Post by Adam B on Sept 21, 2005 8:54:56 GMT -5
Prolifik Interview
by Adam Bernard
When an artist makes as much noise as Prolifik's been making people want to know more. His song "Rippin These Flows" was recently retired as a four time champion of Hot93.7's Saturday Night Showdown, he just completed his full length debut album, "Verbal Thoughts," and he's been performing all over the state of Connecticut for a number of years. With fans both old and new wanting to know more about this dynamic individual The Reality Box sat down with Prolifik for an in depth interview.
Adam Bernard: Let's start out with the basics, where are you from?
Prolifik: I was born in Bridgeport, CT and I was there until I turned about four then my mother remarried and we moved to the suburbs. All my friends and where I record at is still in Bridgeport so that's obviously the city I still rep and I actually get a lot of flack for that because people say that since I left at such an early age I shouldn't be reppin the city. I didn't even expect that. I'm figuring we're having a hard enough time getting Connecticut recognized, people shouldn't really be worried about if they're recognizing Bridgeport, Norwalk or any individual places.
AB: You've already mentioned one of the disadvantages, but what are some of the advantages of being from Bridgeport?
PR: For the most part the people from Bridgeport are very supportive because that's where I'm at all the time. All the artists I come across are very supportive, they're always down for collabos, all the people are really supportive of the music. The haters are really the people from the town that I'm currently live in which I'm not even going to say the name of. The bigger the move you make the more haters. That's where I'm catchin a lot of the flack, from beefs from back in the day coming up and not even acknowledging the town they're in. They say "you're not really from the hood" but if you listen to my music I'm not even sayin that. It's people real desperate to get some attention.
AB: What's your ethnic background?
PR: Albanian.
AB: You don't hear about a lot of Albanian rappers, is this something you'd like to promote more?
PR: There's people that are like "what are you" and I'm like Albanian and they'll say "I thought you were white" and I'm like I think I am white, I don't understand. Just because we're a dying breed I don't feel like I should have to promote anything. Those are all marketing schemes. I like saying I'm from Connecticut. I don't think I should have to say where I'm from, how old I am, I think that's what's wrong with Hip-Hop. You could be a green alien from mars who can rap, but as long as you can rap that's how it should be.
AB: So you're not talking about being from the hood, you're not talking about your ethnic background, what are you talking about then on your album, "Verbal Thoughts?"
PR: I actually try to steer clear of the whole stereotypical rap topics, the bitches, the car, the jewelry. It's a real versatile album, I talk about anything from the relationship I have with my mother, to the relationship I have with my girlfriend, to a dedication song to Hip-Hop in general. I have a track on there about struggling to get ahead in the music industry. There's a bunch of tracks that are high energy, that are more focused on verbal skills and punchlines than who I'm about to kill.
AB: We all know the hood rap records have become formulaic, but do you feel the non-hood rap records have become formulaic as well?
PR: I'm not runnin around shootin people, I'm not from the hood, I'm middle class instead of lower class, so they're like "you can talk about the bad relationship you have with your girlfriend, gettin on in the music industry and the rest of the songs can be battle tracks against some nonexistent verbal opponent." But I think for every Kanye West you have eight 50 Cents and I think those couple of topics are better than killing, drugs and glorifying a not smart lifestyle, but at the same time you don't want to fall into the same cycle.
AB: What songs do you have to make sure you don't fall into that same cycle?
PR: There's a track I have on the album called "The Art Of War," it's a concept song, the year is 2095 and Hip-Hop as we know it has been destroyed. I was frozen in time and had to come back to save Hip-Hop. I think if people expand their minds, I'm almost painting a picture there, I'm making a movie, if people expand their minds that much the topics are endless. Hip-Hop gets a lot of flack for not having a lot of topics, but if you look at R&B music it's all about love, that's it. And the majority of rock that's out now is about relationships. Hip-Hop catches a lot of the flack because it's violent topics.
AB: The lead single off of "Verbal Thoughts," "Rippin These Flows," has garnered some attention from Hot93.7. How did you get put on there?
PR: I ran into some Hot93.7 members at many events and I was told by Da Bigg Mann about the Saturday Night Showdown that they hold. I submitted a track, one of my more upbeat, catchy songs, the kind of track more people would listen to more so than a deep track. It popped up on the contest and I ended up going four weeks straight. It retired, I did an interview Kid Fresh and I'm going to be performing at a couple of their events coming up.
AB: How much do you feel that helped your career?
PR: As far as helping me? To be honest, it's not a prime time spot, they put it on very late at night and my interview was 1.2 seconds long. It was more to let all those artists know that I annihilated all those artists on that list. On a Saturday night people are at the clubs, out drunk and high doing whatever they're doing, the people that are listening are a small scale. I knew what was going to happen, I took it for what it's worth, I wasn't going to blow it out of proportion. I do get a few people saying they heard me on 93.7, but I promoted the hell out of it. It's another thing I've done. I think a magazine article is more productive than that. I will be on the showdown again, but it's nothing like "damn I'm gonna get famous off of this."
AB: What do you hope to get famous off of?
PR: What a lot of these newcomers coming out don't understand is that Hip-Hop music is very much so a business now. Yeah being on the street corners selling your albums is a great idea and you need that, but at the same time you have to get your grown man on so to speak. You've got to get those internships, get that radio show. Instead of sitting outside the building you've got to figure out how to get inside the building. Hip-Hop is becoming more educated and more advanced, it's all about who you know. How many albums you can push in your city is great, but you really need to look at it in a business manner. You've got to be very professional. If I could choose one thing to make me famous it would be coming at people at a professional level, being persistent and motivated and giving everyone the time of day. If you burn bridges before you make it you're going to stay in the same spot.
AB: How strange was it being on 93.7 while, at the time, having a radio show on WVOF?
PR: It was real weird but K-Dub, he's a good guy, I cannot knock him, he actually gave WVOF and my show a shout out one of the nights before my song was played. I gotta respect that. It was different because this is the market I'm at, WVOF, this is what I stand for, and just going to 93.7 it's weird. If you have your favorite radio station but you end up working for a different one and you almost feel like you're not being faithful. It's all good I'm an artist first.
For more on Prolifik please click on his websites:
www.prolifik203.com
www.myspace.com/prolifik
by Adam Bernard
When an artist makes as much noise as Prolifik's been making people want to know more. His song "Rippin These Flows" was recently retired as a four time champion of Hot93.7's Saturday Night Showdown, he just completed his full length debut album, "Verbal Thoughts," and he's been performing all over the state of Connecticut for a number of years. With fans both old and new wanting to know more about this dynamic individual The Reality Box sat down with Prolifik for an in depth interview.
Adam Bernard: Let's start out with the basics, where are you from?
Prolifik: I was born in Bridgeport, CT and I was there until I turned about four then my mother remarried and we moved to the suburbs. All my friends and where I record at is still in Bridgeport so that's obviously the city I still rep and I actually get a lot of flack for that because people say that since I left at such an early age I shouldn't be reppin the city. I didn't even expect that. I'm figuring we're having a hard enough time getting Connecticut recognized, people shouldn't really be worried about if they're recognizing Bridgeport, Norwalk or any individual places.
AB: You've already mentioned one of the disadvantages, but what are some of the advantages of being from Bridgeport?
PR: For the most part the people from Bridgeport are very supportive because that's where I'm at all the time. All the artists I come across are very supportive, they're always down for collabos, all the people are really supportive of the music. The haters are really the people from the town that I'm currently live in which I'm not even going to say the name of. The bigger the move you make the more haters. That's where I'm catchin a lot of the flack, from beefs from back in the day coming up and not even acknowledging the town they're in. They say "you're not really from the hood" but if you listen to my music I'm not even sayin that. It's people real desperate to get some attention.
AB: What's your ethnic background?
PR: Albanian.
AB: You don't hear about a lot of Albanian rappers, is this something you'd like to promote more?
PR: There's people that are like "what are you" and I'm like Albanian and they'll say "I thought you were white" and I'm like I think I am white, I don't understand. Just because we're a dying breed I don't feel like I should have to promote anything. Those are all marketing schemes. I like saying I'm from Connecticut. I don't think I should have to say where I'm from, how old I am, I think that's what's wrong with Hip-Hop. You could be a green alien from mars who can rap, but as long as you can rap that's how it should be.
AB: So you're not talking about being from the hood, you're not talking about your ethnic background, what are you talking about then on your album, "Verbal Thoughts?"
PR: I actually try to steer clear of the whole stereotypical rap topics, the bitches, the car, the jewelry. It's a real versatile album, I talk about anything from the relationship I have with my mother, to the relationship I have with my girlfriend, to a dedication song to Hip-Hop in general. I have a track on there about struggling to get ahead in the music industry. There's a bunch of tracks that are high energy, that are more focused on verbal skills and punchlines than who I'm about to kill.
AB: We all know the hood rap records have become formulaic, but do you feel the non-hood rap records have become formulaic as well?
PR: I'm not runnin around shootin people, I'm not from the hood, I'm middle class instead of lower class, so they're like "you can talk about the bad relationship you have with your girlfriend, gettin on in the music industry and the rest of the songs can be battle tracks against some nonexistent verbal opponent." But I think for every Kanye West you have eight 50 Cents and I think those couple of topics are better than killing, drugs and glorifying a not smart lifestyle, but at the same time you don't want to fall into the same cycle.
AB: What songs do you have to make sure you don't fall into that same cycle?
PR: There's a track I have on the album called "The Art Of War," it's a concept song, the year is 2095 and Hip-Hop as we know it has been destroyed. I was frozen in time and had to come back to save Hip-Hop. I think if people expand their minds, I'm almost painting a picture there, I'm making a movie, if people expand their minds that much the topics are endless. Hip-Hop gets a lot of flack for not having a lot of topics, but if you look at R&B music it's all about love, that's it. And the majority of rock that's out now is about relationships. Hip-Hop catches a lot of the flack because it's violent topics.
AB: The lead single off of "Verbal Thoughts," "Rippin These Flows," has garnered some attention from Hot93.7. How did you get put on there?
PR: I ran into some Hot93.7 members at many events and I was told by Da Bigg Mann about the Saturday Night Showdown that they hold. I submitted a track, one of my more upbeat, catchy songs, the kind of track more people would listen to more so than a deep track. It popped up on the contest and I ended up going four weeks straight. It retired, I did an interview Kid Fresh and I'm going to be performing at a couple of their events coming up.
AB: How much do you feel that helped your career?
PR: As far as helping me? To be honest, it's not a prime time spot, they put it on very late at night and my interview was 1.2 seconds long. It was more to let all those artists know that I annihilated all those artists on that list. On a Saturday night people are at the clubs, out drunk and high doing whatever they're doing, the people that are listening are a small scale. I knew what was going to happen, I took it for what it's worth, I wasn't going to blow it out of proportion. I do get a few people saying they heard me on 93.7, but I promoted the hell out of it. It's another thing I've done. I think a magazine article is more productive than that. I will be on the showdown again, but it's nothing like "damn I'm gonna get famous off of this."
AB: What do you hope to get famous off of?
PR: What a lot of these newcomers coming out don't understand is that Hip-Hop music is very much so a business now. Yeah being on the street corners selling your albums is a great idea and you need that, but at the same time you have to get your grown man on so to speak. You've got to get those internships, get that radio show. Instead of sitting outside the building you've got to figure out how to get inside the building. Hip-Hop is becoming more educated and more advanced, it's all about who you know. How many albums you can push in your city is great, but you really need to look at it in a business manner. You've got to be very professional. If I could choose one thing to make me famous it would be coming at people at a professional level, being persistent and motivated and giving everyone the time of day. If you burn bridges before you make it you're going to stay in the same spot.
AB: How strange was it being on 93.7 while, at the time, having a radio show on WVOF?
PR: It was real weird but K-Dub, he's a good guy, I cannot knock him, he actually gave WVOF and my show a shout out one of the nights before my song was played. I gotta respect that. It was different because this is the market I'm at, WVOF, this is what I stand for, and just going to 93.7 it's weird. If you have your favorite radio station but you end up working for a different one and you almost feel like you're not being faithful. It's all good I'm an artist first.
For more on Prolifik please click on his websites:
www.prolifik203.com
www.myspace.com/prolifik