Some people were born to follow; some people were born to lead. Verb Spielberg was born to make a difference & change the game. When other rap cats talk their talk, Verb Spielberg walks his walk and lets his actions speak for themselves. Mad talent that sends chills down your spine mixed w/ deep inner world makes Verb Spielberg one of the most outstanding artists in the rap game.

Q: Let’s imagine that a person has never heard of Verb Spielberg… How would you describe/introduce yourself?
Verb Spielberg: On the mic, just a dynamic, creative individual who loves the Art of Hip-Hop somewhere in between a Nas and Kanye West. Off the mic, just a laid back individual that likes to analyze things, a realist, and a believer. Complicated but simple.
Q: Verb Spielberg… Where did you get this name from?
Verb Spielberg: Well my favorite movie is The Usual Suspects. And it was a character in there named Verbel Kint. And at first, I took that name. But then I guess EVERYONE seen the movie and a bunch of VKs started appearing. I wanted to be original so I just kept the Verb because that's what everyone calls me. And Spielberg CREATES the best Motion Pictures. I Speak Motion Pictures. Verb Spielberg. Action!
Q: Where do you come from? What’s your background?
Verb Spielberg: I'm from 38th Street and Eastside Camden New Jersey. It’s on the borderline of Camden and a town called Pennsauken. Grew up wit good parents so I was luckier than most. Loved rap all my life.
Q: How did you “meet” hip-hop? What song or artist introduced it to you?
Verb Spielberg: Well my older cousins used to play NWA in there rooms when I was little and would tell me and my younger cousin to keep out because we was too young to listen (laughing). So when they left, we would sneak in their room and just soak it up. Later down the line I heard The Chronic (Dr Dre). And I said to myself, the way this makes me feel is how I wanna make other people feel that's when I started actually writing rhymes. I had to be 11 or 13, I forget the exact age.
Q: How did hip-hop impact your life?
Verb Spielberg: Tremendously. When everything else fails me, I always have Hip-Hop. It’s motivation, a way of life. "Rap is something u do, Hip-Hop is something u live" KRS-1
Q: What do you love most about hip-hop & why?
Verb Spielberg: Its many, many artistic forms of expression. Its evolution is something to watch. It’s also a form of therapy. Music is therapeutic. And its how my people express themselves.
Q: Do you remember your very first verse? What was it about?
Verb Spielberg: (Laughing) First line went something like "Leon Freeman, lyrical demon, rap beyond rhyme and reason" (laughing). It was absolutely about NOTHING! Just trying to say the coolest stuff possible...*smh*
Q: You’ve recorded a lot of songs so far. Do you have a perfect verse… a verse that represents Verb Spielberg to the fullest?
Verb Spielberg: All my songs have a piece of me in them but right now as we speak...I would say that unreleased Verb Spielberg freestyle I got is my mind frame nowadays. "Verb about the cream that’s it....maybe one day, for now ain’t nothin’ blowin’ but the green that's lit". That whole song sums me up right now.
Q: How would you describe your music?
Verb Spielberg: Dynamic and Creative
Q: What do you bring to the table? What do you think makes you different as an artist?
Verb Spielberg: People may say, well either you’re Kanye or you’re Nas. They never seen someone who's in between that so that makes me different right there. But sometimes they can't understand how I know so about the streets AND the other side of things like school, and whatever else in the world. So my "different" is good and bad. But it really is who I am. I bring Dynamics to the table. The streets and the "nerds" can listen to me. I'm wit all that.
Q: These days, hip-hop has a lot of different subgenres. Some artists prefer to record club bangers, some love gangsta rap songs, some tend to make conscious or political hip-hop… What’s your comfort zone?
Verb Spielberg: I also bring imagination, and creativeness....I'm comfortable in ALL of them. I just talk what I know about and seen from each subgenres. And it’s more than people would think I knew. So I like that. But I'm never really uncomfortable writing about anything. The Key Word today is...DYNAMIC (laughing)
Q: In your songs you cover a lot of different topics. Is there anything you’ll never talk about on a record?
Verb Spielberg: No. (Laughing) Like I said, it’s definitely therapeutic (for me at least). When it’s real you doin’ this regardless. I try not to be limited. Sometimes people get confused but it’s no need because I can tell u where every single one of my rhymes came from.
Q: Do you always rap about your own life experience or do you prefer to tell other people’s stories? Are you good at writing “personal” songs?
Verb Spielberg: I don't prefer to tell other peoples stories unless that's what I WANT to do. But sometimes when I write street shit, it’s best I NOT say a persons name who inspired that line (laughing). But 95 percent of the time it’s my own life experiences. I'm great at writing personal songs. If that was a genre that would be my most comfortable. Sometimes I can write it better than I can say it in a regular conversation.
Q: What inspires you when you write a song? Can you describe this process somehow?
Verb Spielberg: The world inspires. Like everyday you learn something different. The longer I don't write....the more Ima have to say when I start writing. And I can't go too long without writing (laughing). Then, sometimes lines just come to me outta thin air. On certain days more lines come to me than others (laughing). I swear. Thursdays, lines just come without me even thinking. I prefer that then to turning it off and on when I want. Even tho’ I sometimes do that when I gotta write on the spot or being rushed.
Q: Do you like freestyling? What’s easier to freestyle or to write songs?
Verb Spielberg: When I was younger freestyling was easier. Then as I got into writing more, freestyling gave way to writing. I used freestyling most to battle other people.
Q: A lot of people believe that beefing is an inevitable part of hip-hop culture. How do you feel about beefing? Have you ever had a beef w/ any rapper…any diss songs?
Verb Spielberg: Oh yeah (laughing) it’s only inevitable if somebody gets out of line. I had. My share of diss songs to other artists coming up. It’s a real crabs in the barrel mentality where I'm from. Terrible.
Q: Today a lot of people misuse the word “emcee”. Entertainers like Diddy or Jermaine Dupri don’t even rap. It’s a known fact that other people ghostwrite for them, but at the same time they call themselves “rappers” or “emcees”. In my opinion, “emcee” is an honorable title & one must earn it. Who do YOU call “master of ceremony”? Can you define the term “emcee”?
Verb Spielberg: MC...Master of Ceremony, Mic Controller, Move the Crowd, Microphone Commando (laughing) My Creations....all the greatest are MC's...to name a few, Nas, Eminem, Jay-Z, Biggie and Tupac... Somewhere in the long list is Verb Spielberg
Q: What emcees influenced you as an artist?
Verb Spielberg: Redman, Dr Dre (Death Row), Wu-Tang and Nas… in that order. Redman is my favorite rapper.
Q: What do you think of female rap?
Verb Spielberg: We need more Lauren Hills less hoes (laughing)
Q: Every year artists come and go; some of them come back… some don’t. As a matter of fact, not a lot of cats manage to stay in the game for more than a decade. What do you think of artists’ longevity in hip-hop?
Verb Spielberg: Some people are just a part of the times and the ones that last have made some timeless music at one point or another. But just being able to be in the timeline at all is a blessing.
Q: You’ve been on the grind as an independent artist for a while…have you ever regretted the path you chose? Have you ever felt like “If I had had a record deal w/ a major label, my way to the top of the game would’ve been a lot easier”?
Verb Spielberg: Nah cause I love this shit. "When its real u doin this without a record contract"-Nas- Illmatic. If I had a major deal it would be easier but every victory ends up being severely tested. And if I never get a major deal, my just do will manifest itself in a different way.
Q: What do you like about being an indie artist?
Verb Spielberg: I do what I want, when I want, however I want.
Q: It’s a known fact that Detroit doesn’t show its artists love till they make a big break. Does New Jerz… Camden to be more exact… show you love? What kind of challenges does an indie East Coast artist face?
Verb Spielberg: It’s divided up here. I get more love than most, but at the same time everybody not gonna like you. For every one person that likes you, two people hate you. I think you gotta fight a little harder to be recognized over here. But that's just my opinion.
Q: How do you see the future of the rap game? What it’s gonna be in 10 years?
Verb Spielberg: It’s gonna evolve into other genres of music. Like more rap and rock stuff. Which is cool. I think lyricism will ultimately be relevant again in due time. And the next Great Ones will keep it going if they're let in the building..."Hip-Hop ain’t dead its just the dopest shit is Underground" ~ Joe Budden
Q: How do you see yourself in the rap game? What are your goals?
Verb Spielberg: Now I'm just primarily focused on Ghostwriting...I wanna get into this writing game and inject real hip-hop in where I can so it never dies. My little cousin Apollo The Great is coming up and I wanna make sure his path ain’t as rough. Cause he gonna make it. So that's my goal. I’ll do my stuff on the side but WRITING is what I love at this point. I’ll get it soon.
Q: Outsiders/fans usually have lots of misconceptions ‘bout the rap game. What were your misconceptions? How have your ideas (of what the rap game is) changed since you became a professional emcee?
Verb Spielberg: "As I watch it go up in smoke...I'm thinkin’ Damn?, the game look ugly when you up this close" ~ Verb Spielberg
Q: Name industry people (artists and/or producers) you’d be privileged to work w/.
Verb Spielberg: Nas, Jay, Eminem, Pharrell, The Alchemist, Diddy, Alicia Keys, Lupe, Jay Electronica, etc. List goes on and on...
Q: Do you listen to other indie artists? If yes, name a few.
Verb Spielberg: Yeah I listen to anything from WondaMuzik...Ali Vegas (they won't let him in neither *smh*) my boy Doochie Bass, and that’s about it on the indie side for now...that I wanna mention (laughing)
Q: How many official albums/mixtapes do you have out? And where can people find them?
Verb Spielberg: Aww man...(laughing) I got about 7 mixtapes. Some u can't find anymore unless u see me personally. Others like Probable Cause u can find on myspace.com/VerbSpielberg. PR Erv mixtapes on Datpiff.com. My album Written & Directed by Verb Spielberg is on itunes.com/VerbSpielberg and my newest mixtape the NFC compilation can be downloaded at zshare
Q: Tell about N.F.C. & “Survivor Babies” (mixtape).
Verb Spielberg: That's a compilation mixtape that me, my boy Shizzbeats, and Doochie Bass put together showcasing some of the talent in the city while carrying the compilation. It’s more geared to the streets but the streets are a part of the world so it must be touched on every now and then. My boy Doochie Bass got shot in the process of making this mixtape but he's still alive. So this mixtape goes out to him. Survivor Babies! One Love.
Q: What are your upcoming projects?
Verb Spielberg: Writing songs for others and hopefully getting placements, I'm workin’ on a new mixtape (not definite on a title yet) and Apollo The Great’s new album H.I.M 2 is coming soon. I'm featured on that.
Q: Who are the producers you work w/?
Verb Spielberg: Shizzbeats, Young Fame, Jimmy Neutron, BlazeArsin. Those are the main culprits. I always look for others tho’ but they're some of the best around these parts.
Q: Do you have any other passions besides music & hip-hop culture?
Verb Spielberg: I like WRITING (laughing) all my other passions sort of dwindled off. Music and Writing remained. And of course gettin’ money is a passion.
Q: Do you have any mottos/models you live by?
Verb Spielberg: Books like The 48 Laws of Power, The Alchemist, African Proverbs, Warrior of the Light, The Bible, and Message To The Black Man are all models I live by. I even take notes, go back and re-study them just to stay sharp.
Q: Any shout outs?
Verb Spielberg: Shoutout to Apollo The Great and the whole WondaMuzik Fam, shoutout to Team 16 (my writing team), shoutout to my supporters, to all my nonbelievers, thanks for the inspiration, and lastly shoutout to Gina (laughing) for being so dope (very rare nowadays).
Special thanks to Verb Spielberg for taking time out for this interview!
For more Verb Spielberg check out his myspace & twitter pages.