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4/10/2006 What's up, Shaun? I'm chilling. What can you tell us about your new venture Mixtape Movies? I got together with Draze a couple of years ago and this kid has talent. We started talking about the music game and taking his stuff to the next level. We came up with Mixtape Movies. "Trading Places" is the first one. It's real big. We're excited about bringing a new sound to Hip Hop. Draze is going to be the new face of New York and Seattle. How would you describe Mixtape Movies for everyone who hasn't seen it? I would say Mixtape Movies take old classics like "Scarface" and you put a new song over it. It's a clever way to put everything together. Why did you want to do this? The movies are really just the next step for everything we've been doing. Draze had a bunch of great songs and we had to come up with a new way to hear them. Where do you see Mixtape Movies going in the future? I see it having its own station like MTV. Are you getting involved in any other Hip Hop ventures? I've always got my mind and my hands in things. I know several people in the game like Mario Winans. I'm not a rapper or a singer. I just enjoy seeing people challenge themselves and try something new. I connect people together. What are some similarities between football and Hip Hop? I think the biggest similarity is that there are always people working hard to become the best and no one ever stays the best. The best keep on working and getting better and changing the game. There are guys with talent and there are guys with less talent but a lot of drive. How influenced are your teammates by Hip Hop? I think there are always a couple of guys on every team freestyling for fun. I don't think they want to take it to a professional level. Do you have any plans to start a record label? If I did start a label, it would definitely be after I retire because right now, football is my first job and I have to stay focused on that. Is it hard telling who your friend is and who wants to use you for money? No. I didn't change my stable. People have to go through the ringer to get to me. How good did it feel to see Seattle step up and keep you? I wanted to be in Seattle and they knew that. My family is there and we have a great team that we've put together. How's your offseason going? I'm having a lot of good times. With the MVP, it kind of takes it to another level. Will your critics finally be silenced now that you're an MVP? I don't think that the great players ever silence the critics. Even Emmett Smith, who's broken all the records, they still argue if he was the best. Back in the day, they were saying he was too small to win a Super Bowl. The critics jump on you no matter what. Until I retire, I probably won't get the great honors. Do you even pay attention to the critics? I don't pay attention to nobody. For me, I want to be a great running back and get better. You set your goals before the season and then you go after them. What are your goals for next season? To get better from last year. That's been my goal for the past five years. Matt Hasselbeck still sounds a little heated about the officiating during the Super Bowl. How do you feel about the officiating in the Super Bowl today? I'm a winner, so I'm never going to feel good about losing the Super Bowl. I think we'd be giving too much credit to the referees if we said we lost only because of them. The media has never given the Seahawks a lot of respect. Is that going to change now? I think we earned respect towards the middle of the season last year when we started knocking off the big teams. We have one goal for next year, and that's to end the season with a win in Miami. How important is family to you? My family is the second-most important thing to me. Faith is one, and football is third. Is it hard balancing your time during the season? I'm constantly balancing my time. I'm pulled in every direction from doing things with my family, doing things with my church, doing things with my team…I'm always going to have a plan because if you don't have a plan, you'll fall for anything. I just stay focused on what I'm doing. What do you want to say to everyone? Go to MixtapeMovies.com and watch Draze because he's the next big thing in the Hip Hop world. If you've got a family, love them like crazy. http://www.mixtapemovies.com/

By Brian Kayser

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