AllHipHop.com was in Chicago at Nation of Islam’s Saviours’ Day celebration this past weekend to host a town hall discussion for youth. While we were there, we got to spend some time with rapper JT The Bigga Figga, who’s been missing from the recording scene for something like five years!!
What we didn’t know is that JT has been making BIG dollars in the digital marketing arena, and he schooled the kiddies at our workshop with some of the best advice we’ve heard in a while for getting their paper up. Afterwards, JT spilled the beans on an upcoming money-making venture from the O.G. homie, Snoop Dogg.
Check the video for our EXCLUSIVE scoop from JT The Bigga Figga:
For those that don’t know, ASAP Rocky is named after the god of rap, Rakim. Well, Angie Martinez of Hot 97 interviewed the young rapper and gave him the shock of his career.
She introduced him to Rakim for the first time and he lost all his cool, an awesome kind of way. But, what is more interesting is the back story that includes ASAP’s mother.
Owey is representative of the streets of Pittsburgh. His newest mixtape Donks, Dimes, & Diamonds Hosted by Baton Rogue’s own DJ 5150 is Owey’s theme music for the streets. “Donks Dimes & Diamonds” features local hits such as “No Reason” and “Her, Her, & Her” fe “Gone Off The Trap” and “She Wants A Thug” feat. Wiz Khalifa. Owey and his Seven Tre Mafia crew have big things planned for 2012 with numerous mixtapes and videos in the making. Expect Owey to become a household name soon enough.
AllHipHop.com: What makes you unique as an artist?
Owey: There’s a lot of passion behind my music. I want people to feel my music. Everything I rap about are things I’ve actually been through or have seen first-hand and I think people identify with that and can relate to it.
AllHipHop.com: When did you first discover Hip-Hop and what does it mean to you?
Owey: It was 1988 when I first got a LL Cool J album. My dad always played records for me when I was younger so I was exposed to music at a young age. I didn’t really rap until 2007. I initially only wanted to do it for fun, as something on the side. A lot of people where I’m from took a liking to my music so I stuck with it.
AllHipHop.com: Which artists have inspired you?
Owey: Biggie, Tupac, Soulja Slim, Master P. I am inspired by artist with longevity which is what I’m trying to accomplish.
AllHipHop.com: What is unique about the city of Pittsburgh?
Owey: There are different sounds and a lot of variety to the music that comes from Pittsburgh. There is also a street side to the music that a lot of people do not know yet. Pittsburgh is rougher than how it is portrayed.
AllHipHop.com: How do you think your music represents Pittsburgh’s music scene?
Owey: My music represents the struggle. I’m a voice from the streets because I have been through the same struggles of many people from Pittsburgh. A lot of people from here relate to me and have seen me in the streets before. My music is reality; things that have really happened to me and people from my city. Wiz and Mac represent Pittsburgh in one way because they have a particular sound that is different from mine. I think that my music tells a different story and puts Pittsburgh in a different perspective.
AllHipHop.com: How does your type of music affect the culture in general?
Owey: It’s real life issues that a lot of people don’t deal with. Like relationship issues, and street life. A lot of people may be afraid to speak on the issues that I address but my music is bold.
AllHipHop.com: What’s the biggest misconception about you, your music, or your city?
Owey: That everything I make is trapped out. Or that I’m a trap artist, making trap music. I am a diverse artist; I make different types of music, touching on different topics. I think people don’t see how rough my city is. There hasn’t been anyone who is really relatable coming from Pittsburgh. I come from the inner city, I am Pittsburgh. In a way, Pittsburgh has been misrepresented as far as the streets are concerned. I want people to see what Pittsburgh is really like, what is portrayed in the media is different. My music showcases it.
AllHipHop.com: What have been your biggest struggles so far?
Owey: My biggest struggle has been trying to stay alive. Even though, I am doing this rap thing, I am still seen all over the city. I am active, touchable. I have to try to be safe and watch myself at all times.
AllHipHop.com: What projects are you currently working on?
Owey: Currently I’m touring. I have been working on the Racketeering mixtape. I just released Donks Dimes & Diamonds in December. Recently I have been making daily webisodes of a day in the life of Owey so that people can get to see and get a feel for who I am as a persona and an artist. I just put out the Racketeering mixtape February 17 hosted by DJ Cash Crook of Large In Da Streets.
AllHipHop.com: How can people get in contact with you?
Owey: You can contact me on Twitter @OG_Owey. I follow back and talk to my fans.
AllHipHop.com: Anything else you would like people to know?
Owey: I just want people to watch me grow as an artist. I plan to be one of the biggest in the game.
All the news and rumors surrounding YMCMB and their recent signings has to make you really wonder how many artists will actually “live up to the hype” of the label once their projects get released. Can that much attention be dispersed throughout all of the projects to give them a fair shot at achieving success??? Only time will tell.
In an AllHipHop.com interview a while back, Birdman revealed, “Well, we got a big roster coming next year. Nicki’s coming out…Tyga, Twist, Bow Wow, myself, Kevin Rudolph, Jay Sean. Wayne got another album, everybody. I mean, we’re gonna drop 10 to 14 albums in the first six months of the year, so everybody’s cocked and loaded. It’s all about the music first, and everything else comes after that. It’s music with us and then whatever else.”
Well, it looks like Birdman LOWERED the anty to XXL, recently announcing his plans to drop 15+ albums this year, beginning with last week’s release of Tyga’s Careless World: Rise of the Last King which is set to debut with over 80,000 copies sold which is not a terrible look for the “Rack City” creator.
He stated, “We’re a brand and we don’t want to be categorized as one type of brand.”
Up next is Lil Twist’s Don’t Get It Twisted and Nicki Minaj’s Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded which will both drop this spring, as will Birdman’s fifth studio album, Bigger Than Life and Bow Wow’s new project Underrated, so for the time being it’s all Rap-related for YMCMB at least until summertime.
Then you’ve got Busta Rhymes, Mystikal, newly signed artists Christiana Milian, Limp Bizkit, and the rumored signing of Ashanti. Mix that in with Lil Wayne’s I Am Not A Human Being 2 and a possible new album from Drake and it’s going to be a busy year.
How many more artists will ink with YMCMB this year, and which of their upcoming releases are you looking forward to most? Which are destined to fail? Will anyone besides Weezy, Nicki, and Drake really make any loot???? Questions!!!
Welcome to the first day of the rest of your life! Everyday that you wake up is another opportunity to do it better than before. Today’s Daily Word is dedicated to having patience. If you are from New York or any other major city that has a subway system, then you will agree with me when I say that the countdown clock until the train arrives has to be the
greatest invention ever made. Before its existence, it was the most grueling thing to wait on the subway platform having to guess when the next train was coming.
If you don’t know what I mean, then imagine being at the airport and your plane is delayed for whatever reason…. What if the new time of arrival was unknown?? I bet it would drive you crazy! That is because as humans we are hard-wired to be impatient and to have certainty. We have a fear of the unknown, and our need for control makes us lose it if we are not certain. This is why people would rather stay at a dead-end job instead of taking a leap and following their dream… They have to be certain that their dream will work… Most people are not willing to take the chance and jeopardize their “so-called” security.
And what about those who took the leap but are ready to give up because success is not coming fast enough? They
gave it a shot, but because they set an expectation on when success would happen, they are ready to go back to what they know for sure. The truth of the matter is that success is about having faith and being patient! As much as we would like it, there isn’t any countdown clock to success. Success happens when preparation meets opportunity. Putting a time limit on when it will happen is setting yourself up for disaster!
The only thing that you should know for sure is that if you believe in something, want it bad enough, and are working towards it, then it will absolutely be yours… No ifs, ands, or buts…. Stop trying to rush your success! What’s yours is yours, and no one can take that away from you! The more you believe in yourself and your abilities the easier your journey will be! Have Patience!! You are going in the right direction, so the only thing you have to do is keep
going!!
-Ash’Cash
“The key to everything is patience. You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not by smashing it.” -Arnold H. Glasgow
“Only those who have to do simple things perfectly will acquire the skill to do difficult things easily.” -Friedrich von Schiller
“Patience is waiting. Not passively waiting. That is laziness. But to keep going when the going gets tough – that is patience.” -Unknown
“You usually have to wait for that which is worth waiting for.” -Craig Bruce
“Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.” -Jean-Jacques Rousseau
“Follow your heart, but be quiet for a while first. Ask questions, then feel the answer. Learn to trust your heart.” -Unknown
“If we are facing in the right direction, all we have to do is keep on walking.” -Buddhist Proverb
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with one small step.” -Old Chinese Proverb
TO HEAR THE AUDIO VERSION OF THE DAILY WORD – CLICK HERE.
Ash’Cash is a Business Consultant, Motivational Speaker, Financial Expert and the author of Mind Right, Money Right: 10 Laws of Financial Freedom. For more information, please visit his website, www.IamAshCash.com.
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