#Throwback Interview: Hopsin

HH-HQ.Com: I would like to thank you for taking the time to do this interview.

Hopsin: No problem

HH-HQ.Com: How did you get the name Hopsin?
Hopsin: Its a spin off my last name Hopson.

HH-HQ.Com: How many years have you been on the mic?
Hopsin: I've been on the mic for a good 6 years

HH-HQ.Com: How would you describe you sound?
Hopsin: My sound is me in the form of audio<

HH-HQ.Com: How do you feel about some people comparing you to Eminem?
Hopsin: Just because i don't have a thug image or i don't rap with a fake ass swagger they want to compare me to Eminem. Thanks for the compliment and fuck you is how i feel.

HH-HQ.Com: Did you always want to be a hip hop artist?
Hopsin: No i wanted to be an actor but i would always blink too much on my auditions and not get the part so now i'm here.

HH-HQ.Com: Could you see yourself deciding to become a full time producer?
Hopsin: No because i don't have the patience to deal with unprofessional artists.

HH-HQ.Com: What is your vision for yourself in the future?
Hopsin: Making music and not being hungry, so i want to go as far as i can with this music thing.

HH-HQ.Com: When is your CD being released?
Hopsin: The faster i get signed then the faster it comes out. I've been waiting to release it for awhile and i think it's done but i just need somebody to put the money behind it.

HH-HQ.Com: Could you see yourself doing a duet with a female singer?
Hopsin: Yeah i have old tracks where i put a female in it with me and i still have one in the works. I don't like to do them that much but i make it happen every now and then.

HH-HQ.Com: Are there any artists that you aren't feeling right now?
Hopsin: Yeah 99.9% of the shit on the radio pisses me off!

HH-HQ.Com: What is the hardest thing you've come across in your career so far?
Hopsin: People who try to be in my life because they see i might be going somewhere one day.

HH-HQ.Com: You had a meeting with Dame Dash a while back. What was that experience like?
Hopsin: It was tight! All his homies was mad doggin the hell out of me though because when i walked in his office they started asking me "Why do you were those contacts?" But he was feeling my music though so i ain't trippin.

HH-HQ.Com: Do you think the East Coast had a downfall?
Hopsin: No i don't think they had a downfall but the South just had a big upfall and faded everywhere else to black.

HH-HQ.Com: What do you think about Hip Hop HeadQuarters?
Hopsin: I think its great to have a spot where artists can get a lil attention because it's a hard industry to get into. It helps to have a profile or a couple interviews done because it looks better in your resume. The site is tight and i got nothing but love for the people who run it.

HH-HQ.Com: Last question any shout outs or quick fuck you's?
Hopsin: Yeah shout out to the HHHQ family, my photographers, my managers, and just the people that keep coming to my myspace page. But i'd like to say fuck you to all my haters

Below is a song that Hopsin did to promote Hip Hop HeadQuarters

#Throwback Interview: Flyboy

HH-HQ.Com: I would like to thank you for taking the time to do this interview.
Flyboy: No problem, thanks for having me
HH-HQ.Com: Shed some light on the FBI movement.
Flyboy: I've been called "Flyboy" since 98 but it's actually Sparkdawg that created "FBI". It's basically a bunch of "Fly" artists that come together to make hot music. It's a movement!
HH-HQ.Com: Not to many rappers are from Oklahoma. What are some advantages and disadvantages of that?
Flyboy: The disadvantages are that people don't realize that Oklahoma is just as dirty as everywhere else is. They think everything is Country and Western or something like that. But its not at all and those walls are being broken down now because a lot of artist are making that happen in Oklahoma. I happen to be one of the one's blessed with a lot of shine, so I'm repping the "O" to the fullest. Also being next door to Texas helps alot too.
HH-HQ.Com: How did you being featured on a DJ Whoo Kid mixtape come about?
Flyboy: One of the DJ's from Shadyville got in touch with me and said they liked my swag and that I was from Oklahoma so I got put on.
HH-HQ.Com: You've also worked with DJ Vlad. What has been like doing business together with him?
Flyboy: Vlad is cool because he's a hustler just like I am. That was just another notch in my belt representing Oklahoma. He's a Heavyweight! That Mixtape is about to drop by the way.
HH-HQ.Com: We were informed by Sparkdawg that you have had problems with Lil Jon. What are the details of that situation?
Flyboy: I've kind of put that situation on hold but to make a long story short, I was a radio dj in Oklahoma back in 98-99. I got very popular as an on air personality but that wasn't what I really wanted to do. So at the height of my popularity I stepped down in 99 and put an album together. It did well for Oklahoma and I used the money I made to move to Atlanta. I used that "album" as a "demo" in Atlanta and I would go to every party and event just giving it out back in 2000-2001. A couple years past and in 2003 a friend of mine there called and asked if Lil Scrappy had bought my song, I said no and after I heard what he was talking about but I still felt that even though it was the same concept it still wasn't a big deal. But when Scrappy's album came out about 7 months later and I heard an entirely different song of mine word for word on his CD. Thats when I knew it wasnt just a coincedence.
HH-HQ.Com: After Tupac Shakur's Hit Em Up came out and recieved media attention alot of artists have tried to duplicate that. What is your view on rapper's making diss songs and starting beefs with other rappers?
Flyboy: That's exactly why I stopped really going with the "diss" angle involving Lil Jon and Lil Scrappy. I didn't want to be labeled as that because i wanted people to see that I had talent and could hustle. I think if it's warranted then do what you have to but it should never overshadow your craft. Some of these beefs are silly but mine is real. But so many people try to use "beef" as a come up. Me and Sparkdawg talked about that too, and just like he said, the best thing to do is get your money right because you can't go to war if you don't have the finances.
HH-HQ.Com: In your opinion has Myspace done anything to change the game?
Flyboy: Oh Hell yeah you can have worldwide fans, plan tours, network all from your laptop. Fans everywhere can hear your music instantly so thats a big plus. So it's all about who can hustle the hardest because the playing field is leveled and the majors aren't selling CD's anymore, so the internet is where it's at.
HH-HQ.Com: Cam'ron and 50 Cent both used Myspace and Youtube to release Curtis and Funeral Music. Do you think that was a smart decision?
Flyboy: It was smart because like I said the internet is where its at. So yeah everybody was paying attention.
HH-HQ.Com: What is your view on music piracy?
Flyboy: Me personally it's not ever going to be stopped, so it makes the artist have to be more "approachable". Now fans actually have to like you as a person for them to actually go and "buy" your cd. Otherwise they'll just download your singles and call it a day. So it makes artists step there game up. No more Diva's, well they can play Diva if they want but artists like me and Sparkdawg are up close and personal with our fans, so they'll buy our cd just because they feel a "connection".
HH-HQ.Com: Who are some artists that your feeling on the majors?
Flyboy: Majorwise I'd have to say Lil Wayne, Jay Z, and Nas. There's a few more that ain't registering right now but if it has substance then i'm with it.
HH-HQ.Com: Are there any artists that you aren't feeling?
Flyboy: Man that's a good question because if I turn on the radio i'm not feeling 95% of what I'm hearing because everything just sounds the same. But I don't listen to Lil Jon, Lil Scrappy or Busta Rhymes at all.
HH-HQ.Com: How do you feel about Nas saying that Hip Hop is dead?
Flyboy: A lot of people took that out of context but what he was saying is the "essence" is dead. If you go back to like 92-96 you can tell the difference. It was all different and artists gave you a full package. Now it just seems like it's about money and classic status goes to whoever pays the most money to the magazines and radio station dj's. But back then it was about originality and now it's "cool" to do the same thing or use the exact same producers. So i felt where he was coming from and it is dead because nobody can sell a cd right now.
HH-HQ.Com: Outside of hip hop, what do you like to do in your free time?
Flyboy: I love the NBA season.
HH-HQ.Com: Which NBA team is your favorite?
Flyboy: Chicago Bulls because i was born and raised there but i moved to Oklahoma when i was 13.
HH-HQ.Com: Who is your favorite player?
Flyboy: The Pheonix Sun's Steve Nash
HH-HQ.Com: What can we expect from you in the future?
Flyboy: I got the DJ Vlad mixtape "The Message B4 The Message" coming out really soon and I got my album "The Message" dropping in the fourth quarter this year.
HH-HQ.Com: Is there anything you would like to tell your fans?
Flyboy: Yeah Flyboy is the truth there are no gimmicks. I go hard and i really appreciate the support. Oklahoma has my back and we're going to make history. I also want to give a shout out to my producer Verse. "The Message" coming soon!

#Throwback Interview: @SparkdawgMusic

HH-HQ.Com: When we first came in contact with you it was when you made "Sidekick Pimpin" and now you have a new single called "Dial Tone". What would you say are the differences between Sparkdawg of the past and Sparkdawg of the present?
Sparkdawg: Well when i first dropped "Sidekick Pimpin" it was my way of letting all my fans and supporters get ahold of me so they could that i'm just a normal everyday person like anyone else. "Dial Tone" is the aftermath of my so called "success" in the music industry so far.

HH-HQ.Com: In the song "Sidekick Pimpin" you gave out your screen name Sprtx and you did it again on "Dial Tone" when you gave out your new screename HitMeOnMySK. Why did you do that?
Sparkdawg: Because i had to let all the fans know that my first screen name got hacked so i had to show the haters even though they hacked my first account that Sparkdawg isn't going anywhere. Also, i get a kick out of people sending me instant messages asking "Is this really Sparkdawg"? I love that shit!

HH-HQ.Com: Some people may not know this but you were a member of Lil Scrappy's G's Up Click and you even recorded songs with him such as Shoot Em' Up and G's Up Meets G Unit. What caused you two to have a fall out?
Sparkdawg: For the record, we never had a "falling out". Me, Lil Scrappy, and Crime Mob all shared the same manager. I fell out with our manager and came back to Texas to do my own thing. Mater of fact, Me and Lil Scrappy recently chopped it up via Tmail from Sidekick to Sidekick. He congradulated me on the Green City article in The Source.

HH-HQ.Com: So, with that said is it possible that you two will do a collaboration in the near future?
Sparkdawg: Who knows? Money talks! If the situation presents it's self and it's beneficial for both parties then i'm down with doing a collaboration.

HH-HQ.Com: You did a mixtape track called "Street Shit" featuring Lil Wayne and Chamillionaire's brother Thunda Cat. How did that come about?
Sparkdawg: Damn! I see you really did your researching homie. That track came about because DJ Scrap from Louisiana is my homie and he messes with Weezy and the whole Young Money camp plus he's real cool with Thunda Cat too. So, DJ Scrap sent me the track with Lil Wayne's verse already on there and Currency had already laced the hook. Once i added my verse then Thunda Cat and DJ Scrap's artist Teph added theirs and the rest is history homie.

HH-HQ.Com: "For Playaz Only" was one of the first songs you recorded when you got to Atlanta. The song featured Kash and it was also produced by you. So, with that said could you see yourself as a full time producer?
Sparkdawg: I haven't really messed with producing beats since i left Atlanta because i've been lucky enough to stumble across some of the hottest underground producers like Da Champ, G-Ni, and Noki Swazay. Alot of people don't know this but i've recently stepped back into the producer's chair and co-produced "Dial Tone" with Noki Swazay.

HH-HQ.Com: Do you do collaborations with other underground artists? If so, how do they contact you about doing business together?
Sparkdawg: I do collaborations with underground artists all the time. They usually contact me on Myspace or my Sidekick via email.

HH-HQ.Com: What was your reaction when you found out Green City was getting signed by Scarface?
Sparkdawg: Honestly, i didn't know what to expect. Green City was already in Houston with Scarface while i was at Tum Tum's house in Dallas. All of a sudden i get a phone call from Scarface's assistant telling me they had a plane ticket for me to fly from Dallas to Houston.

HH-HQ.Com: What was it like working with Mannie Fresh on Green City's Party Like A Rockstar? Is there going to be a video for that single?
Sparkdawg: Working with Mannie Fresh was crazy! Alot of people don't know this but he on some "Rockstar" shit. He came to the studio rocking a mohawk and everything. As fas as a video, i'm not sure there's been alot of controversy over our single. So, we might run with a newer single but you just got to stay tuned.

HH-HQ.Com: So when does Green City's new album "Brand New Money" come out? Or is there not a set date yet?
Sparkdawg: It's funny that you asked that because i got a phone call from our label the other day saying that our album is getting pushed back until September to build a bigger buzz. We got some hot songs for the fans they definatly won't be disappointed.

HH-HQ.Com: What can we be looking foward to in the future from Sparkdawg? Are you going to be releasing a solo album in the near future?
Sparkdawg: A whole lot of stuff! I got my greatest verses mixtape called "Google My Name" by DJ Blurray dropping soon with over 60 flows on there. I'm still releasing "B4 The Major Deal" mixed by DJ Grip, and i just launched a new side project called "FBI aka Fly Boy Incorporated" with Tum Tum, Wesfif, Dee Boi, Yung Texxus, Yung Chill, GT Garza, Panama, and we got affiliates like my homie from Oklahoma named Flyboy and a few other artists. Plus, i recently launched "Spark-A-Lot Marketing" where for a small fee, I'll promote new artists and use my connections with various mixtape DJs to get their tracks placed on mixtapes. As far as my solo album, i still plan on dropping "Da Lone Star Kid" on a major label soon since i signed a "group" deal with Scarface i still have the option of rolling with whoever i want on my solo stuff.
HH-HQ.Com: Any shout outs?
Sparkdawg: Shout out to my homies on TVT Records the Gritboys. I just did a cameo in their new video "Fresh" featuring Tum Tum and Trae. Ya'll should see that video real soon on BET and MTV. FBI the flyest movement in music!
HH-HQ.Com: Well i want to thank you for taking the time to do this interview. Is there anything that you want to tell your fans?
Sparkdawg: Most definatly to all my fans, I know i've been promising ya'll "B4 The Major Deal" for a long time now but i had to fallback and focus on the Green City and Scarface situation. Now that we've turned our album in now i'm back in 100% Sparkdawg mode and i promise ya'll that "B4 The Major Deal" will be the hottest underground release in a while!