EXCLUSIVE: Headkrack Talks New Music Video, Balancing His Career & The State Of Hip Hop

(AllHipHop Features) Raynel “Headkrack” Ruffin is a man of many talents. The Bronx, New York native can be heard every morning as a co-host of the nationally syndicated Rickey Smiley Morning Show, and he can be seen every night as a commentator on the television program Dish Nation. Besides maintaining his successful career as a radio and TV personality, […]

(AllHipHop Features) Raynel “Headkrack” Ruffin is a man of many talents. The Bronx, New York native can be heard every morning as a co-host of the nationally syndicated Rickey Smiley Morning Show, and he can be seen every night as a commentator on the television program Dish Nation.

Besides maintaining his successful career as a radio and TV personality, Headkrack is also an award-winning rap artist. In 2010, he took home the crown at the Red Bull EmSee Battle. Audiences have gotten to experience Krack perform at the Vans Warped Tour and several festivals around the country as well.

Headkrack has now let loose a music video for his latest song titled “The Stick Up.” The nearly four-minute clip features a heist storyline as its creator exposes his plans to take back Hip Hop. AllHipHop.com connected with Headkrack to get some insight into his new visuals. In addition, the Atlanta based entertainer shares his thoughts on where he and the culture is headed next.

[ALSO READ: Top 5 Dead or Alive: Dish Nation Star Headkrack Picks His Fav Storytellers]

How long have you been making music?

I’ve been making music pretty much all my life. It was a creative outlet for me that kept me out of trouble when I was growing up. I just really started taking it more seriously in the last 5 years.

What inspired you to create the song “The Stick Up”?

“The Stick Up” was inspired by people always talking about how we always need to “take it back” to this era and that era, which ultimately never really made any sense to me, because to “take it back” in that sense means we kind of have to regress or go backwards. So when I say “take it back,” I mean literally strong arm the culture back from all of the negative counterproductive forces that hinder the culture as a whole, so we can move forward. Radio and TV shouldn’t be dictating what’s hot, the streets should.

Who directed the video? How did you come up with the treatment?

I came up with the concept of the video, and this dope crew out of ATL called the Risk Takerz shot the video and made the edits fresh. We definitely are gonna do some more work together.

Are you planning to release a full body of work?

Absolutely, this is the first trickle from a tsunami of things I plan on dropping in the next 18-24 months. I’m hitting the streets with an extended EP late May/early June, me and my group The Bodega Brovas are dropping our debut album July 15th, and I plan on hitting y’all with a full solo LP before the end of the year. We all got things to say, and this is how we get our thoughts out.

How do you manage doing radio, TV, and recording?

It’s tough man, because sometimes one thing hinders the other. With Dish Nation, I’m kind of tethered to the city for days out of the week so I can shoot the show. It’s great money, so I can’t screw that up. Radio, you can kind of pipe in and do from anywhere thanks to technology. As far as recording goes, I have a studio at my crib so I can knock these joints out as they come to me. More than anything, I’m really looking forward to getting back out and seeing the fans. It’s been a minute since I took the show on the road.

What’s your take on Hip Hop culture at the moment?

I’m starting to see the shift happen. The culture has become pretty self contained again and not so reliant on the mainstream to support the artist. You see guys like Childish Gambino, Raury, Logic, and others without big radio tunes getting out there and packing venues and moving some decent records without the traditional push, and that’s pretty dope. Even regionally you are starting to see different sounds come out of places that are usually known for just one thing sonically, and that looks like growth to me.

[ALSO READ: #ATLRiseUp: Raury’s Artistic Vision Is Championing A Self-Discovery Renaissance]

For more information about HeadKrack visit www.krackblog.com.

Follow HeadKrack on Twitter @headkrack and Instagram @headkrack.

Check out the video for HeadKrack’s “The Stick Up” below.