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4/17/2006 What's up? I'm all right. I'm chilling. How do you want to introduce yourself to everyone? I'm a new breed of rapper. I'm a mix of all sorts of emotions and thought processes. I'm not going to be stuck in a certain box or anything like that. I can do everything. How did your mixtape project "It's Not a Rumor" with Whoo Kid come about? We just hired a new publicist at the top of the year, and she was his publicist also. We figured that was the next step, to do a mixtape with a major DJ on it to get the recognition and get the buzz out there. Doesn't it suck that you need that co-sign for people to pay… It's terrible. It's the worst. That's the business we're in. How did you put "It's Not a Rumor" together? We came with the idea for the format of it. We handed it to him with a script to finish it out. We recorded it in DC and sent it up to New York. Are you happy with how everything came out? I like it. It's impressive. What was your inspiration for "All On Your Own"? Right now I'm at a stage where I'm about to finish college. It's my life. I'm feeling that nobody else is going to do me but me. Nobody else is going to put me on TV or anything but me. Everybody in the Hip Hop game that's winning has a strong team. You have to take in context. Of course you need people, but you have to be savvy to pick the right people that can help you in the right ways. Are you happy with the team you've built? Yeah. My team is at an all-time high right now. I have three or four dudes around me that's focused. We have a master plan and it's working out so far. I remember when you sent me your earlier mixtapes. It sounds like you grew a lot from those to today. That's really what's going on. I'm really still growing not only as a rapper but as a person. I'm only 21. I'm still getting a feel for it and knowing what I want to say. Now that I'm getting a grasp on that, it's about to be over. How does it feel to be graduating this year? It feels good. It feels great, actually. A lot of black dudes don't get this chance and it can only get better from here. Do you feel like your degree will help you in the rap game? Probably not. It's probably worthless as far as the rap game goes, but it'll help me as a plan b at a radio station or something like that. It will help me in life. What are your goals for the "It's Not a Rumor" mixtape? This mixtape is angled at the A&R's. this is the red dot on your forehead. This is going to get me the sit-down that's going to make me sign that deal that's going to make my pockets a little thicker. What are you looking for in a label? I'm not the most informed person on the differences in deals, so I really don't even know what the ramifications of a contract I would like is yet because I haven't dealt with it yet. I want to be on TV and I want my music to be heard. That's what it really comes down to for me. Do you feel like more people are starting to pay attention? Oh, yeah. It's started already. I have fifty preorders on the mixtape and it hasn't even come out yet. My MySpace page is crazy. My website gets thousands of hits a day. It's a snowball effect and it's working in my favor. What's next for you? I couldn't even tell you. I don't even know what's next. It will come as I go. We're going to focus on this one and in two months I'll start writing rhymes again. I like to recoup and come back strong. How does DC treat you? The love at school is there. I own Howard University as far as the music goes. Outside of that, the rap industry is not at its peak right now. The open mics are probably a battle with three people in the audience. The focus out here is on gogo music and other types of things that's not me. I have to do what I can with it. Will you be going back to New York after graduation? I'm going to go immediately. You have the inside track in New York. If you're trying to do it real big, that's one of the only places to be. Unless you're in New York, Atlanta, and maybe Miami, you're slipping. Have you started working on the album yet? I got a million songs. I've been doing songs for my album since I started rapping so that when somebody does give me the go-ahead, it's only going to take me a month to record it. The album is finished. Are you looking to put it out independently if a major doesn't bite? I'm looking for a major, but I'll put it out independently if I have to. Are you rushing a deal right now? I'm not rushing, but it's about time. Our management is definitely moving full-steam ahead on it. What's the most important thing you've done to get your name out there? Probably before the Whoo Kid tape was getting on the Smack DVD. People still recognize me off of that. Now this Whoo Kid tape is definitely the biggest thing I've done. What do you want to say to everyone reading the interview? Thanks for the support. Thanks to HipHopGame. I love the love. Hopefully you purchase the CD and support my music. That's all I have to say. The tape's about to be on every internet site on the planet. Cop it. http://apinksmusic.com http://myspace.com/apinksmusic

By Brian Kayser

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