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2/20/2006 How are you doing? Everything's good. I can't complain. I have a new situation. Everything is new on the table. I have a company called Quiet INK and that's really what it's all about right now. What have you been up to lately? I got a release out of the contract with Elektra in 2004. I left with all of my publishing and master copies. I had a great deal coming in but I had an even better deal coming out. Now I'm able to fully focus on the business aspect and my ghostwriting work behind the scenes, which are really my two passions. How has the ghostwriting been doing? Writing is where it's at. It's been going fantastic. There are a lot of cats out nowadays that claim to be ghostwriting. That's like the new, cool thing to say. Ghostwriting is a technique and it's a full-time job. A lot of people do it on the side but I do it as a full-time job. The clients keep coming and it pays well. It's steady and it's a full-time business. It's funny that you want to be behind the scenes when most MC's want to be out there. When I first signed my deal at Elektra and we shot a video for "If I Could Go," it was a real awkward experience for me. Anybody that knows me knows that I'm a real quiet dude. Being on TV was something that I never liked or took to. It was a matter of deciding if I really wanted to do that full-time. During that process, I started ghostwriting. I got my first ghostwriting check for $115,000. I said to myself, "If I can get $115,000 by not being on TV, why would I want to be on TV?" That's more money than a lot of rappers make. To each his own. A lot of people come into this business and want to be famous. They'll compromise their integrity, publishing, and royalties. They won't really care about that as long as they're on TV. Then there are guys like myself and writers who I aspire to be like, like David Foster, Dallas Austin, Diane Warren, and Brian Michael Cox, who can be behind the scenes, have what the rappers have, and still be able to go to the mall and not be bothered. There are a million rappers out there right now. Why should someone go to you for a verse instead of someone else? Because I'm not in the "rap circle." You'll never know who I write for and vanity's a motherfucker! I think that's why I'm able to keep the clientele that I keep. I'm a ghostwriter and I play the background and I'm dope. (laughs) The big thing right now for ghostwriters is to tell who you wrote for. That defeats the purpose in my opinion. I get paid to shut-up. What are the ethics of ghostwriting? There are no real ethics. You can do whatever you want to do. My style is different. When I sit down, I really write for that artist. Everyone always asks me to tell them who I write for, but I can't do that. That's my ethics. How many times a day do you get asked who you wrote for? People will hear a record, call me, and tell me, "I know you wrote that." They'll harass me about that record. My son's mom doesn't even know who I wrote for and she got tired of asking. If you never tell anyone who you wrote for, how are people supposed to believe that you've ever ghostwritten anything? Fuck people. The thing with me is, real recognize real. I bump into a lot of cats at the car wash. That's how they know I'm about what I say I'm about. They see what I'm washing. That's how I met 7 Aurelius. Ask him. I was moving out of my penthouse apartment in Battery Park and my leasing agent told me that he wanted to look at it. One thing about me is that I'm a grown man. I'm never in my life trying to prove anything to anybody. You can't prove anything to anybody. People will believe what they want, but please believe, there are more cats who know than those who don't know. If a ghostwriter can have so many hits for other people, why can't a ghostwriter have a successful career as an artist as well? I can't speak for other ghostwriters. On my album I have a song called "Mr. Guantalo Ahi," which is my alias. The verse says, "others ain't understand the music I was doing/So I ghostwrote and they rapped along, niggas is foolish." That's basically what it is. A lot of times you write for people that don't understand your music. A lot of dudes have a problem with me in the industry. Does ghostwriting take away from the authenticity of the music? Again, to each his own. To the guys who don't write…90% of the game doesn't write. Most R&B artists don't write. Most female R&B artists don't write, and only about 50% of rappers write. I'm not really concerned with the lifestyle of the person I'm writing for. I read interviews all the time when I'll write a song for somebody and the interviewer will say, "How did you come up with that concept?" and they'll just make something up. It's all good. Why is authenticity more important in Hip Hop than in R&B or pop music? Because Hip Hop is wack. There's really no other way to put it. Hip Hop is wack. Only the zombies are left. It seems like the majority appreciates personality and images over quality. I don't think people know what they appreciate anymore. If they knew, there wouldn't be so many wack artists coming out and there wouldn't be so many wack artists coming out and getting new money and so many talented artists wouldn't have to play the background like they do. George Carlin says, "There's a big club out there and you're not in it." We spoke about this before. You're not in it and I'm not in it. There are ways to get in it, Raz-B from B2K is in it, but I'm not trying to get in it. (laughs) It is what it is. If Hip Hop were different today, would you try to be an artist? I hate to sound arrogant, but I'm a numbers man. I signed a five-album, five-year, $4.4 million deal. Nobody had a deal like that. In actuality, I did more, still, even in my absence, than a lot of artists have done now. Every New York artist is still not selling what Ang (Angie Martinez) sold. News flash, she's not a rapper! C'mon man, you have to take it for what it is sometimes. How come you've never dropped an album? I don't know. I don't know. I'm trying to find a correct way to answer the question, but I'm not sure. Some days I just wake up and say, "I don't want to rap." Fortunately, I can say that. Some dudes can't because they don't have a Plan B. We had a conversation a couple months ago where I told you, "I quit." People in this business are too full of shit for me. There is a part of me that says I need to just tell the world my story and stop backing down from interviews. I don't do interviews. I turn down interviews all the time. I've been my own problem as much as these fake industry dudes. What made you want to do this interview? I needed to do an interview, if for nobody else, then my fans. I'm so used to not saying anything that even when I do an interview now, it's awkward for me because I'm not used to talking. I'm used to doing. I want to do this interview now because I have this company called Quiet INK. I got 240 song placements on TV right now. I have a female that I'm working with named Karima from Stockholm, Sweden, who is going to be the biggest pop star. I have a female rapper named Cristi from Alabama with green eyes that is going to make you forget about all other female rappers. Due to all the work that that I have done, I have the leverage to put out all these artists. As a result, I'm playing the background again. How have all your past experiences made you a good manager and someone who can develop talent? A lot of people don't know that I used to manage Marcelle Larice. She's an actress from Los Angeles who was the former host of BET's "Teen Summit" and had a sitcom on UPN with Jenny McCarthy called "Bad Girl's Guide." I signed with Angie Martinez to Elektra as an artist. I was 20 years-old when I started working on her album. I executive produced her album and I did the marketing for the East Coast region. I sat in on the marketing meetings and was able to see how the industry worked. I was able to take a lot of things into my own company and develop it. I learned everything hands-on. Honestly, that's the reason why these cats don't want to deal with me. In this business, you can't be too dumb, but you can't be too smart either. If they don't feel they can make money off you, they don't want you. I've had meetings with some people and nothing ever went down. I can't be taken advantage of. Do you have a lot of one-off deals or a lot of recurring business in the game? I had a meeting with Dame Dash. I only took the meeting because of Clark Kent. Clark met me at The Hit Factory. He's a cool dude. Clark is my man. Clark invited me up there. Dame didn't tell me, but he told Clark that he didn't hear any hits. I wonder, with all the artists he's putting out, how he would even be able to determine what a hit is. I think the whole rap industry can understand that. That's a prime example. Why do you think executives don't give you respect? They do, but in private. God forbid that show anybody love in public. Is it frustrating dealing with industry heads? I met Eric Nicks, who is an exec at Motown, through a mutual friend. A very credible friend and a friend who spoke highly of Eric Nicks. The friend told him my album was done, and all Eric said was, "Good luck." It's not frustrating, it's funny. It really is. I'm not frustrated. I really do feel bad for all the other dudes who just rap and don't have anything else to do. They're the ones standing outside the label ready to shoot the place up. Are you going to drop an album? I have an album that I have been perfecting for the past two years. I'll go back-and-forth on it, adding things to it…if a verse is real hot, I'll keep it. I never knew what I wanted to do so I wrote the album. A lot of people like what they hear. They tell me, "If you don't do anything else, you have to put this album out." I have a situation at Universal where I can put it out, but I'm not sure. It depends how I feel when I wake up tomorrow. So you're taking things on a day-to-day basis? I take everything on a day-to-day basis. I should call my album "Freedom Town" because that's my life. I make more money writing and doing other things. Putting an album out independently would mean I'd make a lot of money. I've been talking to some labels overseas as well. Most of my album is done by Swedish producers. You wouldn't know it because Hip Hop is Hip Hop. When the time is right, I'll make that move. I also love my fans and my people, Latinos. This whole reggaeton movement excites me. I'm a big fan of Pitbull and seeing guys like Daddy Yankee and Don Omar inspire me. How's your TV show coming? Quiet INK is a film and production company. We're not a record label. That's cliché. Everybody has a record label. We have a show called "South Beach Style" in development for WB. It's hosted by one of the most beautiful girls in the world, Sheryl K. The show is models interviewing the movers and shakers. We did John Singleton, Eddie Murphy, and Snoop Dogg. I'm not on camera. I'm just producing the show. The show has been doing well. I still have love for the business, I just don't like the characters in it. We'll be at the NAPA Convention next year for sure. Where do you see the show going? Like my man Puff says, "We're just trying to preserve the sexiness." We're just trying to put a show out that doesn't follow the norms. You're not going to see too many young guys producing a show and not be on it. There's nothing like this show on television. There are a lot of people interested. There is a well-known female billionaire interested in this. We're taking it day-by-day making moves. Do you have other ideas for shows? Absolutely. We have other stuff that we're writing. That's why we're "Quiet INK." One of my partners, Nuria Brillembourg, just sold a Spanish show called "Tomalo Suave" to Univision. We're working on sitcoms and shows. I've been writing a movie for a while for Tony Scott to do. He did "Man on Fire" and "Domino." I've been writing a lot of different things. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. I'm not going to keep going to record labels looking for a deal. There are a lot of dudes that don't like me, and I don't like them, so that makes two of us. Do you have a lot of allies in the game? Yeah. The people that are with me are powerful and I could call on them, but I don't want to call on them. I don't want to force anything. I came in with one of the most powerful people in the game. Angie and I used to laugh at all of this. I have a lot of friends that can make a lot of calls. I'm doing all right so it's all good. Are you still cool with Angie Martinez today? Absolutely. My relationship with Ang is eternal. It's way bigger than rap. How important was "If I Could Go" to your career? When that came out and we started doing interviews, I would laugh out of my chair when cats would say it was only getting spins because she was at the station. Hot97 is Infinity Broadcasting. We didn't get any spins there. Go check. All of our spins were from Top 40 stations. We were on Billboard for twenty-four consecutive weeks in the top 20. That's huge. I haven't seen a record that can compare to that besides 50 Cent. As far as New York, I haven't seen that since. Before cats check up on me, they need to check up on these dudes shopping these horrible records. I'm still getting a check for a record that's five years old. A lot of these dude's records can't even last a month. There are a lot of horrible records coming out of New York. I hate to break the news. If a song you ghostwrote doesn't come out how you wanted it to, do you get involved? Sometimes. I never write in advance. That's my thing. Sometimes I'll be writing and I won't want it, so I'll put it aside for someone later. Then when I hook up with them, I'll tweak it depending on what state they're from and what they say. You have to be able to adjust it to them. Sometimes I'll write a verse that's crazy and I'll just keep it for myself. I put out three volumes of mixtapes just to let cats know that I'm still here. I started my "Sacario the Boss" mixtape series last summer and we've been flooding New York with a lot of those verses. How long do you get to know the artist before you write a verse for them? It depends. Personally, I'm like a method actor. If I'm writing for somebody, I like to have them talk to me for a little while. I'll have somebody talk to me at least for an hour. I'll see how they pronounce their words and what slang words they use. I'll see how fast they talk. I'll listen to their older music and study them. That way, I can write a song for them and it doesn't sound like it was written by anyone but them. Do you put a price-tag on your verses after you right them? It depends. I've done hooks for $8,000. It depends on the person, the budget…sometimes people will come with a price and ask if they can get something. Sometimes I'll call my publisher and see if I can get some work on someone. Everything comes through BMI, if you want a hit. I'm always in the building. Do you ever find any difficulty writing songs that come from different regions? I'm a method writer. Look at Denzel Washington. He can do "The Preacher's Son" and then go and do "Training Day." You have to embody the person you're writing for. Other ghostwriters can't really answer these questions because they're not writing for anybody. I'll spend time with a person and be able to write a song for them. One female I wrote a song for, after I gave her a song, she was like, "How did you know all that?" It was because we talked. It's just like saying, "How can a guy rap about a guy?" Don't you know that most of these songwriters writing for females are guys? They're not gay. Well, some of them are. A lot of them just know how to switch it up, like myself. There's a method to it. It must still be awkward making a sexy song about a dude. I was in Sound on Sound in Manhattan and I was referencing the record to my client. I like to do it with the adlibs. I want it to sound just like it would on the album. They walked right in when I was saying something about a dude. I busted out laughing. I didn't want them walking out thinking that Sacario is writing songs for dudes. It does feel awkward, but you get used to it after awhile. I do write for a lot of girls. What advice do you have for up-and-coming MC's? I definitely wouldn't encourage kids to become rappers because rap right now is stunted in growth. There are 40 year-old dudes dressing and acting like children. From a business perspective, that looks corny. It's still a $2 billion annual business. Hate it or love it, Hip Hop still has a presence in the marketplace. I definitely wouldn't encourage kids to do this. I would tell them to learn how to talk first. If a lot of rappers knew how to speak and conduct a conversation, a lot of their songs would reach a broader audience. If you can't speak and hold a conversation, how can you talk to an audience. Learn how to read. That's why Canibus was so hot. He's a smart dude. Learn how to read, then rap. What's the corniest trend you see in Hip Hop? The fake industry dude. You know the guy. He's everywhere. He's the guy who just got the Sidekick or the Crackberry with the horrendous earpiece. He knows all the latest Hip Hop lingo, says "holler" a lot…Fast talker, real corny. That's the guy. I hate that guy.0 Did you ever get mad about people talking about your voice and who it sounded like? I got frustrated. I definitely was frustrated for awhile. It bothered me because it took away from people hearing how dope I am if all you're focusing on is my voice. I did me. I didn't see it. I feel like you should judge someone by who they are, not by what they sound like. There was always more differences than similarities. I don't get those comparisons anymore. What else do you want to get into? I want to finish writing these movies and this television stuff. I'm working on finishing the script for "South Beach Style" and I'm working on finishing these other shows. We've got great relationships with people like Christina Norman and Richard Parsons. We're trying to write more television shows. As far as the music, Cristi's new single, "Twist," is done. We're going to release Kerima's single "Under My Skirt" and my single is called "Okay Playboi." It's going to be a busy year. I am going to release my album when the time is right. You're definitely going to hear that this year, sooner than you think. Remember Quiet INK Productions. What do you want to say to everyone? I'm a Latino, you know how I do. I represent pa vida! For everybody out there that was wondering what happened to me, I'm doing real good. Thanks for the support. You can check me at myspace.com/sacariotheboss. Thank you for doing the interview because you have cornball websites that act like they're promoting all Hip Hop but they're only promoting some Hip Hop. And to all of the suits out there, fuck you very much! You may have my signature but you will never have my soul.

By Brian Kayser

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