{mosimage}The saying goes that leaders are born and one thing is for sure in this rap game – we need some good leaders and Stimuli isn't shying away from it. The one time signed rapper to Virgin destined for BIG things speaks from his up-comings and acting to the impact he wants to have in the industry.
If you haven't heard the name then you are seriously missing out and not JUST beacause of the skills but for the simple fact this cat is a triple threat – from being a dope emcee, knowing how to act, and ready for the leadership that stardom puts out. Yet if your still doubting Stimuli's skills {audio}images/mp3s/Stimuli_I_Put_it_Down_freestyle.mp3{/audio}
Doubt no more – lets jump right into it!
You’ve been in the game for a long time now yet a lot of cats don’t know you – what’s your official background?
When I was a teenager my brother was doing stuff with Masta Ace and the whole Juice Crew so I was just a little kid following around seeing what was going on. Hanging with Craig G, Masta Ace, G Rap, watching that whole movement. From then I was writing as a kid but nothing serious. When he started doing things for Biggie – he did 3 tracks off his first album “Ready to Die”. I’m in the studio – always around hip hop. I was on the Masta Ace album doing ad lips and choruses. It was always in me and around people that had chosen rap as a career. So back in my mind it always seemed something real – it didn’t feel like a dream. So after school I went to college and did the whole basketball thing music was all I really wanted to do. So in 2000 I never got a job after school I focused on music. I did what I had to do to get better in the craft. In 2002-2003 I started in the mixtapes and magazines. Got my team together got in Unsigned Hype.
You mentioned mixtapes but I noticed you were doing the film thing along with an album – what exactly are you working on?
In an independent movie called “Gotta Get Mine” been doing an extra’s on some major films just trying to get mine. Getting my acting skills together – working on an independent album called “Cinderella man: with Jay carter, an upcoming producer. It started out as mixtape but some of the music just had a real soulful inspective feel so we just tried to get distribution for it to make it an album. Besides all that working on a major release called “Emotion Picture” which was scheduled to come out on Virgin in 2005 when I got signed.
Now is acting something that you always wanted to do or did it fall into your lap?
Naw it was my minor in school and when I was doing it helped me with music. It symbolosis a character that I portrayed. It’s apart of me but I have to become that person on stage or in booth. When I first learned about acting and techniques a lot of things to get that character across found that it was synominis with music. I found it easy to jump into certain characters. When I’m on the stage or in the booth the same rules apply you can’t lose sight of where you are. I don’t know if that makes sense. When your acting and you become that character its something you can’t slip out of. You got to stay focused you gotta have your objective together. Being that I do that so much in music like when I’m in the booth when I’m spitting that verse there’s no drifting off. I know I’m within that verse and in the studio and I see what’s in front of me and see what I’m saying. It’s the same thing as acting. It’s something I enjoy and have a passion for. It’s not something I jumped because it cool – I respect the art.
You mentioned the release from Virgin and I know you got some deals in the works that you can’t speak on yet. Yet, can you say that in 2008 will be that year everyone will know about you?
I definitely can say that. I think in this business that I learned that it’s more important to get the people to feel what you’re doing behind you. The whole game has changed. If you had asked me when I first signed to Virgin I would’ve done anything to get national exposure like I would’ve put out any kind of record that didn’t really represent me but as long as I got the ringtones and people behind me I would’ve been content. Now I’m more so enjoying this underdog feel to where people are really looking for something and when they hear it they are more drawn to who you are. It’s like you solidify your fan base and your kinda happy with it. I do want everyone to know ‘me’ but I want everyone to know "ME” – not just the name or hot song or hot record. I don’t think longevity is something that comes with that.
So, you don’t want to make that ‘hot’ record – you’d rather just stay in game?
I want to make a hot track but I want to stay in the game as well. I want people to feel what I’m doing. I don’t want to just make a good record or a get on a hot song and have people know my name for a year and ask, “Yeah, what happened to that guy that had that song that one time.” I don’t think I’m that kind of artist.
A little bit more serious question – you just blogged about the “N” word controversy . What are your personal views on all the attention is received lately?
My personal views I think I voiced all them on that song. I really did that song hoping it would help stop saying the word. I think I can be put on both sides of the fence – if we disempowered the word from a “-er” to an “a” and yeah I use it in my regular speech around my people. Yet, at the same time when I’m around Caucasians and people that I’m not as comfortable as using the word that’s how you know something wrong. If I’m comfortable using here I should be comfortable using there. If they use it I’m thinking twice. So in my mind it doesn’t seem like a fad because it’s been around so long. I think hip hop has definitely played a factor in it. I’m not one of judge to say if something is good or bad but you know when something doesn’t feel right. I’d rather not use it so in the song I try to come up with other words, “dude” or “brother” but it didn’t have the same schematic feel. I always defend certain words in hip hop like “nigga” “bitch” like the schematic of those words are so strong and it goes along with aggressive music. Me being an artist I have to take responsibility so I was like if someone like Jay-Z put it out there we’re going to stop saying the word I feel he would have more of an influence than me. I joked around about it but it’s real. I just feel I want to stop using it and hopefully I can make strides to. At this point it’s a constant inner struggle because it comes out so easily when people around me use it. I don’t know if it’s hurting anybody I just know that sometimes that it doesn’t necessarily feel right.
…which is understandable – now, getting away from all that. What artist are you listening to now?
Right now I’m listening to a lot of R&B. I’m not even going to lie I listen to a lot of R&B. R&B inspires me because I think the emotion and the feeling that they put into the music it hits me a little more and sparks more topics. I listen to J. Holiday’s album. I listen to a lot beats mostly.
Was R&B a major influence in your rap – I know you basically grew up in this but you could’ve gone a lot of different ways. What are some major influences you put down the pen and pick up the mic?
Biggie passing was one of the things that wanted me to do it. I felt that I couldn’t be a fan as hard as I was like before I was I cool who sat there and listened to the music. When he left I felt a real big void. R&B definitely influenced me because I feel like rap music is a genre that you can say things and get away it. The thing about R&B is that it has more feeling and more soul. I felt that if I could combine the two and say things that R&B can’t say and using rap as an emotion to find that comfortable medium. I could’ve played ball, A&R but I just feel like rap music has such a powerful voice. We reach so many people with words. I couldn’t just sit back and do something else and not touch so many lives. I’m not even popular and people come up to me and tell me that I reached them. There’s nothing greater than that.
Is that something you’d like to do – once you get established – being looked at as the leader?
Definitely. I’m not even sure what I want to do with it. That’s how fast it is I have no concrete set plans. Wherever it takes me. If you listen to what I do I really don’t have one mission. I’m just some conscience emcee that beats politics into your head or somebody who always speaks negatively. I’m the regular human: if my day goes this way I’ll take you this way. I’ve been in the streets – I’ve been in school I’ve done it all. I represent a large group of people. So at the end of the day I definitely want to use this to be a leader. To show people that there are ways out the hood and there’s a lot more to life.
Right now – who’s on the top of your list of MC’s to take over the game?
I’m just gonna big-up my peers because that’s who I want to see on top. I like what Joe Budden is doing. Joell Ortiz is my boy.
What about producers to take over?
I like Kayne. I always liked Kayne. I like Just Blaze. Dj Unk is doing his thing right now. I heard some new big stuff on the new Free way album. My boy J. Cardim is going to be force to be reckon with.
In your eyes – what makes a well rounded emcee?
I think one of the first things is knowing your history. I think once you pick up a microphone or once you do anything you need to know the history of what came before you. I think what that does is allow you to see where you fit in and what you can bring to the game that’s missing. For me to be a fan of Big Daddy Kane that’s somebody who flowed differently on every kind of beat that had word play and was witty, comical and a quick tongue. So I’m thinking how I use what I learned from this person to bring to the game and add on. I think a well round emcee has to have stage presence. I think people can hear you but they don’t know how many takes you took in the booth. You’ve could’ve came up with a hot verse but took you 60 takes to get that one verse out but punched in 12 times. When you’re on the stage you got one shot. You got make everyone in that room believe what you’re saying. I think that’s one of the things I had to learn. Always delivery. Delivery is very important. Being that I’m gifted with some good lungs to get the words out and I’m saying the words as if I’m seeing what I’m sayin’. So you feel what I felt when I wrote them. Also being clever. I think people are taking the wonderment out of being an emcee by saying, “you gotta be real”. You look on the DVD’s and you see the cars and the jewelry and that’s cool but what it’s done is downplay being clever. I’m not saying you gotta be the wittest or the best lyricist, like me, but it’s cool to have some lines. Its cool for someone like Wheezy you know he ain’t gonna flow you to death or be the craziest lines in-depth but yet still he takes time to put some wordplay in there to where you’re like, “ok, he thought about this.” Don’t give me 5 lines of the same words at the end of the line you don’t care but you real so I could just listen to you anyway because you really do what you say you do. Being real helps too, I think maintaining the game and authenticity like crazy priority. If you stick with something you gotta really be behind or else people are going to try to expose you.
What do you want to be remembered for?
Wow – the funny thing is I think about this because this is one of the reason I started I always thought about the end and being gone. And if I chose another profession what would I leave on this earth? This music that I'm leaving behind is a representation of me and it’s not just me because everything I lived, that I've seen-like mini movies that I've put together and when I'm gone I really just want people to say that he was a voice for everybody you could pick up a song and it could take you somewhere and it may be my story but it’s not just my story because you can identify with it.
Any last words to share?
This is not a fly by night thing, I’m gonna be here and it’s probably gonna be a take over of the game in the next year, I don’t wanna hurt anybody’s feelings. Go online google me, I’m not stopping if you’re just hearing me get used to it.
…and we can't wait – peep his stuff over on his myspace
