Radio Interviews

The ProfileWild Interviews

Nutso x Shabaam Sahdeeq x Rob P freestyle on @pncradio 01.25.14

Cormega sits down with ProfileWild.com to talk about his new album Mega Philosophy, in stores 7/22/14.

Cormega - The ProfileWild Interview

Back in 2004, Sam Scarfo was the Fight Klub chance and was all over street DVDs like Smack. He was immediately signed to Def Jam during Jay-Z’s presidency and it was one of the only signings both Jay and L.A. Reid immediately agreed on. Long story short, the Plainfield, New Jersey native never dropped anything on Def Jam and was later released. As an independent artist, Sam Scarfo worked closely with Prodigy of Mobb Deep and stayed creating music. Last week, Sam Sceezy unleashed some of his standout tracks from over the years on the album 5 Million Stories, which has features from Nate Dogg, Ghostface Killah, Fabolous, and others and is available both as a free EP download or a deluxe album at all major music spots. ProfileWild chopped it up with Sam Scarfo on 5 Million Stories, his new music, where he’s been, the Hollow and Joe Budden battle, his battle history (including his one and only loss), and much more in this exclusive interview.

Here are some quotes from the feature:

On the album 5 Million Stories:

This is actually like my first album that I’ve ever released and I’ve been in hip-hop for a few years now. I just felt like I needed to put something on the marketplace and I didn’t want to make it a new release because the music, to me, isn’t really current but I think it has that timeless feel. It definitely feels great that people get to hear it.

On the Hollow Da Don and Joe Budden battle:

I thought that Joe Budden spit some nice verses. But see, battle rapping today is so much about performance and the verses are so long...I just think that Joe Budden was speaking condescending in the battle rap arena and to battle rap fans. Battle rap fans are against mainstream rap. They are against it. They don't want to hear mainstream rap. They don’t want to hear how you shine. They don’t want to hear you talk about how much bigger you are. You’re not bigger than him in his zone. You think you are, but you’re not. Battle rap fans want what they want when they want it. They’re into it. They follow their Instagrams, their Twitters, their Facebooks...I think he attacked it from the wrong angle. I think he spit some good verses though. But he automatically made him the underdog and it’s human nature to want the underdog to win. They make movies about that. Rocky!

On his writing process:

The best verses from me come out in the studio. I write them in the studio, which is very expensive. I can’t write them at home. I got three kids running around. I can’t write at home...The beat has to be something to me that speaks to me and I’m going to jump on it. I’m working with another producer and we wanted to do a project together. I understand, older MCs and older producers, especially dpoe ones, they don’t work fast, but if you send me ten beats, and I only hear one, I can force out the other ones, but I need a producer who can send me 40 beats and I can pick five. Usually those verses don’t take long to write.

http://twitter.com/samscarfo
http://twitter.com/seven3zero

Sam Scarfo - The ProfileWild Interview

It's not surprising that when we got up with REKS to do this interview, he was on the move, driving back to Massachusetts. Sitting still is something The Lawrence, Massachusetts product doesn't seem able to do, as he just dropped his eighth album, Eyes Watching God. The album was produced entirely by producer Hazardis Soundz, who has done incredible work as a producer and engineer for N.O.R.E. and countless others. Eyes Watching God not only features sharp, socially conscious rhymes from REKS but also showcases more risk-taking from the MC, as Haz pushes the boundaries of REKS’s sound further than any of his past releases. ProfileWild caught up with one of the games most slept-on lyricists to dissect his new album, talk about his relationship with Statik Selektah and DJ Premier, go through some of his standout cuts over the past few years, talk about what it means to still be working with Brick Records, who put out his debut album Along Came the Chosen in 2001, and much more in this exclusive interview.

http://twitter.com/therealreks
http://twitter.com/seven3zero

Here are some quotes from the feature:

On working with producer Hazardis Soundz for an entire album:

I think what it was an ability for both of us to let go of our idea of how things should sound and what specific sound individuals peg me for. They try to put me in a box with the one way REKS should sound. I feel like with Eyes Watching God, we kind of tested the boundaries of a “REKS project.” It felt good to get with Haz, who wanted to take a chance with beats that I don’t typically or normally rap over. He wanted me to try some different sounds and I was game for it.

On putting N.O.R.E. and Saigon together on “Garvey”:

Dope is dope. I’ve never been one to dwell on a pairing so much as realizing that dope is dope. A lot of individuals aren’t going to see that pairing, especially on a record like “Garvey,” and think that that’s the track that I would have chosen for him to be on. But going back to the CNN work, it made sense for me to use a legendary voice like N.O.R.E. for a record like that. Obviously Hazardis Soundz has a longstanding relationship with N.O.R.E. We could have asked him to get on any record but that was the record that made sense. That was the record that was going to have the biggest voice, in my opinion, to kind of set it off and have the most lasting representation with the audience. I felt like those two individuals were the ones I wanted to share the mic on me with that one. Saigon was a no-brainer with his history of approaching fresh subject matter on a regular basis. N.O.R.E. does it and they both come from a street aware mentality, N.O.R.E. more on the grimy end and Saigon’s still grimy but the brother’s trying to reach out to the youth. I felt like they were the perfect individuals for that “Garvey” record.

On still getting props on the Grey Hairs album:

It was created during that period of time where I was trying to find the balance between the music, being a married man, and being a father for the first time and that music kind of defined a period in time where not only was I searching for a balance but I was trying to see if music would be a career and if I would have a career in hip-hop. It also represented a kind of parallel between my coming up and coming of age.


REKS - The ProfileWild Interview

Here’s a new (and rare) interview with Jojo Pellegrino, one of the top MCs to come from Staten Island, and that’s saying a lot. Over the past few years, Jojo has popped up on a track here, a track there, but there’s been nothing to sustain the plethora of JJP fans that still scream, “South Shore son, ain’t nothin’ nice!” ‘cause “Where I’m From” never left their playlist. The Pride of South Shore is back with a new album, Pellegrino Flow, dropping soon. As JJP will say, it was slated for a July 18th, release, but he got locked up and that delayed the promo.

Catching up with Jojo was a great conversation about where he’s been, his creative process, how his mentality in the game has changed over the years, his relationship with Cappadonna, the best advice Chris Lighty gave him, and, of course, South Shore, his tanning game, and hanging with Angelina of reality show fame. This interview is a must-listen.

http://twitter.com/jojopellegrino
http://twitter.com/seven3zero

Here are some quotes from the feature:

On his new album Pellegrino Flow:

Pellegrino Flow, on my “Fuggetaboutit” record, I said, “The Pellegrino flow, don’t ever doubt it.” ANd I had another record called “Pellegrino Flow” when I was signed to Violator. With the Pellegrino flow, it’s unorthodox, man. It could be anything. It doesn’t always have to be some Italian shit or some South Shore shit or whatever. It could be some fast shit, it could be some raw shit. It’s everything combined. I actually have an album that’s my baby and that’s really got a whole different theme to it, but right now I’m reintroducing myself to the game and Pellegrino Flow is the way I chose to do it. Nice and simple, you’re going to get everything I’m capable of on this album and I’m really, really ecstatic to give it to the people.

On remembering Chris Lighty today:

I remember Chris Lighty as a very straightup person. A lot of the lessons that he tried to teach me, man-to-man, I didn't get them as the young guy that I was, but I get them now. I think back and reflect often on Chris Lighty, even now. Out of all the things he said to me, a lot of it didn’t make sense to me when I was younger. I was wild and I was a rebel. A lot of the things Chris Lighty told me are just starting to make sense to me now. When I wind up in a situation something that he said to me might pop into my mind and I say, “Wow, here I am years later, applying the knowledge that he passed me then to get through this now.” I always got respect for Chris Lighty. I got love for him. Rest in peace forever. Shout out his brothers and family. Really, there was only one Chris Lighty. There will never be another one. I’m sure of that.

On the best advice Chris Lighty gave him:

Some of the best advice he gave me was simple things, like everybody gets a turn. So while you’re bouncing around worried about when your project is coming out, it’s hard to tell a young guy to chill out, but if you could embrace the fact that everybody gets a turn, everybody gets a turn. Another piece of advice he gave me was that when you’re hot, they answer the phone. When you’re not, they don’t answer the phone. Another great piece of advice he gave me was that, “I know that you’re a human being, but sensitivity and emotions and all that stuff, it hurts you in this business.” He gave me endless advice, man. Those are just some of the endless things that repeat in my mind.

On his classic Hitman 4 Hire mixtape:

I think back on that mixtape and I reflect on it like, “Wow, that was something else, man.” You know, hand-to-hand, we were one of the first mixtapes to come out. We sold 18,000 of those damn things. I think about my management team, my man Grain and Debo. They were working hard and I was watching them really elbow their way into the business. They were in Lyor Cohen’s office and Jay-Z and Murder, Inc. We were really doing our thing. We received Mixtape of the Month on MTV with Sway. It got me a lot of attention. I got a flawless review on XXL. I reflect on it and I think back to myself it’s the inspiration I need to let me know that I still got it and that the people really appreciated the music and they appreciated the music and they saw it for what it was because if it wasn’t, it wouldn’t have got Mixtape of the Month and it wouldn’t have sold so many copies. I wouldn't have had these guys giving me all their time and energy on it to have success on it. I really think back on it and get proud and then inspired to do the next one.

Pellegrino Flow Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bohy8vM8iKY


Jojo Pellegrino - The ProfileWild Interview

Here’s a fresh interview with Illa Ghee. The Brooklyn native and former Mobb Deep affiliate just released his new album Social Graffiti, which is arguably his best work to date. In our conversation, Illa Ghee discusses how and why he stepped his lyrical game up, which is evident in how he goes line-for-line on Social Graffiti with other lyricists in the upper echelon of the game, from Sean Price to O.C. to Royal Flush, as well as working with Large Professor on “90,” what went into the making of Social Graffiti, his history in the game, and much more.

Here are some quotes from the feature:

On his new album Social Graffiti:

Me, personally, I called it my “revenge” album because before, I felt quite a few people didn't think I could rhyme like that. I mean, I always rhymed like that but I dumbed it down. I listened to a few friends of mine and they said that fans would not always understand what I say but I got tired of rhyming that way. People wanted to put me in a box as far as rhyming about the street life thing and I didn’t want to do that. That’s not my natural thing to rhyme about. I just wanted to go and be as lyrical as possible and feel as comfortable as possible with myself.

How his title Social Graffiti relates to the music:

Some people that don’t understand [hip-hop], all they hear is the curse words. For years, when I would write rhymes, the only thing that I would say was my words were “rob a store” and then “be on time on tour” and the only thing people would hear was that I robbed a store. They didn’t hear that I said my words would do that. They’re just looking straight for the negative. They’re not looking for the artform of it. But once you sit and listen, you’ll hear the artform of hip-hop, how the words come together, how it’s about being egotistical and saying you’re the best person. This is like Ali rap. Everyone is Ali and saying they’re the best they are and that’s what hip-hop is. It's a competition. You can brag on your DJ, you can brag on your sneakers. You can brag on anything. And then it’s also how you put the words together and people don’t look at that as an artform, just like graffiti. People used to say, “Look at this trash that’s on the wall.” They weren't looking how the people put the words together and the scheme and how the pink and green blended and how it’s an art. So for me, it’s like a social arfrom. You have to sit and listen to it to get the artform of hip-hop.

On his writing process:

My best writing, actually, it’s when I’m half-awake, half-asleep, actually. I do it at home. Sometimes I just go and sit outside and write. It could be millions of places, but when I’m half-sleepy...I really don’t drink too often and I don’t smoke weed too often. For me, it feels like a different level. But when I’m half-sleeping, yeah, I say some real crazy things.

On working with Large Professor on “90”:

I met Pro through DJ Premier. I forget where this club was but it was by 14th street. Preem was like, “Do you know Illa Ghee?” And Large Pro was like, “You got a song that’s a slow song, that was so dope.” And I just kept up with him. We talked here and there and I said, “If you don’t mind, I would love to rhyme on one of your beats.” When he sent me “90,” it had such a ‘90s feel so I had to rhyme that way. When he heard it, he loved it and he said it was crazy. That’s really how “90” came about and I just held onto it until it would match with everything else.


Illa Ghee - The ProfileWild Interview

“I rap for lifers and felons,” Nutso proclaims on “Unda Ground,” the intro to his latest EP, Divided Souls, completed with DJ Pain 1 and his Divided Souls production team. But Nutso’s lyrics transcend and boxes one may try to place them in. Perhaps Nutso’s most important gift as an MC is his ability to describe the beautiful struggle while never slacking on a bar. While the Queens product has dropped a slew of quality EPs over the past few years, he’s also stayed busy working with and showing love to the next generation of MCs on the rise. With a winner-take-all mentality and the quality music to back him up, Nutso shows why he’s one of the most consistent and gifted MCs coming out of the NYC. In this exclusive interview, we talk about Divided Souls, finding success as an indie artist, his new album with Domingo titled Red Sunday, working with legends like Kool G. Rap, and much more. Stay tuned after the interview as Nutso drops an exclusive acapella and survives a round of questions served via the Random Question Generator (if you want to know what homie’s last dream was, here’s your chance).

Nutso - The ProfileWild Interview + Acapella

http://www.RapIsOuttaControl.com/nutso-nems-freestyle-on-rap-is-outta-control/

Nutso & Nems freestyle on Rap Is Outta Control

Official interviews with hip-hop's finest presented by 730 of WeGoinIN.com. Hosted/produced by @seven3zero. Representing nothing but the realness with a wild style plus we profile wild. Contact: profilewild [at] gmail.com.