These days it seems that a new emcee appears on the scene via Myspace or Facebook everyday. But of these Internet emcees only a few really have what it takes to hustle themselves and their craft to the top. My next guest is an emcee, a CEO, and an all around hustler. Coming out of Miami is my next guest, Razor. I caught wind of him from his new single & video, “Holla.” Once I finally got a hold of him I was even more impressed to learn how much more he’s got going on. Join Stoli as we talk with Razor about his company HustleLine Ent, his non-stop grind, other succesful Miami emcees, and so much more!
Stoli: How did you get the alias Razor and are you born and raised in Miami?
Razor: As I found myself as an artist the raspy sound you hear today developed into my comfort zone when expressing myself on the mic and before I knew how to control well, it was a very sharp sound hence the name Razor! Yeah, I’m from Miami-Dade County born and raised, lakeside to be exact!
Stoli: Your new video “Rock Music” is hot, Have you caught any slack for the lyrical content of that track?
Razor: Actually…I have received many notes, messages, and emails asking how real are the props in the “Rock Music” video and I’ll say this…Razor never, and I’ll repeat NEVER lies to the people!
Razor “Rock Music”:
[youtube 9EBZ-irY5nA nolink]
Stoli: At what age and experience convinced you that you wantedc to pursue a career in music & hip hop in general?
Razor: I started out producing when I was about 9 yrs old, I got in my first professional studio at 12 yrs of age and I’ve been at it ever since. As far as why I got into this business…I knew I was made for this early in life that’s why I go so hard at it ask my label mates, it’s as if I’m pass just hearing sounds my inspiration comes in several ways, most times I see sounds, I can create music without hearing it!!!
Stoli: Besides being an artist you also run HustleLine Entertainment. How hard is it to juggle both roles and what does your company do?
Razopr: It’s a very difficult situation for me, but I handle them the best I can. HustleLine is a label whose motto is “The label for the artist, by the artist.” and we operate as a family and a team throughtout every stage of our careers. We record, promote, engineer, and generally support one another.
Stoli: You have a solid roster of talent. How do you do decide who you want to sign and are you currently looking for new artists to sign?
Razor: I decide who I’m gonna sign based on the artists vibe…although talent is very important I mostly believe in surrounding myself with selfless, unbiased, and fair people that don’t have a problem supporting the team with whatever resources they have available. And currrently I’d like to sign one or two R&B acts, but I have enough to do so I’m in no hurry…LOL!
Razor “Holla”:
MP3:
[youtube 9cCfVJathbs nolink]Stoli: How has the success of such artists from Miami like Rick Ross, DJ Khaled, Pitbull, etc helped Miami hip hip as a whole?
Razor: Their success is a necessary piece of every underground and up & coming artists puzzle today, whether they like it or not because we live in the Carbon-copy age…and although I despise the fact that labels have this arbitrary formula for what an artist should and shouldn’t be, look like, and so forth without the likes of Rick Ross, Trick Daddy, Pit Bull, DJ Khaled and countless others, artist like me wouldn’t get a shot.
Stoli: Your connections got you working with artists like Young Jeezy, DJ Vlad, and Akon. How does that help benefit you & yoir team nad what can you learn from them?
Razor: I’ve learned that this is a business and not to wear my feelings on my sleeve, features are an issue of advertisement and nothing more. Having these guys on my mix-tape is advertisement…they are meant to attract new potential fans and listeners.
Stoli: Critics call out hip hop as a negative influence on the black community. How do you respond to that and why does positive hip hop not have such appeal?
Razor: Hip-hop has a negative influence on the community because the black community has some heavy self hate issues to overcome and Hip-hop just forces the community to acknowledge this fact. To address this issue let’s address human behavior not just hip-hop, truth of the matter is that people in general are far more attracted to being entertained by destruction, corruption, and drama. Whether it be in music or film, this fact stands true and Hip-hop is no exception.
Stoli: When you are in the studio what do you need to set the mood and how do you test a track to see if its hot?
Razor: I simply use my better judgement when deciding if a track is hot…and I set the mood with different things depending on what I’m doing. When working on production I don’t need anything, when mixing I just need to be uninterupted, when recording there’s nothing like a good bottle of Henn.
Stoli: Do you think that artists like you with HustleLine Entertainment will need a major label deal in 10 years from now with the Internet & social networks?
Razor: No, I believe that eventually the indusrty as a whole will be far more engulfed by capitalism than it is today…one big pot of artists trying to get their big break and the one’s that have the most money to promote make the biggest impact and go on to be considered the best their genre has to offer.
Stoli: Although we are in a recession, your team stays busy putting out music. What is your secret and how do avoid letting the economy get you down?
Razor: I work two day jobs str8 up, and I’m good in the streets, I work 12 to 13 hours 6 days a week and I grind at night whether its a performace, work in the studio or on the block I’m always working. I sleep 3 to 4 hours a night and I eat once a day, my entire existence is one big cycle of getting things done so hardwork is the only answer I know of when it comes to beating the recession.
Stoli: In hip hop it is all about being real. How much of your real life plays out in your rhymes?
Razor: I’ve never lied to the people in any of my publications, I draw all of my lyrical content from my life.
Stoli: What is coming up for Razor and where can readers get more from HustleLine Entertainment?
Razor: Next up,
Mr. M-I-A Vol. 2 (Truth Be Told)
Rena-The Black Rose (Street Edition)
MacTurna-Back 2 Being Me
Cannon-The Miami Herald (Mix-Tape)
Da Line-Up Vol. 2
We Ain’t Dead Vol. 2
Gotta few videos coming!
Razor – She Ready & Get Cha $ Up
Rena – Needy & Go
Cannon – Hit Her Up
MacTurna – Fast Lane
Da Line-Up – For The Low
Gotta tour I’m currently setting up call the streets is mine tour.
Be sure to subscribe to my blogs & youtube channels to stay up to date on the latest with Razor and the Hustleline associates:
www.mrmia.tv
www.youtube.com/hustleline305
www.razorthewaterboy.blogspot.com
www.hustleline.blogspot.com
www.myspace.com/hustleline305
www.myspace.com/renamusichitz
www.myspace.com/loosecannon305
www.myspace.com/macc1984
www.youtube.com/theheartthrizob
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