more of a responsibility–a responsibility that keeps us going day and night. One day, we hope to be just as great as those we look up to… And show our fans that we “made it” too.

What’s next?

Shows, shows and more shows!!! Ideally, we’d like to travel and spread our music throughout the world. It's time to get familiar with theWHOevers! Bring it!!!

Who are you?

Th@ Kid.

Where do you live?

Burbank, California.

What do you do?

Drugs and Rap.

When did you start?

Recorded my first mixtape when I was ten.

How was your first show/performance?

It wasn’t my show, I did a verse for somebody else and it was hilarious.

What would you like to gain from your work?

Enjoyment and experience.

What would you like your audience to gain from your work?

That you can do whatever you want in this life, and that you don’t have to look up to other humans—be your own idol.

Who or what are your biggest influences?

Life, my family, Marvin Gaye, and Frank Sinatra.

What keeps you up at night?

Death.

What’s next?

Watch and find out.

Who are you?

Voli, creative entity.

Where do you live?

I currently reside in Connecticut, but originated in New Jersey.

What do you do?

I create art that everyone can relate to, mostly through singing, rapping, production and writing. I hope to lend a voice to those who’ve felt unheard in the music world.

When did you start?

I’ve always been in love with music, but I started songwriting around the age of fourteen.

How was your first show/performance?

It was nerve-racking and uncomfortable—I performed at my now manager’s college talent competition. My movements were stiff and I had minimal stage presence—I distinctly remember starting at the wrong part of the song and the crowd starting to boo. I recovered though and about a minute into the song, had the crowd cheering. Made me think there was something to this music thing.

What would you like to gain from your work?

Initially, wide-scale recognition and to inspire on a massive level. Eventually, longevity. Ultimately, improve this world for the next generation.

What would you like your audience to gain from your work?

First and foremost, to realize that there are no lines within great music. Everyone has his/her own voice—use it to be you. Secondly, I hope that my music broadens the horizons of the general population. There is an eclectic world of amazing artists, both old and new, that have influenced my sound. My body of work will inspire current and future fans, alike, to explore that world.

Who or what are your biggest influences?

Too many to list. It extends beyond music, but to name a few—Stan Lee for inspiring me to take up my first passion: drawing. John Williams was the first composer I idolized growing up. Quentin Tarantino for making retro cool and Kanye West for going against the grain in hip-hop.

What keeps you up at night?

My dreams.

What’s next?

Me.

Who are you?

I’m Chicago-native Tree (@MCTREEG). I rap, produce, write and engineer. I’m the curator of #soultrap music—the genre I created when releasing my #sundayschool mixtape, which was ranked #3 in America ‘12 by MTV.

Where do you live?

I live in Englewood, Chicago—Southside—the nations highest murder rate rated neighborhood via CNN, Fox, NBC, ABC etc.

What do you do?

I create music. I create a defining sound in music. I produce for a list of up and coming Chicago acts. I release hit music in abundance rapidly.

When did you start?

I started rapping and producing about twelve to thirteen years ago. First I started rapping, then I started making beats a couple days later.

How was your first show/performance?

It was awful, I had no stage presence and I was scared as hell, but the people in the crowd were vibing with me all the way—intently listening to my message through lyrics. That’s how I knew this was for me.

What would you like to gain from your work?

Acknowledgement, fame, fortune, opportunity, acceptance and acclaim. You know—all the real shit we, as entertainers, are after. The top!

What would you like your audience to gain from your work?

A breath of fresh air—an alternative to everything else. My style of music is completely different from everyone else’s. I created my own genre just so I could stand out. I hate comparisons, so don’t compare me to anyone else, just accept me as tree and gloat on that.

Who or what are your biggest influences?

My biggest influence overall, through music, would have to be Tupac. He still carries weight and he’s a legend like no other. But my overall biggest influence is real life—living, learning and expressing it through music in vivid detail. Whether it’s drug problems in the home, or dead friends who wouldn’t leave the streets alone, I’m definitely influenced by my environment and I can’t hide it. That’s what I write about. I can’t ever forget this life, or the shit that I/we go through and can all relate to each other with.

What keeps you up at night?

The grind. Whether it’s retweeting or doing interviews like this—music’s fun to me—I could never get bored with it. It just comes natural. It’s the business side of this game that can urk you. Dealing with others and their personalities can be exhausting, but when it comes to the music, I’m in my own world.

What’s next?

Right now I’ve got this Trillin EP project with Chicago producer 110% Pure (Grimy League/Point Blank Productions), that dropped August 31st. I’m also working with the entire Chicago rap scene on a project called Tree Ft. The City, where I’m getting back to producing and writing hooks. It’s about 50% done, we’re just waiting on a few high profile Chicago acts to jump on some tracks then we gone put that out. That’s gone be the project to check for—since Chicago is all the rage right now. I got ‘em all on one disk with my production and hook writing skills—I definitely think it’s a win-win.