Monday, September 13, 2010
11:04 PM | Posted by
Janus
In the beginning Hip-Hop was more about unity… less beefs more cyphers. A lot of Hip-Hop acts were represented as Hip-Hop groups such as Public Enemy, Run D.M.C., N.W.A., Wu-Tang Clan, Funky Four Plus One More and many others. Those groups represented Hip-Hop in its essence, its diversity & versatility. Every group member was a star in his/her own right but when they came all together the illest magic happened. Even tho’ those days are over, there are still some people who know how to bring that magic to life. Flamez, Neme, Zin O.D. and Exile the Experience are the stars of the Orlando
Check out the interview w/ Neme of Prolific & download their latest mixtape “Now Or Never” in case you haven’t heard it yet. The mixtape is definitely a must have.
Q: Who is Neme? Introduce yaself a lil.
Neme: What's up this Neme 1/4 of the hip hop collective Prolific, representing for the 407 and the 404.
Q: Where do you come from? What’s your background?
Neme: I come from the O (Orlando, Fl) by way of Brooklyn , New York
Q: How did you “meet” hip-hop? What song or artist introduced it to you?
Neme: Hip Hop was always around me growing up in NY, you can hear it on the block on subways so it’s hard to escape it. I remember hearing LL, De La and stuff like that from my older brother and his peoples, but if I had to say for me when I got hip to this thing called Hip Hop, I would have to say GZA of Wu Tang "Liquid Swords" and Nas "Illmatic" I head both albums at different times in my life, but they had a big effect on me and changed my perception on how I look at Hip Hop.
Q: How did hip-hop impact your life?
Neme: As cliché as it may sound, it made me who I am, my walk, my talk, everything I do its Hip-Hop. Even if I was not an MC I still be knee deep in this Hip-Hop shit. I am hooked, it’s like a addiction and I can’t shake it.
Q: What do you love most about hip-hop & why?
Neme: Originality, it’s not just with music but with everything we do. Look how we dress, we took a regular Nike shoe like the air force one and made that a shoe of the culture. Some people paint them different colors and shit to match their gear, even down to how we rock the laces in our shoes, we don't want to be like nobody else we want to stand out we Hip-Hop.
Q: Originally you come from BK but grew up in Orlando
To answer the first question moving to The O was a benefit to my whole style, my whole progressing as a MC. Coming to the South introduced me to a bunch of artist that I was not aware of from the UGK's to the Trick Daddy's. It let me know there were other types of Hip-Hop out there beside what was going on in NY and the West Cost. And if I had to describe Prolific music I would have to say we sound like 2095, and what I mean by that is we sound like that "Vintage New New" What all four of us bring to the table nobody out there is doing, from our slag to our song concept its all fresh, and we also have that classic golden era sound. Not to be confused with those retro niggaz coming out with the high tops and all that, we don't do that over here. We not trying to go back in time, we are bringing back that realness that the golden era had that feeling you got when you heard Big Pun for the first time.
Q: What is it that most people would be surprised to know about you?
Neme: That’s a good question.... I don’t know I guess something people might not know is that I am all about my fam and my peoples, what I got they got. And I like all kinds of music. "Under The Bridge" by The Chili Peppers is one my favorite tracks.
Q: Tell lil some about the group “Prolific”.
Neme: Prolific is a group of four MC's with four different styles that come from four locations that meet up in The O with a common goal to do this Hip-Hop shit. We are more than a group were family those are my brothas. A lot of people say that but this is the real deal, we do this.
Q: You are a part of a rap group... These days unity is something that the rap game needs real bad. What are your thoughts on unity in the game? Is it hard for you to be a team player?
Neme: Can’t really answer how I feel about unity in game per say, different people have different motives. But as unity pertains to me and my group we are all about that. When we say Team Pro it means something like my nigga Flamez says "Strong niggaz and all of us equal". We all play our roles and our positions for the better of the group.
Q: Freestyling vs. songwriting… which one is your thing?
Neme: For me songwriting but their is nothing like a good cipher
Q: What emcees influenced you as an artist?
Neme: There has been a lot of artist that influenced me. You can say I’m a student to this thing called Hip-Hop. But all the greats Nas, Slick Rick, BIG, always have to say Wu Tang, Bone Thugs, Jigga, Pac, Snoop, Pun, Scarface, LL, Kool G Rap… there are way two many names I could go all day with this.
Q: How do you see the future of the rap game? What are your predictions?
Neme: Hip Hop will keep growing. I don't know where the game will be in five or even ten years, all I know the Pro will be there. The rap game changes everyday with out any rhyme or reason; it’s hard to predicate the future.
Q: How do you see yourself in the rap game? What are your goals?
Neme: I am trying to take this as far as my feet take me. I am not in it for the 15 min. You can keep that, me and my crew are here for the long haul. I want classic under my belt, I want something you can go back to years later and play that shit and it still hits you like when you first got it. Like all the greats that came before me I strive for greatness, if you ain’t trying to be the best, then what the fuck you in for?
Q: At what point did you make the decision to be a professional emcee?
Neme: That is not a decision you make, you either are a PROfessional or you’re not, and always been a Pro...pun intended.
Q: Name the industry people (artists and/or producers) you’d be privileged to work w/.
Neme: All those names I mentioned as influences all those dudes will be a privileged to work with. On the production tip Alchemist, No I.D., Justice League, Shawty Redd.
Q: How do you feel about ghostwriting in hip-hop?
Neme: I don’t feel any way about it, there has always been ghostwriting in Hip-Hop, shit if you know somebody that need 16 tell them to holla, we can work something out.
Q: Old school or new school, where goes your preference?
Neme: Good music is my preference old, new what ever feel me. I can ride around and listen to Slick Rick first joint all day, then turn around and put Kid Cudi in with out losing a step. There is no method to my madness as long as it’s hot I’m with it.
Q: Not so long time ago Prolific released the mixtape called “Now Or Never”. How did y'all come up w/ it? What should people expect from it?
Neme: With our last mixtape "Now Or Never" we wanted to make statement; that’s why we chose that title. It’s more than a title it’s a frame of mind. Like all our projects the people should expect that heat that 2095 music, that Prolific sound. There is no other combination like when the four kings get on the mic and do what we do.
Q: What’s your favorite song on the mixtape & why?
Neme: That is a hard questions cause all the tracks bang on the tape but I love "My Life" that is one of my favorite songs on the tape
Q: What inspired y’all to record “My life”? I must say that it’s my favorite Prolific song so far. It simply stole my heart.
Neme: That’s what up! I am glad you love the record. "My Life" was orchestrated by my nigga Flamez. Sometimes we write as group or by ourselves, with that one… he came to the lab with it. When he spit the first couple bars I was in, that shit hit me it was so real "I wake up everyday one in the afternoon pass out, every night two hours pass two, this is My life who the fuck ask you, a nigga trying to live does what he has too" It don’t get know realer then that. So we are taking you on a trip thru our lives, and I say trip literary for my verse cause am using car/driving metaphor to explain my situation, to answer the question our lives was the inspiration behind that one.
Q: What are your upcoming projects? Where should we expect to see y’all?
Neme: Look out for a lot more Pro coming up. We have a EP called " The Movement" coming out at the end of the year that we are working on right now and we might drop another mixtape before that to feed the people. And look for us on the road soon we working on something trying to get a little trip going, so all our people in the states and overseas we see you we coming, let them know its a Pro Movement.
Q: Any shout outs?
Big Ups the whole squad, Flamez, Exile, Zin O.D. Big Shouts to Hindsite, San Calo you know what it is, the whole 407 and 404, all our people back home in NY my brother Holding it down for Holding it down, Sutta Caine whats up, our German connect DJ Decane good looks my dude, Danny T and Double L much love, the homie DJ Rok, DJ MLG, DJ Ten what it is, always have to Big up homie Kid Twist Pro till he fitted for his casket, Rick at Rymatica, all the Blogs, DJ's and radio out their that show the Pro love and help us with this Pro Movement, and big up to you for this interview it’s much appreciated.
Special thanks to Neme for taking time out for this interview!
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