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2/6/2006 What's up Aztek? I've been working in the studio, making it happen. I'm getting ready to execute. What have you been up to the past couple of months? Life's been great. I've been learning a lot and have seen a lot of new things. Life's been real great since our last interview. How's your album coming? It's coming along nice. My album is going to be a masterpiece, a work of art. I've put a lot of work into it. I wake up and go to sleep thinking about it. It's going to be about my whole life. It's going to shock the world. There have been a lot of rumors that you fabricated your past. What's your response to that? I know who I am. People can look me in my eyes and listen to my voice to see and hear the truth. I have no need to clarify or try to clarify who I am. Listen to my words and you'll know who I am. My life story, to me, is a very sacred thing. I only put it out there for people to learn from it and help them if they're going through the same thing. I'm showing that if you suffered, you can come out of it and still be successful. I like that there are people out there trying to throw dirt on my name. It keeps me motivated. What's the most challenging part about recording the album? Finding the right tracks. I'm a very picky person when it comes to beats. The beat has to match my mood at the time. It has to touch my soul. It's been a lot of fun too. There's a certain expectation of how an album should sound coming from Houston, can you comment on that? This is what I'd love to clarify to the world. I'm Columbian, first and foremost. My family came from Columbia and moved to Houston. I definitely don't have a Houston style. People say that I don't fuck with Houston artists and Houston artists don't fuck with me. Real recognize real. The artists that do matter in Houston fuck with me. I've never been a Houston artist. I'm Columbian. My style is like no one else's, and it's going to stay that way. I would never try to sound like anyone else. Do you have a release date? Sometime this year for sure. Are you happy with how things are going at Def Jam so far? I don't expect nobody to do anything for me. Def Jam is a platform and I'm going to put the machine to work. I'm trying to do as much as I can by myself. Whenever it's time to shock the world, then I'll show the world why I signed to a label like Def Jam. How's your relationship with Jay? Jay is like a big brother to me. I use him for his advice and wisdom. I talk to him every day. Every time we speak, I learn something new. How's your new mixtape coming? It's done. It's 16 tracks talking about what I've been going through since I've been signed. It's just me. There are no features on it. I didn't feel it was necessary. It's going to come with a DVD showing my day-to-day life. It's going to show people who Aztek is. "Close to the Throne" has been buzzing lately. What was your inspiration for writing that? I heard that in New York. I know a lot of people rapped over it, but like I said, I need beats that touch my soul. When I was listening to the beat, the first couple lines popped in my head and I just kept going with it. When are you going to drop the mixtape? The mixtape should be dropping next week sometime. How do you feel about the way Hispanic people are treated in the Hip Hop game? I feel that we should get more respect. We shouldn't just get awards at Latin awards. Give me an award that everyone is eligible for, not just Hispanics. A lot of the Hip Hop game is built off a product that came from our country. We deserve a lot more respect and I'm going to make sure that I knock down enough walls so that we get what we deserve. I should not be the only rapper in my culture in my position. The most famous Hip Hop movie is "Scarface" and he was Cuban. I can bang with the best of them, pound-for-pound. Anybody that wants to test that theory, bring it to me. How do you feel about reggaeton? I love reggaeton. Reggaeton is a beautiful branch. It's another branch of Hispanic culture and I love it. Has anyone tried to get you do to a reggaeton track? People have asked me to do it. I'll do it if I feel the beat and I like the artist that's doing it. I like Tego Calderon. I'll do it on a revolutionary level to move the movement forward. I don't do anything just to do it or to get money. I wouldn't do it like that. Are other Hispanic artists repping their culture the right way? There's a couple that are. You just have to be you. It's never been done the right way because we still are where we are. I feel like there are artists that are trying and it's definitely a movement. What's going on with your group The Wolfpack? This isn't just a rap group, it's a movement of the people I grew up with. If you're down with the movement, you're down with The Wolfpack. A common misconception of it is that it's a Hispanic movement. I don't care what you are, if you're down with the movement, you're down with The Wolfpack. I understand something happened with one of the members… A couple of months ago, my cousin was shot. One of the members of The Wolfpack got a murder charge. I'm going to make sure he's comfortable until we win his appeal. How's your cousin? He's doing good. How are you approaching the Hip Hop game in 2006? I'm approaching it with my guns out. I want to give a voice to the people that don't have a voice. I have a lot of goals that I set for myself that I want to make happen. I'm just coming into the game like that. People who want to come against me and say these certain things, I welcome all of that. If they're not saying nothing about you, then obviously you're not doing something right. For people to type about you is a beautiful thing to me. Everyone hating should form some sort of coalition against me and give it your best shot. What do you want to accomplish in 2006? I want to do an XXL cover with a photo shoot in Columbia, I want to be #1 everywhere, and I'm going to shock the world with my first-week album sales. What do you want to say to everyone? Be ready. The people who support Aztek and The Wolfpack, you're supporting the right thing. The people who don't like me and are coming at me with words, if you're not coming at me with bullets, then you're not going to kill me. That's what it is.

By Brian Kayser

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