Miles Morrison is Mr. Hollywood, and he’ll let his music tell you why. Hailing from a small town in Michigan, he describes himself as an “aspiring entertainer, a poor kid from nowhere.” Growing up with dreams of being Mr. Hollywood, the recording artist never thought music would be his career path. With a strong passion for film, he ironically never thought he had what it took to be a musician.
7 years later after his manager HNNBL and his boy Raj kept hammering in the fact that it’s going to be alright, Miles is fully embracing his truth, which recently included signing a deal with Epic Records. The name Mr. Hollywood actually originates from his mother, who gave him the name due to his obsession and fascination with Hollywood since a young kid. Now having the opportunity to actually move to the entertainment mecca of Los Angeles, he plans to live out his name to the fullest.
AllHipHop caught up with Miles Morrison via Instagram Live, who was posted outside on his steps after making a smash with his producer. Read below as we discuss how rap battles at parties began his career, biggest influences growing up, how he landed at Epic Records, what Hollywood means to him, and more!
AllHipHop: Being from Michigan, what was a young Miles like?
Miles Morrison: I hate to admit it, I was that guy. I was the captain, varsity jacket wearing guy. Honestly my only regret in life is that I never listened to those emos kids who were playing instruments when I was coming up. I always had a passion for music, but I just listened to it. I never thought it was something I could do. Film was my thing, it’s always been my thing since I was born. I always thought I was going to be a movie star, director. I studied film. I went to school for film, then I randomly got discovered in a rap battle. The music fell on me. I’ve always been good at music but I never knew it.
AllHipHop: Bring us back to that rap battle!
Miles Morrison: It was downtown San Diego, I was visiting my boy at Spanish Court apartments. We’re coming back from the bars, long story short I ended up in some rap battle. The guys who enjoyed my rap said “you should meet this guy Hector HNNBL. He lives in Hollywood, he’s a producer.” I said “whoa I live there, that’s crazy.” Fast forward, that’s the producer I’ve been working with since day one. He’s the first person I ever recorded music in front of, who put my album out. Honestly on some A Walk to Remember hallmark s##t. He’s the first person I ever recorded in front of in my entire life, now he’s my guy.
AllHipHop: Who were you listening to growing up?
Miles Morrison: I was huge into multiple genres. I wouldn’t say a hip-hop head, but I definitely loved hip-hop. Huge influences for me were Get Rich or Die Tryin’ and The Documentary. Those two albums came out right when we’re getting our drivers license. If you had a car with a stereo and speakers, you could play them. You were the f##king man. Those were my teachings, I was really studying that s##t. Wiz Khalifa’s Rolling Papers, I was freestyling off his beats. This whole thing started because I was a freestyler. When the drinks started flowing at the parties, I could rap better than most kids. I never took it too serious.
It wasn’t until my producer HNNBL told me, “what’re you trying to do with this? You got bars, you can spit. Are you going to disrespect the entire f##king… what’re you doing? He put music on a pedestal, a pedestal that I’ll never take it off. Music is the only thing we have as humans. I’m honored to have jumped on the bandwagon when I did. I’m a little late. I thought I was going to be film, sports, whatever. It ended up being music. The moral of the story: don’t worry about the how, worry about the what. What do you want? That’s all that matters. I always wanted to be at the top, to be a big influence, to have a voice. To be able to say something and have it mean something. I thought I was going to be Brad Pitt, the next best director in the world. I do music now, here we are.
AllHipHop: What is it about Hollywood that you are attracted to?
Miles Morrison: I’m attracted to potential. I’m attracted to the misconception. I love being on the frontlines of what you think is amazing, but then realizing the amazement is actually within yourself. As corny as that sounds, I moved to Hollywood thinking I’d be best friends with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Everybody would say “yo what’s up Miles, you moved here? Easy work, come on over for tea. We’ll hook up, you’re set for life.” That’s what I figured, pretty sure my mom figured the same thing. Didn’t work out that way. Angelina Jolie didn’t hit me up, that’s f##ked up. [laughs] I realized happiness is actually within. I’m living in Hollywood, I’m signed with a label I’ve always wanted to be signed with. I’m living everything but you’re still constantly questioning what the hell is going on? As a creative, you’re always wondering: are you doing enough?
AllHipHop: Signing to Epic is amazing, congrats.
Miles Morrison: It is what it is, but I haven’t bought my mom a house yet. When I buy my mom a house, then we can talk.
AllHipHop: How’d the Epic Records come about?
Miles Morrison: Honestly, the Epic deal came about because of my manager Raj. The guy’s been with me since day one. He listened to my music when it was the worst music. It’s still not the best but we’re working on it. Many moons ago, Rodge was listening to my music when it sounded like a couple of f##king spoons clacking together. He believed in it. He s##t on me like an older brother, but he always kept his eye on me. Told me to keep working, now it’s an honor to have him be my manager. He’s a big player in the game, he has a great ear. I’m happy to be on his team.
AllHipHop: You released your Hollywoodland EP, how does it feel to have it out?
Miles Morrison: It really feels good. Hurry up and wait, I signed a record deal and I expected a parade. I thought the entire country was for sure shutting down, but it didn’t. They kept moving. I’m excited. Honestly, the only people who can understand how good I feel are my team. My producer, I have to give everything to HNNBL. We’ve been working on this for so many years. We still don’t have what we want: a voice. We want to be heard, we want to entertain people. We know what it takes to make people feel good, nothing makes us happier than making people feel good. I want people to feel good in their own skin, that’s it. It’s that simple.
AllHipHop: You said: “I wrote a story about a guy having a nine to five and then one day saving a girl and following her down a rabbit hole of revenge.” How does that relate to your journey in Hollywood?
Miles Morrison: Here we go, alright. “Take Me Away” is a metaphor, the entire series is a metaphor. The woman character represents Hollywood for me, something I’ve always worshipped and been passionate about. Been willing to follow till the end to a fault. I’ve slipped down that slope. Hollywood has the ability to give you what it wants and take what it needs. Hollywood to me is that woman, that heartbreak, that love story. You have to know how to balance it exactly how you’d balance a relationship.
It’s wild, you slip down the slope and you don’t realize why you were here in the first place. You’re here to be an entertainer. You’re here to work, to sharpen your craft. You’re here to be the best, to be the greatest. If you’re even decent, you get invited into this circle that shows you a light that’s very attractive. It’s an awesome light that can definitely either send you down the wrong path or right path. The whole point of the album is to be able to trust your own gut. Trust your own diet, take your own dosage. I’m not a doctor, all I’m telling you is move to Hollywood and see what happens. There will be ups and downs, it’s going to be a rollercoaster.
AllHipHop: Is it overwhelming, being right in the heart of Hollywood?
Miles Morrison: It’s very very very overwhelming. I hate to quote a cheerleading movie, but I will. Bring It On: if you want to be the best, you got to beat the best. I told myself in Michigan, I told all my friends, I told everyone “I’ma to be this, I’ma to be that.” That doesn’t mean s##t until you move to Hollywood and actually do it. This is the place to make it happen. These are the most attractive, most talented people in the world. This is the hardest place to make it, that’s where I wanted to be.
AllHipHop: What songs mean the most to you and why?
Miles Morrison: “Take Me Away” definitely means the most. Being a musician, my purpose as a songwriter is more in the melodic lanes. The melodies I can come up with, the hooks I can write, the songs I can create separates me from other rappers. I’m a great rapper. I know I can do my craft, but I’m starting to explore other aspects of my craft.
AllHipHop: I actually had the pleasure of interviewing Stunna Girl, talk about linking with her & Yo Gotti on “Go Out.”
Miles Morrison: I didn’t have much of a say in that, more of a label thing. She’s amazing, I love her style. She’s self-made, she made it off TikTok before anyone did. That’s f##king amazing, someone who can find a way to get their name out there. She’s more poppin’ than I am. I’m not hip on TikTok yet, I’m trying to get on it. I have the utmost respect for her. I was really excited when they said “we’re going to try this girl Stunna on here.” She brings a unique sound to the song. She gives a voice to the younger women who want to pop off and have fun. They don’t want to only hear guys talking s##t. I don’t think anyone talks better s##t than Stunna Girl, I was really happy to have her on the track.
AllHipHop: Do you smoke?
Miles Morrison: I‘m a big marjuana fan. Marjuana is great for everybody, take it at your own pace. Stay chill, stay calm. Everybody love everybody. We’re dealing with a lot of bulls##t right now, it’s tough. You have to do this much on your social media, this much protesting. It’s really key for people who are overwhelmed to be a part of the movement. To be themselves and be positive, make sure they understand what’s going on. Don’t be overwhelmed by how much you can do or what you can do, make sure you’re there. That’s it.
I’ve been overwhelmed by it personally. I’m here in LA, right in the trenches. I’m on the frontlines. My manager can attest, I’ve been beat by the police officers. I’ve had s##t shot at us. It’s a lot, but it’s nothing compared to what they’ve been through. I can’t even fathom or speak on it. For anybody in the s##t, try to understand what they can do. Don’t be overwhelmed, keep it moving. If you multiply that by 300 million, that’s enough.
AllHipHop: What are some goals for yourself at this point?
Miles Morrison: My biggest goal is to grow my voice to be honest. I have the ability to make it happy, I want to do that on a massive scale. I want people to understand how beautiful they are, that’s it. It doesn’t even matter what it is, do it and make sure that it’s you. It’s not cool to be a rapper, it’s cool to be you. I want people to be proud to do whatever. You don’t have to be an actor, a rockstar, a rapper, be proud of what you do and do it to the best of your ability. Considering current times, don’t be racist. [laughs]
AllHipHop: Anything else you want to let us know?
Miles Morrison: I miss you.