Illuminati 2G

 

 

Illuminati 2G chopped game with Grease Balls Baby, CEO of Dream Team Music LLC,based out of my hometown, Las Vegas, NV. In this interview we talk about upcoming projects from his label. his thoughts on the music scene in Vegas, Ne-Yo and much more so check it out.  

 

Tell me a little bit about your background in music and some of your musical influences?

 

First I would like to say thank you for having me for this interview and shining more light on Vegas music.  My background in music began when I got my start in K.F.A.B.S. (Kids For a Better Society) a non-profit organization that originated in 1992 after the Rodney King riots as an outlet musically for at risk youth and teens in the inner city of Las Vegas.  The founders of K.F.A.B.S. were Jerry Smith (Uncle, MentoredByBlackMillionaire.com) and Fannie Mitchell (Mother, Charlie’s Management Group).  This program was created to keep us off the streets and out of the inner city gangs by giving us the opportunity to create, perform, record, sale music and travel the city doing positive things in the community.  My first official group was B.K.B. (Badd Kidds Badd) a hip-hop rap group that consisted of me and three of my cousins. 

 

One of the members happens to be the singer/songwriter phenom we know today as Ne-Yo.  It was during that time that I really got into music.  My influences were real West Coast heavy N.W.A., Dr Dre, Ice Cube (post N.W.A.), Ice T, DJ Quik, Too Short, Run DMC and my favorite being MC Hammer.  I know, I know, MC Hammer, but he was that dude that brought something new to the game and at that time, that wasn’t being done.  He entertained, gave you a show, rapped positive and got money doing it.  He wasn’t standing around grabbing himself for a whole hour or banging.  Me being an 8 yr old, he was constantly in the tape deck.  But real talk, he was to me what Nelly, 50 Cent and Kanye was to today’s youth when they first touched the music scene.  He was a breath of fresh air.

 

 

When did you decide you wanted to own your own record label and how did that process go with you getting your own label?

 

My sophomore year at the University of Nevada-Reno, my best friends Wease Mac and J-Myth whom at that time just split from their group D.S.T. (Desert Squad Troops) began working on a mix tape called “Certainly Grimey” and was shopping the demo around to local managers looking for management and a label to call home.  It was during my break home from college when we sat, talked and discussed how frustrated they were with how things were panning with people and how they couldn’t trust everyone that wanted to sign them.  I said, “Let’s do it ourselves”.  I mean if No Limit and Rocafella did it, why can’t we?  Also around that time, my god brother “Gifted” came back from Kansas where he picked up music production and was singing heavy was also looking for a label as well as my younger cousins Akademics whom at that time were in K.F.A.B.S.  I felt like it was only right to create a label, be entrepreneurs and got independent.  We decided to go with the name DreamTeam Enterprises because we felt like we were the best doing it in Vegas.  I felt like I had Michael, Magic and Bird in the talent at my disposal… I had the best of the best that Vegas had to offer.

 

As far as the transition into creating the label, it was smooth.  I was into my second year of my business major degree and knew what direction to take my company from the classes I took and how to run and effective company at the age of 20.  All the pieces began falling into place.  I began reading music books, taking courses to learn more about the business side of music and started artist development from what I learned being in K.F.A.B.S. from 1992-1997.  I drew up a business plan and hit the streets 100 miles and running.

 

 

 

 

 

Who are the artists that you have on your label?

 

Artists on the label consist of Akademics, “Gifted”. J-Myth, Ariel Knight, Mina and BLaC BOi.

 

 

What are some of the up and coming projects people can check for coming soon?

 

Up and coming projects in the works are the “Independent. No Major. No Paper.” mix tape hosted by official Slip n Slide DJ Prezzy.  The album “Royal Flush” which is a compilation showcasing some of Vegas’ best hip hop artists and producers.  Got the lead single for that buzzing, “Wiggle” featuring Landlord of Young Ballas, Lil Will of Hands Free and my artist BLaC BOi.  The project is dope.  It has a lot of range and should come off as more than a local album.  We’re close to making a deal with a major production company for a reality TV show.  Also a hip-hop musical play called “Stop the Violence” in which we partnered up with K.F.A.B.S.   It will be touring the local recreation centers this summer.

 

 

Shout out to Landlord by the way, doing his thing out there. What are your thoughts on the music scene as a whole in Vegas?  How do you think the artists here are represented as far as promotion and exposure here?

 

Man this is going to be long fam.  There is a lot that needs to be addressed here.  To be honest with you, the music scene is non-existent in Vegas.  Slow strides are being made to help advance the hip hop culture, but you’re not going to hear or see it much, one reason being radio doesn’t play locals except FM88.1.  DJ’s don’t take chances on local music and promoters are just now reaching into the pool to have local artists open up for major artists here.  With radio, it’s about what’s popping somewhere else.  Other independent artists get shine here before we do so if you’re popping in your city, they’ll play your music.

 

On the strength of what we did with Wease Mac, we hit different cities in the south opening up for Paul Wall, Bobby Valentino, Lil Boosie and other stars because they respect the good music that we make.  Wease went to Hawaii, performed with Common and got a great deal of respect from the people there for his showmanship and his show.  They loved him, but here you don’t get that.  Which leads me to my next explanation; WE (meaning Vegas) have a group of individual movements and labels moving in separate units toward the same goal of putting Vegas on the map.  In ways I differ from a lot because I don’t care if I’m the first to put Vegas hip hop on the map, but the way Vegas raised us is to move like that in units, like gangs instead of a machine like they do in the south. 

 

That’s the reason Atlanta is where it is musically and as a culture because it was to put ATLANTA on the map.  They are cohesive in the south.  There are some beefs here and there but they move to further the south’s music.  What people here need to realize is that you put your city on, and there’s enough room for celebrity status and money for everyone to share.  For example, Outkast, TI, Ludacris, Young Jeezy, Lil Jon and Jermaine Dupri are all hip hops brightest stars repping one movement “ATLANTA”.  Same thing with DJ Khaled, Rick Ross, T-Pain, Trick Daddy, Plies and the whole “We’re the Best” movement.  They all fuck with each other because they machine is their city.  Also we need more support from established magazines and websites like yourself to give us the opportunity to be seen and heard as an outlet.  That was one of the factoring reasons along with radio that made Ne-Yo leave Vegas for Los Angeles because the lack of support musically he got from Vegas and the few opportunities Vegas offered him.  Ne-yo submitted great records to radio stations here and they overlooked them.  HE GOT NO LOVE.  The same with the group 702.  We performed with them when they were called “Sweeter Than Sugar” back with K.F.A.B.S.  It took for them to leave Vegas to get a record deal. 

 

Trust me, there’s no support here.  They were good then.  Then people wonder why our Vegas stars don’t buy property here and reside in Vegas.  It’s because Vegas didn’t do much for them.  Stars like TI, Ludacris and the rest stay in Atlanta, Dr Dre and Snoop in L.A., Eminem in Detroit and Nelly in St. Louis.  I can keep naming them because the list goes on.  They stay there because their city embraced what they were doing.  Radio took a chance on the music being made and played it.  You see it all the time; city breaking artists and the two we have got broke somewhere else.

 

The DJ’s here are in a hard spot because they’re just like artists trying to establish themselves in the music industry.  They’ll take local music but they have to play what club owners want them to play.  They don’t want to take a chance playing music no one hasn’t heard of.  They don’t realize the influence they have on people at clubs and different venues they play at.  Funny thing is I just got back from Atlanta.  Every club I went to, each DJ was breaking new Atlanta artists and that’s the love that we need here to prosper our Vegas Hip Hop movement we got going on.

 

 

Man that was some real talk man. It is definitely an issue I would like to see change. How do you feel about the digital age upon music and the internet and how do you incorporate that into promoting your label?

 

The digital age is great.  It gives independent artists avenues to promote and sell music pre-Myspace, iTunes, and the host of websites today that weren’t there before.  Just the opportunities Myspace gives artists is incredible because it’s your own dot com website for free that let’s you promote and sell your music, be more interactive with fans, and network with new artists and executives from different states and countries you would never had known existed.  Having a page with your music, photos, bio, merchandise, etc is like having a press kit right there.  The internet had made it possible.  The funny thing is major labels have neglected it for so long and now just trying to catch up.  Blaming file sharing, peer to peer and Napster, but the truth is it’s the internets faults for giving people a new way to buy music.  Honestly, I love file sharing.  It’s free promotion.  I would love for people to download music we create because at the end, good music sells.  Slumping artists are those people making microwave music that’s hot right now and bad later.  You’re going to sell if you concentrate on making great records.  A plus to being independent is that you make money right away from digital downloads because sometimes you can throw 18 songs on a CD and sell it for $10.  That’s almost $.56 a song when you can throw it on iTunes and get $1 a song.  $18 if they like what they here.  Majors, there is no way you can eat off of digital sales.

 

They want $15.99 a CD but only giving you 3-5 hot songs.  Now if they were employed with a regular 9-5 they would have gotten fired because it’s reflecting in their record sales.  That’s why I wonder why people are in a hurry to go major when you can eat nice being independent.  Majors are stuck in the old of platinum standards and ways of achieving success.  I applaud Jay-Z for making that switch to make digital the new thing.  Shit, everybody and their mom got an iPod, MP3 player, etc. and fans want just what they like, nothing extra.  Why pay for a bunch of miscellaneous materials you’re not going to listen to?

 

 

 

 

Tell me a little bit about your musical experiences and your artists with Ne-Yo over the years?

 

Musical experiences have been great.  To start out in a group with Ne-Yo to being in the studio with Polow Da Don, Rich Boy, Mario and a host of other stars has made me realize music has come full circle and appreciate the grind of doing it myself.  For me, I saw Ne-Yo make it first hand.  His official first hit record was “We BeBe” that he wrote when he was 12 yrs old for our rap group.  A lot of people don’t know that he used to be a rapper, and didn’t want to sing R&B at all.  He didn’t want to be considered soft.  My mom wanted him to sing a PM Dawn duet with his sister as part of KFABS showcase, and he wouldn’t do it. Not budging because of his image and it took for my mom to buy him some Reebok classics for him to do it. Changed his life, because he sang and as we can see he is incredible but he also learned that the ladies dig R&B more than rap. Writing rap verses everyday, I feel like I helped to be a part of something special and that’s what drives me with my artists. Instill the importance of working on your craft and mastering your skills because today’s artists want to write, jump in the booth and put it on Myspace. I’m fortunate enough to have the artists I have. Ariel Knight (Gladys Knight’s niece) who has the potential do what Ne-Yo is doing. “Gifted” as well is a talented singer/songwriter/producer who to be an independent body of work is phenomenal. He produced and co-wrote Ne-Yo’s, “Cranberry and Grey Goose”, co-produced Jagged Edge’s “Good Luck Charm” and worked with producers like Cheese whose produced hits for Bow Wow and Cherish.  So I’ve been lucky to be in the position where I’m at now.

 

 

Any upcoming tour dates or shows coming soon?

 

Right now, we are in the beginning stages of the tour for the reality show and play. Also in talks with promoters for some opening slots for some big artists and putting together “We Run Vegas” campaign that will showcase some of Vegas best artists.

 

 

What words of advice would you give an up and coming business mind that wants to own their own record label?

 

My advice for up and coming artist/producers is taking your time and learn the business. Read books like “This Business of Music” and “How to Start and Run a Successful Record Label” cause there is endless information for you to maximize your potential in the business. Perfect your craft and be original. There already is a Lil Wayne, Jay Z, Fabolous, Ne-Yo, Beyonce, Timbaland and the list goes on of stars that are in the industry. It’s okay to look up to these artists but they brought originality and there is no and being totally honest, you can’t come in their lane and think you’re going to sell. That’s where a lot of artist/producers fail. But most important, follow your dreams and keep god first.

 

Well that is all from me, thanks for the interview.  Any last words or shout outs?

 

Thank you fam for this opportunity. I would like to give thanks to God for the opportunity to allow me to follow my dreams.  My daughter Malaijah, the reason I hustle so hard to make her life special.  My Mitchell family for their support in this movement I call D.R.E.A.M.Team and my DCB comrades. Also shout to my entire Vegas hip hop fam, LandLord, TDK, SeDrew, Dub, Lil Will and the rest of yall that mess with ya boy and to Illumanti2g.com for the interview. Signing out, CEO please say the CEO.