ABBY POWER is an 18 year old female rapper from London, who has been a recording artist since September 2010. Embracing the hip hop culture snce an early...
ABBY POWER is an 18 year old female rapper from London, who has been a recording artist since September 2010. Embracing the hip hop culture snce an early age, Abby has a specific new school sound that brings you right back to the past when the hip hop culture in the UK was at its peak. Using catchy hooks to partner the in depth lyrics she writes, a message is always easily portrayed and enjoyed in her music.
Philadelphia is home to some of the most gritty, underground sounds on the East coast, so it it no surprise that this is the home of Legendary duo Dj Flufftronix and Dirty South Joe. Universally hailed as the creators of luvstep.
While listening to the Hypnotizing Soulfully Sultry sounds of Luvstep 2 you may find yourself in a wavy, slow fist-pumping trance almost automatically. One of the best ways to describe the eclectic sounds may be Sexy Futuristic Wave Music. No matter what kind of music you listen to you can’t help but find yourself being drawn towards the universal mood setter (<3step). Blending the crowd frenzy inspiring Dubstep with melodic trance inducing electronica and then fusing it with mind enhancing R & B melodies creates the phenomenon known as LuvStep. LuvStep has even been hailed by some as “The mix that saved Dubstep Forever”. Both Dj’s hold ties with Mad Decent Records, who in addition to being renowned for their contributions to dubstep and electronica, have also received much criticism for remixing and repackaging well known dance music with captivating cover artwork. With the growing popularity of Luvstep and it’s international appeal, I think it is safe to say that we can look forward to much more great music from Flufftronix and Dirty South Joe in the Future
Pursuing a dream as big as this in an industry that is now designed to primarily feed the big dawgs is one of the most challenging missions an artist can conquer. Plain and simple, A&R’s and music execs are no longer interested in building careers to last. It’s all about breaking things down, exploiting artists, and getting money back by any means necessary. With all the deception and “politricks” in the way, sometimes the battle to be heard can get so discouraging that you will literally question yourself at times. Staying focused and not giving up is a battle within this battle itself. King Jamez is an artist with a plan and an education to back it up. The thought of an educated rapper that isn’t labeled as “conscious” is one that many people don’t imagine is real. However, there are more educated emcees and producers out there than we know. With 8 projects deep in the game, this independent heavyweight is not a newbie to this. He is a well seasoned artist that has put in overtime and grind to make it to his destination. One thing that we don’t hear enough of is rappers endorsing the benefits of a post secondary education. What does the rapper who has survived the trenches of academia have to say?
BK: What’s the move after graduation?
KJ: More traveling. I am expanding out to several different states and countries. I am cranking the campaign up and getting more into the music. I’m meeting more Dj’s and I have a lot more material coming. I’m about to turn up for-real.
BK: Artistwise, what has your growth been like before college to now?
KJ: Before college, I was putting in work doing the indie thing. The growth has really been financially and mentally. There were things that I was doing when I was younger that I’m not doing now. When I go and do a show, I do the show. I don’t go and bullsh*t and f*ck off. The image, branding, and material that’s being put out is all a growing process. When I first started, I felt like anything that I wrote, recorded, and spent my time one was about to HIT the wall FOR-REAL. I was like, ” Muh f*cka*’s gonna hear this sh*t”! Now, I’ve grown to a point where I realize that everything that I do may not be tight to everybody else or, it might not be what the fans want to hear. I learned to pick and choose.
BK: How are you connected to B.E.A.S.T Nation?
KJ: I am one of the founders of B.E.A.S.T Nation. It’s actually a family business. It started out as club promotions. That’s when we realized that in order to be successful in the music business, we had to be more hands-on. We started working in the streets and putting music out there and doing a lot of the work that most indie artist don’t do. An indie label was the next major move.
BK: When you say “family” do you mean actual family or close friends that serve as family?
KJ: Yea, my familly. we’re all from North Carolina. We got people out here that rock with us heavy. Me, Mayne, and O are blood cousins.
BK: How did you guys come up with the name B.E.A.S.T Nation
KJ:B.E.A.S.T Nation is actually an acronym for: Black Entrepreneurs Always Stand Tall. That’s always been the motto that we have lived by. That’s how we carry ourselves. B.E.A.S.T Nation is more than just a name, it’s a lifestyle.
BK: Over the last decade we have seen the trend of more artist buckin’ against the machine and opting to go Independent vs. Major. Why did you decide to go indie and would you ever consider going major?
KJ: I can’t say that I wouldn’t go major. I want to go major. They just gotta come with the MAJOR numbers. I’m not going to go for just anything. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t just do this for money so you’d really have to convince me on this. This is my passion. I will do this regardless. I put the time, effort, and funds into this so, if I do decide to let you in on that or let your major organization in on that, we have to be talking the right numbers.
BK: Growing up, when was your first talent competition?
KJ: I was probably 15 years old. I was in High school (W. G. Enloe High School Raleigh, NC). It was a variety show. My homeboys and I performed a song that we wrote back at the time. We won 2nd place.
BK: Who were your musical influences?
KJ: Pac and Master P. My mother used to take all of my Tupac CD’s and give them to my dad. She used to throw away my Master P CD’s. She didn’t want me listening to it.
BK: Wow, how did your mother react when she found out that you decided to seriously pursue music?
KJ:When she found out that I wanted to do music, she wasn’t really surprised at that. She was surprised that I was really good at it. She actually did music herself.
BK: So Mom Dukes is supportive now?
KJ: Very supportive
BK: So you’re majoring in broadcasting. Explain the relationship between your major and your hustle.
KJ: The similarities…. Basically what I have been going to school for is what I plan to be doing in the music industry, which is broadcast myself through the airwaves. Whether that’s through music or Spoken word. Being on-air is how I plan to get my story out there. Going to school was the best move that I could have made for the simple fact that I got my education and a degree. Jobs are opening up in that field.
BK: What was your upbringing like?
KJ: My upbringing was good as hell. My childhood was GREAT! I got to travel. I was born in Germany, lived in Florida, so I was right at the beach. Ft. Lauderdale, Miami… I have family all up through there. It was cool. There was always good weather, good vibes, and good food. Then, I went to North Carolina: the country. Everybody was cool. It’s always been a journey that never stops. I just keep going to different places, meeting new people. I enjoy it. Don’t get me wrong, everyone has problems. Everyone goes through things. You just have to learn to be strong and fight through certain situations. Now, I haven’t always stayed in the suburbs. We stayed in the hood too. I choose not to rap about living in the hood and seeing drugs in every song. I plan on making “feel good music”: music that makes people feel good about themselves. When I write, that’s what I’m thinking in my mind. If I am going to talk about someone in the hood or someone that’s homeless, how can I make them feel good about themselves and want to do better. Let’s not glorify all of the negativity because someone else was successful off of doing that. Don’t get me wrong, everyone that lives in the hood or sells dope knows someone in the suburbs. It’s 2013….
BK: At the end of the day, what do you want people to take from King Jamez as an artist?
KJ: I want people to know that you can be YOU. You don’t need to flex or make up a character or gimmick to be successful in the music industry. Talk about what you know. Be who you are and see what happens. Be different. You don’t have to do what everyone else is doing .
BK: Where is your fan-base mainly concentrated?
KJ: My major following is in the Southeast. North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Texas, etc. My fan-base overseas is growing as well. My overseas fans hit me up all the time faithfully. I mean, DIE-HARD fans… They’ll hit me up saying, “We need more music” or ” I like this, I like that, Keep doing what you’re doing”.
BK: Have you ever caught the attention of a mainstream label?
KJ: My senior year of High School, I caught the attention of Warner Bros. It was cool. They wanted to hear my material. They checked out what I was doing. Big Daddy Kane was in the building. I got to meet him. It was great. I was 17.
BK: So, they were interested in signing you?
KJ: Yes
BK: What happened with that?
KJ: They went through my material. At the time, they liked it but they told me, I wasn’t quite where I needed to be. I needed a little more time in the game. I agree. The quality of what I was putting out then wasn’t quite there. I was recording everything in my bedroom.
BK: Wow, you got their attention though.
KJ:Hell yea, it was them bars and catchy a** hooks. I was doing my thing really heavy on Myspace. S/O to Myspace.
BK: For 2013 what all can we expect from King Jamez?
KJ: We’re about to take off. We’re out of there when I say, “take off” I mean take over the US region by region. Eventually the campaign will hit harder overseas. I’m about to be doing some more traveling. I’m going HAMM on that passport. We’re gonna put out more dope music and we’re going to get a dope response because I know the people are going to rock with it.
CHECK OUT KING JAMEZ LATEST VIDEO NO FLEX
More on King Jamez:
Booking: Jay 678-373-5656 or email: kingjamezbooking@gmail.com
E.H.M.P.: The meaning and reason behind a MC’S name is important to me. Can you break down your name Drag- on?
DRAG-ON: Back when I was little a lot of people use to always say that “this little kid right here is retarded he spits fire”. I was trying to figure out what else spit fire like Dragon, so I just kept the name. Once I got with Ruff Ryders, DMX is actually the one who broke it down and put the dash in it and made it, (Drag-On).
E.H.M.P.: You’ve had some success in the entertainment field. You appeared in the 2003 film Cradle 2 the Grave as Miles and in the 2001 film Exit Wounds (both starring Ruff Ryder’s ex label mate DMX). Your first release Opposite of H2O sold over 500,000 copies. Your second and third releases weren’t as successful. Talk to me about the up’s and down’s of attaining success and maintaining success, along with what Drag-On has personally done to maintain success and relevant in today’s world of Hip-Hop?
DRAG-ON: What I do to stay relevant as far as what’s going on now a days, I pretty much do what’s going on now a days. If it’s going on that’s what I’m doing. I’m not walking around with a one track mind. Us as people we are already evolving, where changing anyway. You pretty much have to revamp yourself. I watch big artist such as Usher, R Kelly, Nas, JAY Z reinvent them selves every year. What I do to stay focus is keep the hunger in me. I really love what I do that’s another thing that keeps me going too. I know what the Lord has me here to do I’m pretty much going along with the role that he gave me. As far as Hip Hop, I like how Hip hop is. It’s a lot of independence. At the same time it’s growing. I just appreciate and thank the Lord that everything is still working in my favor and I’m still grinding. I have a lot of ambition, heart and dedication in what I do and that’s pretty much it.
E.H.M.P.: Tell me about the first time you meet “DMX”, is he the person responsible for the Ruff Ryder deal? And do you guys still keep in contact? Well we ever hear another “DMX’ & Drag- On track soon?
DRAG-ON: Yes, ya’ll well hear another track with DMX and I. Ya’ll going to hear a lot of raw music too. What a lot of people don’t know is I have my own record label called “Hood environment”. That’s what I pretty much been doing for the pass two years. I have been going hard body. There hasn’t been too many not supporting Drag-On, BUT “Hood Environment”, my movement. That’s pretty much what I’m focused on now! The first time I met DMX was in 1997. We would be in the studio writing and I had to join a battle against him and I lost to him but he respected it. He even told me “I couldn’t fu*k with him.” He still had respect for me. I tore it down and I kept going hard. My game was always on a strong caliber for my age. So that’s how I met DMX and ever since then we been FAM.
E.H.M.P.: In 2011 you were released from your “Ruff Ryder” agreement. We just spoke about that. You now have your own label entitled “Hood Environment”. I hear you have some new music to soon be released and you have a few artists signed to your label. Do you have a time frame for a new DRAG-ON release? And when well some of your artists project drop? Or even some of the artist you’re working with.
DRAG-ON: I can’t really speak on the artist to much because the paperwork isn’t cleared. Those who want to hear the artist I’ve been working with you can actually go to my website which is dragon2012.blogspot.com and you will see the mix tape I’ve put out with DJ Self which is crazy!! So you can hear some of the artist I’ve work with there and I won’t speak for them, again because of the paperwork. So for now were just focusing on Drag_on right now. Then back to scouting different artist.
E.H.M.P.: Why do you keep going? Why not fall back and start a new business? What keeps motivated to keep pushing forward?
DRAG-ON: I’m still nice. That’s just the bottom line. I still have the hunger, I’m hungry. I’m still young in the game right now. It’s all good!
E.H.M.P.: What has been your most memorable performance to date?
DRAG-ON: It’s just a blessing to perform anywhere. I can’t just pinpoint a state. I have fun just being on stage where ever I’m at. Wherever I perform at, wherever there’s a stage, I am always getting it popping. I definitively have to give a crazy shout out to the Carolina‘s and the Mid-West! They the one’s that really went crazy when I was on that stage and it helped a lot. They showed me an extreme amount of love. I really appreciate it.
E.H.M.P.: Are you happy with the direction Hip Hop has taken?
DRAG-ON: Yes, I’m happy with it. It’s more of an independent thing right. A lot of people pretended to be bosses back in the days and not really bosses. Where as now a days the way the rap game is, it will show who’s a boss and who isn’t. That’s how the game is. I’m never mad at the state of Hip Hop because I’m a Hip Hop head. I’m all for the love of hip hop. Yea, I’m from the east coast and I understand a lot of people be saying the game went to the south. When I came out people thought I was from the south because of the different songs I came out with. Song’s I’ve came out with, with Petey Pablo, Swizz Beatz and Juvenile. I’m glad the south is where it is that means Hip Hop is getting bigger. I’m all for Hip Hop right now. Right now one of the biggest rappers is Drake and he’s from Canada. I really embrace stuff like that because it goes to show Hip Hop is getting bigger and bigger. It was a rumor years ago when they were talking about banning hip hop and they couldn’t because it’s actually growing. Now a days Hip hop is just is global. Once, I get close to dropping my album and stuff like that I going to get back in the movie thing but this time I’m going to do it the right way. I did it the wrong way before. Again, I’m all for the love of Hip Hop. You have reality shows that are cool. I feel as though the fans are ill, especially the ones that go out and buy albums. I feel those are the fans that deserve to get as much access to the artist as possible, that’s why artist are still successful.
E.H.M.P.: Tell us something about you that you have never told anybody.
DRAG-ON: I love Sade!! I love her music. I actually bought every album and lost my mind. I’m about to buy the whole collection. Her album came out it was live and all that. I’m going to get that.
E.H.M.P.: Do you feel the empire built by the original Ruff Ryders crew is over? And if so well they ever bring that name and brand back to mainstream again?
DRAG-ON: I don’t know. I’m so focused on Drag-On. At the end of the day where still family if they need me I’m here. That’s all I can say about that. I don’t know too much about what’s going on over there.
E.H.M.P.: Where can our readers and your fans reach you?
DRAG-ON: My fans can reach me on Instagram. I want everybody to follow me on Instagram because that’s what’s popping right now. As long as ya’ll follow me on there I have my twitter on there if you want to know it.
E.H.M.P.: Quick one word to describe you?
DRAG-ON: “Ambitious”
E.H.M.P.: If you could give the future Drag-On advice what would it be?
DRAG-ON: To know the game and just keep doing what you doing. Open your eyes a little more, keep grinding staying in the studio and going hard. Can’t nobody stop you except God keep your spirit alive and that’s what it is.
E.H.M.P.: Any thank you and or shout outs?
DRAG-ON: My hood for going hard for me and making sure I stay relevant to the game and stay in people ears and minds. Stay the talk of the town. Crazy shout out to my whole staff. Crazy shout out too CoCo the whole Chocolate Cutty radio. We just joined forces and it’s really crazy so crazy shout outs to them my whole Hood Environment staff and all the DJ’s showing love. Shout out’s to you A.D. for this interview.
WRITTEN BY: A.D. THE GENERAL
COURTESY OF ELEGANT HOODNESS MUSICAL PROGRAM 2013′
It is his music and his fight to get better at his craft that keeps him going. Against all odds, Dub Bangem has prevailed stronger and more faithful with each one of life’s crazy turns. After being placed on Dialysis 5 years ago, Dub Bangem could have wrapped up his music career. Instead, he turned to his music and allowed the universal language to aid in his healing process.
His style is carefree and “feel-good” with a little bit of southern flavor sprinkled throughout. He is an artistic concoction of hard hits, raw lyricism, and a little bit of Duval County (Florida). When you hear the music, you would never guess that the man behind the tunes is currently on the waiting list for a new Kidney. Instead of letting Dialysis cripple his career, he decided to let it motivate him.
Who is Dub Bangem, really?
BK: Out of everything in the world that you could have become, why a rapper? DB: That’s actually two things. One, I am a writer. I write poetry and there are other things that I write as well. I like writing. Sometimes I have a hard time expressing my feelings. It’s just easier to write it down on paper. It just comes naturally to me. I have a God-given talent for making music. That’s the reason why I chose to be a rapper.
BK:When was the moment that you knew you were going to pursue a career in music seriously? DB: It had to be when I hit high school High school. That’s when I was beginning to realize that I was really good and people really started liking my music. That’s when I really saw that I had a talent. From there on I thought, “Let me take this thing seriously”. I wanted to see where it would go from there. I knew what I wanted to do by the 9th grade.
BK: What do you strive to accomplish musically? DB: My goal musically is to take a risk and let everybody know about the talent that we have in Duval county. We have been slept on. music-wise, we have a whole bunch of talent here that’s real Florida. My goal is to let everyone know how talented Duval county is and to make some money and get away from the struggle. I’m tired of struggling, I want to make some good money and put on for my city
BK:How did you get the name Dub Bangem? DB: My real name is Derrick Williams. My rap name was D Dub. I took the D off the D. Dub and I was just plain “Dub” for a minute. Then I am from Duval county and our nickname is “The Bangem” so I just added the Bangem on the end.
BK: If you weren’t doing music, what would you be doing? DB: If I weren’t doing music, I would most likely be in the field of journalism. I really wanted to write articles for a newspaper or even run my own paper at one time but I really gotten serious about my music so I kind of put that on the back burner. If music doesn’t work out for me, I would definitely go into the field of Journalism and write for a Newspaper or even write books.
BK:Since being on Dialysis, how has that changed your life as an artist. How was Dub Bangem before vs. now? DB: My performances are not as strong as they used to be. Different physical side effects that come with dialysis has affected that. The performances is what has really changed since being on Dialysis. On the other side, I have grown as an artist and my music has gotten better. I’ve learned how to make more music that people can vibe to. I’ve learned to affect the whole crowd verses one demographic.
BK: At any point, did you ever think of giving up did you ever seriously think about giving up on your music? DB: I’ve been on dialysis for 5 years now. It had to be the second year that I was on dialysis. I had gotten really really sick. I had way too much fluid in my body at one time. I hadn’t had a treatment in like 5 days. I was on a respirator machine. It’s like I had checked out of here. I was doing really really bad. My dad had woke me up and wrote me off. No one thought that I was going to make it. At that point I thought that this was too much and that I didn’t want to do it. But when I made it through, it was like: I’m here for a reason. I felt like that was my calling to continue to do music. After that, I said that I would never let anything discourage me from making music ever again.
BK:How many projects have u released and what is your following like? DB: I have release one mixtape. It’s called, “ My time is Now”. It did pretty good even though I didn’t sell them. I really just passed them out to let everyone know what time it was and who I was. I have a pretty decent following. It could be better. I have to create more visuals. People don’t get to see me enough. Because of the dialysis, I normally stay in the house most of the time when I’m sick or not feeling good. I am not able to network a lot as much as I should for me to grow my following. I am not seen a lot and that’s something that I have got to work on as well.
BK: What is the next move for Dub Bangem? DB: I am currently working on my next mixtape. It’s called, “Taking what I deserve”. I’m working on the videos and promotion. I feel like the music is better. I plan to network more and do more shows. The goal is to be seen more.
BK: At the end of the day when everything is said and done, What do you want your legacy to be? How do you want people to remember Dub Bangem? DB: I want them to remember me as a real-cool laid back dude. I’m very goofy. I like to laugh. I like to tell jokes and I like to have a good time. I don’t want people to think of me as a bad guy, i’m a good guy. I’m very kind-hearted. Everyone else that’s around me will pretty much tell you the same thing. I don’t start fights with nobody. I don’t have any beef with anyone. I’m just a cool, laid back dude that just loves making music.
Kidney Disease is the number 8 killer in the United States. Kidney Disease is becoming more and more prevalent worldwide. At this time, more and more donors are needed. Educate yourself on Kidney Disease and learn how to possible become a donor ——>HERE
“I think i’m Big Meech, Larry Hoover Whippin work, Hallelujah”
It is that line from Rick Ross’s 2010 song BMF (Blowin’ Money Fast) that has pissed off a lot of people. Whether he intended to or not, Ross had lyrically initiated a conflict with the GD’s. In the song, He mentions Larry Hoover, the last remaining founding father of the Gangster Disciples (GD’s). He further ignited a firestorm when he dropped his mixtape “Black Bar Mitzvah” on October 8, 2012. On the album cover, Rick Ross has his face in the center of a 6-point star (well known symbol of the GD’s). Ross was trying to portray himself as a “Black Jew”. However, after hearing Larry Hoover’s name repeatedly called on BMF then, Ross sits his face in the middle of their emblem, which is identical to the star of David, the GD’s took this as extreme disrespect and now, ITS BEEF.
The Gangster Disciples organization was born in the late 60’s on the south side of Chicago. David Barksdale ( Black Disciples) and Larry Hoover (Supreme Gangsters) came together to formulate a new “super” organization. The Black Gangster Disciple Nation was born at the hands of two of Chicago’s most powerful and influential gang leaders. Today, this organization has over 50,000 members worldwide. In the early days, the GD’s were known for running the drug game on Chicago’s south side. A lot has changed with time. There are GD’s literally everywhere now. Larry Hoover who is currently incarcerated changed the GD from Gangster Disciples to Growth and Development. The new goal is to encourage just that. Today, even from prison Larry Hoover is still powerful.
Gangster Disciples
Looking at the total situation, is it fair to say that Ross is disrespecting in the first place? When you think about it, he is comparing himself to“The Big Dawgs”. Ross was really starting to grow as an artist and his music was getting more popular before he release this song. True indeed this particular song did boost his popularity to another echelon. Is the song really him spitting on Larry Hoover or is it a salute taken the wrong way? There are always two sides to a story. After the release of Black Bar Mitzvah, GD’s from everywhere started responding and telling the world that they had this major problem with Ross.
The GD’s feels like Ross has crossed the line and they will not be quiet about it. It is rumored that his MMG tour was cancelled because of threats that he was getting from GD’s in North Carolina. It was reported that he cancelled shows in both Charlotte and Greensboro. A few days after that he cancels the rest of the tour. Rick Ross’s camp is stating that it had nothing to do with any death threats. They are siting janky promoters and lack of organization as the reason to end the tour early.
Both BMF and GD are two separate organizations. Big Meech embraced the song and took it as a salute. His response:
“I LUV THE RICK ROSS SONG!I HEARD IT & THAT NIG WENT HARD 4 ME SO LET HIM KNOW I APPRECIATE IT”
Larry Hoover Jr. and Rick Ross even met after the song was released in 2010 and all was well. What’s the real issue here now? It is because of this song that a lot more people are aware of what BMF and the GD’s stand for. A lot of the older heads know, but so many of
Star of David
the younger cats don’t. By Ross saying the name and saying that he feels like he’s on their level, so many people who didn’t know went back to find out who these men were. This song simply was him telling the world how he was feeling. Whether one agrees with it or not, this younger generation looks up to rappers like Ross. In this song, he saluted two men that he looked up too and respects. Is he really wrong for that? So, once again, is the song a diss? Secondly, the 6-point star is the same as the Star of David so did the Black Bar Mitzvah mixtape album artwork really have anything to do with the GD’s?
SNYD (Streetz -n- Young Deuces), has managed to pull off alot of amazing feats in their career. Performing at the SXSW festival & appearing in major magazines (and websites) the Midwest Hip-Hop Duo out of Milwaukee, WI has no plans on slowing down! They won “INDY GROUP OF THE YEAR” at the 2010 Southern Ent Awards and are nominated again for the 3rd time. Recently they released their mixtape “Next Day Air” a tape sponsored bywww.RubyHornet.com.
