Born Khalil Kinsey – son of philanthropists and owners one of the largest collections of artifacts tracing African-American history Bernard and Shirley Kinsey – Diz Gibran has always made his own way. Whether it was starting his own parking lot, to accommodate a nearby golf tournament, in his parent’s driveway at the age of 11 or becoming a leader in the Streetwear world Diz has been a life-long entrepreneur. Now as he set his sights on an already bubbling music career Clutch sits down with Diz to talk about the path that led him to our ears.

Clutch: What was it like growing up with such renowned parents?
Diz: Well as a kid it doesn’t really hit you as far as what your parents are involved in. They’re just your parents. But at a very young age my parents started taking me on the ride. I’ve been with them pretty much every step of the way, whether it was their travels or on the business end. I was exposed to a whole lot from day one. So growing up as a youngster they just opened my eyes to so much and as I got older and started developing an appreciation for who they were and what they did it just became a whole new world. Of course, the things that was available to me, resource-wise but also just the experience and knowledge that was given to me. So its definitely one of those things where I’m still appreciating it all and still learning so much from them.

Clutch: So is it safe to say that growing up the way you did directly contributed into you going into things like graffiti?
Diz: Absolutely. Both my parents are extremely creative people. My dad was more of the businessman and my mom was more of the heart driven one but I grew up around so many different people, outside of my parents – extended family. So I saw so many different ways of thinking, ways to make a living and just ways to express yourself. So it definitely all had an influence and it came out in a different form through me but it’s definitely an extension of what I was exposed to.

Clutch: So you went from graffiti to skateboarding?
Diz: It was all around the same time really. Growing up in the late 80s, as I was becoming my own person I was heavily into hip hop and everything that was encompassed in that but I also grew up in Los Angeles so I was into skateboarding, surfing and snowboarding. So they were separate worlds but they all intersected with me.

Clutch: How did the love of skateboarding translate into becoming involved with the Diamond Supply Company?
Diz: That was a natural thing. Stemming back to my parents and what I grew up seeing and people I grew up knowing. I just started getting into anything creative and anything that wasn’t just the normal thing to do. I was always into fashion too and that was one of those things that really came to light in high school. I think that came from my love for hip-hop and the whole culture. So in high school I really got into clothes and dressing and all that. I was best dressed in the yearbook (Laughs). So when I went away to school I had some buddies that I linked up with from DC and they had a clothing line. An independent line that they were doing themselves. They kind of saw me as being a trendsetter, tastemaker type on campus and I really liked what they were doing so I got involved. My boy and me would rock the stuff and give the stuff to the homies. Then we started selling the clothes out of our dorm room and within a semester or two we were able to open our own store in the Tallahassee Mall.

Clutch: So wait, where’d you go to school?
Diz: Florida A&M University. And that’s a long tradition in my family. From my grandparents on down so I pretty much grew up knowing I was going there. So we opened the store, just some kids, with a relatively unknown clothing line with our own store in the mall so that was real big and that was my first taste of the fashion business. And that took over my life and my school life and I didn’t finish school because of that. I really got into just doing the fashion thing and being an entrepreneur. So later down the line when I moved back to Los Angeles I really jumped into the fashion world and that’s when I linked up with Nick and the Diamond Supply Company. We were friends and I invested in the store and we went from there. No longer involved with Diamond anymore but it was a good run.

Clutch: And from there you co-founded Stevenson-Gibran Agency?
Diz: Well that was actually before Diamond. Ever since like 1999 I’d been going to the Magic convention in Las Vegas. I’ve always been a real social person, always been networking and always had a lot of friends working in the fashion world so I would always help but I was living in Miami at the time so there was really only so much I could do. Some friends of mine, Upendo Taylor and Ron Upperman (Co-owners of Leroy Jenkins), were buying these crazy fabrics and making these hoodies from them – a lot of floral prints, all kinds of wild stuff. Along with my partner Teron (Stevenson, one half of the Stevenson-Gibran Agency) we put it on our backs. It started off as me really loving the stuff and buying the stuff from the homies and rocking it. I saw real potential for it so I would get promo hoodies from them and give it out to people, a lot of people that were out and about on the scene. We started to develop a really big buzz from these hoodies and I started using my connections and contacts to really help Leroy Jenkins, helped get them in a few stores. So we went out to Magic in 2005, didn’t have a booth and people were coming up to us knowing the line already. And this was before it was a full clothing line, they just had the hoodies. People were asking us how we could order them, we would go to other people’s booths and they would tell us “yo buyers are asking us where your booth is.” And we didn’t even have a booth; we were barely a company yet. From that I met Adrian Aitcheson (Founder of Too Black Guys), out of Toronto Canada. Great designer, he’s been in the fashion game forever, tons of accolades. He knew all about us and he set up a meeting between himself, one of his colleagues that has a distribution company out of Montréal called Twelve Ounce and us. They really wanted to take it to the next level and make it a full clothing line. We didn’t end up doing it with them but from that spawned the Stevenson-Gibran Agency. Teron and I started taking on clients and our first was Too Black Guys. In our talks about Leroy Jenkins, Adrian mentioned wanting to bring back Too Black Guys, which was a very well supported and popular line in the hip hop community of the early 90s. So for us to be involved with a line that was so well respect and regarded as a pioneer of sorts it was like we had to jump at that. So that started Stevenson-Gibran and we’ve been going ever since.

Clutch: Who does Stevenson-Gibran represent now?
Diz: We’re still with Too Black Guys. We do UNDRCRWN, we’ve just started working with C+ Jewelry and we’re getting ready to launch our own clothing line.

Clutch: So between Diamond, Leroy Jenkins, UNDRCRWN & Too Black Guys – I think its safe to say that you were on the forefront of the Streetwear movement. How do you feel about where it’s headed now?
Diz: This is something that I’ve been talking about with my peers and friends for a while now. I feel like we’ve been pretty in tune with the climate of things and being able to forecast what’s next and what I’m seeing with this streetwear thing – and in part its due to over-saturation – things are getting a lot cleaner. I’m seeing a lot of brands get weeded out as well as a lot of stores. I’m seeing things get less logo heavy and more mature. I think we’re all into a lot of different things and we all want to express that with something other than just loud colors and huge graphics. So streetwear is cleaning up and I think there are a few core brands that are really going to be able to stand the test of time. Not by totally reinventing themselves but by putting a twist on what they’ve already been doing. Streetwear has been pretty much a t-shirt based industry and while t-shirts are a staple to be regarded as a true clothing line you have to do so much more. You have to get into cut and sew. The quality has to be there. I think some of these brands are learning a lot more and really gaining an understanding of what being a true clothing line is and its not just getting on a computer and doing some graphic design work.

Clutch: So you’ve done all this in one world. What have you learned from that world that you can apply to the challenge of being a hip hop artist?
Diz: With being your own boss its a double edge sword because everything is up to you, how hard you work and your schedule. Over the years it’s definitely made me a lot hungrier because I see how fast time flies. I see how quickly things can change and now I see how important it is for me to be self-motivated as opposed to having an idea and going after it half-assed. I understand that I have to attack because no one else is going to have as much passion as I do.

Clutch: How long have you been emceeing?
Diz: Well that goes back to graffiti and skating days. I’ve probably been emceeing since I was in the fourth grade. I’ve loved music since I was little. My parents tell me stories about little performances I used to do with this toy guitar. My grandfather used to drive me around the neighborhood with music playing to put me to sleep. So music has always been a big part of my life. When I was old enough to develop my own taste hip-hop just spoke to me like nothing else. I started playing with writing songs; I had a little rap group in elementary school.

Clutch: Oh you know you have to tell us the name of this group.
Diz: The Ill Kids! It was a little bit before Guru came out with his Ill Kids Records but by the time that came out we were already defunct.

Clutch: Where did the name Diz Gibran come from?
Diz: Diz comes from Dizzy, which is what I used to write back in the graffiti days but also its a name that was given to me because my eyes are always real low. I used to smoke a lot of weed and I was given the name because of that. Gibran comes from my namesake. My parents named me Khalil after Lebanese poet Khalil Gibran. Him being a poet and me being a poet of sorts it was only fitting that I took on the name of my namesake.

Clutch: So in 2005 you released Spin City. From that release to where you are today, how have you seen your creative process change?
Diz: That goes back to what I was saying about the drive. I’ve been making music for so long and was never keen on chasing it. It was more about personal satisfaction and for my friends and family. Spin City was something I had to get out of me. I was living in Miami at the time and Miami was a great place for me because it was a time of great personal growth. It was a time when I quit smoking weed, which was a huge thing for me … one of the best choices I’ve ever made. And then I just started writing a lot but production wise; the people I knew weren’t really what I was looking for. So I just started doing the mix tape thing. Then I met this dude Blanco, who’s still a part of my team and he suggested we put something out. So we did Spin City Volume One, we pressed up 10,000 copies, paid for it out of our own pockets. This was before the blog explosion so we pressed up hard copies and got them out everywhere we could. Sent them out all over the country to different friends and just got it out. The whole mission from there was to keep it going, I mean it was called Volume 1 so there was supposed to be a Volume 2 but it didn’t quite go that way. I didn’t keep the momentum going. And around the same time I moved back to LA, got into the fashion thing and was really just trying to get my life situated out here again. So the music just kind of fell to the wayside.

Clutch: So you get settled, get the fashion business off the ground. What’s next?
Diz: The next project is slated for release in January 2009 and for lack of another name we’re calling it a mix tape but I’m sure we’ll have another way of describing it. The actual title is Soon You’ll Understand and it’s an album. It’s me and Moonshine (Who plays producer Premier to Diz’s emcee Guru) and it’s presented by Crooks & Castle. It has all original material, so it’s not a mix tape but we’re putting it out as a mix tape.

Clutch: How long have you been emceeing?
Kid Sister: My first show was October 31—Halloween, 2005. I’d been writing a couple of songs and I was really, well you know! You’ve known me since I was poor! And before you knew me I was even poorer, if you can image that. So basically I was living in this one bedroom apartment, which was basically a glorified studio. Really overpriced and I thought the neighborhood was whatever.

So, I was in my one bedroom crappy apartment. I remember one time my dog boo boo’d all over the couch and I had to throw it away. All I had were these little foam cylinders to sit on. They were like $20 each and those are what I wrote some of my first songs on, these little cylinders. I had little time to myself cause I worked a lot. But the little time I had to myself, I would write these songs.

Clutch: It’s been a pretty quick rise.
Kid Sister:No kidding! It’s been really awesome!

Clutch: And since then you’ve worked with Kanye, you’ve toured the world, and had the video on MTV. You’ve been featured in a Converse ad and been nominated for a BET award.
Kid Sister: Yep! Worked with Kanye, worked with Pharrell, I’ve worked with David Banner, worked with Estelle. All these crazy big names, who would have thought, you know. It doesn’t even seem real to me, it’s crazy. I’m so flattered and so excited, it’s like I wake up every morning wanting to grab my pompoms, do a cartwheel you know what I mean? I’m just like, “Oh my god!” Sometimes it isn’t the ideal lifestyle, but most of the time I just have to have a really positive attitude because everything is so much better than before.

Clutch: Through the hard work and dedication, you’ve gotten that quick rise. A portion of that seems to come from the fact you don’t have the same label horror stories that a lot of artists have.
Kid Sister:Definitely not. Downtown Records has been amazing. They’re great because they have the money and backing of a major label and they give artist’s the freedom that an indie label normally would. So, it’s really the best of both worlds. And you know, I’m biracial so I keeps it the best of both worlds (Laughing)! But it’s true, everything about me is about keeping that balance, even down to the label I signed with. I really believe that it’s important to find that balance in every aspect of your life.

Clutch: And how did you like working with Fool’s Gold Records?
Kid Sister:Great! We’re still working with them. Fool’s Gold is an imprint on Downtown now so it’s not like anything has changed.

Clutch: How did the sudden changed of pace, from working multiple jobs in Chicago to doing shows all over the world, work for you?
Kid Sister: It’s crazy, but I feel like it hasn’t even hit me yet. Last night I went to this party that Josh and Curt (J2K, her brother, and Autobot, of DJ duo of Flosstradamus) had and I couldn’t believe the response I got. I went up, did one new song and people were just like “AAAH!” and I’m like “Whaaat!? What are you screaming for?” I mean really, thank you for clapping. It really feels good to have people behind you. At the same time it’s like sometimes I have to scratch my head cause it’s like, “How did this happen?” But it’s been great and I hope I can do this for a very long time.

Clutch: How was the transition from writing songs at home to working on a full album?
Kid Sister: Working? You mean finished with cause it’s done! I’m just so excited and Lord Jesus it took a long time. I feel like I had a baby or something, it’s definitely a labor of love, but it’s done. It feels crazy cause I never thought this would be my job. All I wanted when I graduated from college was a job in film. When I saw that wasn’t working out for me I was like “Man, all I want is a job with some health insurance!”

Clutch: I hear that. Health insurance is a hot commodity these days!
Kid Sister: Ok, now we’re getting into some personal sh•t. I have this hand condition. It’s like a nerve injury, so certain muscles in the hand don’t move. Eventually, they atrophy and waste away and you can’t use your hand. And it’s my right hand and I’m right handed! I’ve had this since like late 2003, early 2004 and doctor’s are like “You need surgery.” So all I wanted was some health insurance. I wanted some regular job at careerbuilder.com or some sh•t, but all I qualified for was these bogus jobs that I hated. I couldn’t get any jobs at any of those places with health insurance cause I didn’t have any office skills, like Excel. They say it’s easy but I don’t know it. (Laughs) It’s beyond me! Anyway so I couldn’t get a job and I had this f***** up hand and I’m like “Man, all I want to do is make enough money to live.” Then I was on public aid and I was working three jobs.

Clutch: So how did the transition from being on public aid to becoming a fulltime artist happen?
Kid Sister: My younger brother Josh was traveling and doing music. I remember his first show was somewhere on the east coast, he’s like, “Oh, its so fun!” I’m like “I wanna go!” I’m sitting here with a college degree just chillin’ in my one bedroom apartment not eating anything but tuna and my younger brother is out touring! So I was like “If he can do it, then I want to try it.” I have a background in music and theater, I’ve been doing it since I was six. It’s my passion. When I finally got back to what my passion really was and stopped trying to just get a job for insurance, that’s when things started working out for me. I never would have believed it if someone would have told me. I’d be like “You don’t know my hand pain!”

Clutch: How would you describe your album, Dream Date?
Kid Sister: Like nothing you’ve ever heard. I think I’m the first one in this genre to put out a comprehensive album and put a face to this upsurge in new hip hop, this new blending of the dance and hip hop stuff. I’m the first one to be like “OK, here’s a solid album. It’s unfuckwitable, and it feels really good.” I didn’t think I could do it at certain points but I did it, finally. For the first time, and you can quote me, I feel really proud of myself, really proud. I’m like man, yes! It’s something that I did! I just feel so proud of myself. I wrote all the songs by myself.

Clutch: You worked with Pharrell on it a bit, right?
Kid Sister: Pharrell sent me home with a beat and was like “I want you to write like this and I want you to do this cadence on this part and this cadence on that part.” It was so different than any way I’d worked in the past. I was like “You’re the boss, you’re the musical genius, so, OK.” I got it home and wrote it based upon the cadence that he told me to write and it did not sound like me. I ended up writing another version, the way I wanted to write it and it ended up sounding more like me. Watching him work was so impressive, but I think it says something about this new generation and how we go about making an album. It’s not obvious anymore how to go about making an album or A&R-ing a project. It’s more organic now than it has been in the past several years and people, I think, are slowly starting to adapt to that. The labels and the business people are starting to see that it’s kind of a new day. I really hope it works out for me. If it doesn’t work out I have a really great album that I’m proud of that I really feel pushes my own personal boundaries and those already set up within this industry.

Clutch: How so . . . as far as pushing those personal and industry boundaries?
Kid Sister: I’m just trying to show people that someone like me can make it. I’m not gimmicky, there’s no shock value. I was thinking earlier that I haven’t done an interview in awhile because I had to finish the album. Now I’m done with the album so I’ve been drinking again, I’ve been smoking again, all that sh*t! Now I’m doing interviews again, and I was thinking, “God, what have I not said in my past interviews that I really want to make sure that everyone knows about me?” I thought about it for a while and it’s this: I’m not the girl rapper that raps and is like “Isn’t it cute?” or the girl rapper that raps about her vagina for five minutes straight. I don’t want to be someone who’s known as a gimmick. I want to be the artist that makes it as herself. There are a lot of acts that are all shticks. It’s cheesy. I feel like that’s all good and there’s a place for everybody in this game, but I want to be the girl known as the one who was just being herself. Who was true to herself and true to her artwork and just not a lot of smoke and mirrors. What you see is what you get.

Clutch: Who would you say influenced you?
Kid Sister: I look at other people but it’s mainly my friends and my life. Like, I look at Queen Latifah and at how she runs her business and that influences me, not necessarily her art. I look at people’s entire career paths and be like “Ooh I want to be just like that.” Like Chloe Sevingy. She got famous as hell but she was never cheesy, there’s no bullsh*t. I want to be that artist.

As far as artistic influence it’s like my girls and Chicago House has definitely been a big influence on me. Paul Johnson is also an influence. He reached out to me cause he wanted to work with me and I’m like, “You’re Paul Johnson!” He’s an idol of mine! I can’t tell you how many times the new Paul Johnson mixtape would drop and we’d just listen to it on repeat for hours; drive around in the car just so we could drive and listen to the tape. They had such an influence on me so you will hear a big House influence in the album.

Clutch: What about hip hop influences?
Kid Sister: My brother used to really be into backpack hip-hop and so did I just cause he was into it. Josh has always made me mixtapes and filled my iPod for me. You will hear songs that sound like straight up hip hop on the album. I’m a normal girl, we’re in the age where everyone has an iPod with play lists that play everything from The Beatles to Juelz Santana so that’s my thing, too. I like all kinds of music and that’s what you’re going to hear on the album. It’s like my own personal mixtape.

Clutch: Who are you listening to nowadays?
Kid Sister: Well, I found this old mixtape from back when mixtapes were colored, like “Yo lemme get that orange mixtape!” I found this orange mixtape by a DJ named Mark Almaria and he’s a Chicago House guy and the mixtape probably came out in 1999. I found it in one of my little file folders as I was looking for some tax documents and I just bought a car with a cassette player so I was like “Yeah!” I was so geeked! I’ve been listening to that for the last three days and before that I downloaded all this Hi-Five (singing) “I Can Tell by the Look in Your Eyes!”

Clutch: Hi-Five was great.
Kid Sister: Dude did you know that he (Hi-Five lead singer, Tony Thompson) died? Dude died from huffing Freon from an air conditioning unit. Ain’t that raw? He had the best voice ever. There’s like two dudes that really I don’t care how old or fat they got they were holding it down on the vocal tip. Slim from 112 and dude from Hi-Five. They had the greatest voices. I was so disappointed to hear that. I also listen to the radio and a lot of classical. That’s really what I grew up on. When I first started listening to the radio around 6 or 7 years old, I would listen to classical everyday. Now I’ve been listening to it a little bit more and I feel like when I’m stressed out it calms me down a little bit and it also exercises a muscle that I think helps me with arrangements or melodies and harmonies. It trains your ear to hear extra sh*t that you normally wouldn’t.

Clutch: So you’re not on tour, albums finished. What are you going to do now to unwind?
Kid Sister: I don’t know! Dude I’m so bored. I want to do a mixtape or something. I’m so bored (laughs). I’m just not comfortable if I’m not working. I have a couple of shows for CMJ (College Music Journal’s music conference in New York City) and then after that I’m going to go to Paris and hang out with Alain (boyfriend and Kanye’s tour DJ, DJ A Trak) and by that time the album will be ready to come out. I just kind of don’t want it to come out on the 4th cause it’s Election Day. I don’t want people to forget to vote or forget about Obama! Hello?

Clutch: You’re from the great state of Illinois, home of Barack Obama. How do you feel about what he’s doing?
Kid Sister: I am so proud of that man! And he’s biracial you know! It’s like put a face to our people. There are lots of multi-racial kids out there who don’t have anyone in the media that truly represent them. Obama is a great person to be able to look up to. I think he’s giving the people of Chicago, America and basically the world a lot of things to be hopeful for at a time when it feels like a lot of hope is lost. I mean I’m filling up my gas tank at $4.50 a gallon and that sh*t puts me in a bad mood, forget thinking about hope. The way Obama carries himself is like such a beacon of positivity. He’s uniting people. So let’s just get registered and get out there and vote.

Clutch: You’re getting ready for a night on the town, what’s in your clutch?
Kid Sister: Ooh! Deodorant (laughing) sometimes you’re funky! Wait, I’ll tell you what I took to the BET awards. I took a credit card, a lipstick, my hotel keycard, my phone and a flask (laughing). But sometimes I find the most random stuff in my purse, like hot sauce. You never know when you’re going to need it. One time I had a wrench in my purse!

Clutch: Wait you brought a flask to the BET awards?
Kid Sister: BET awards, no disrespect, I love you! But they shut down the bar for 20 minutes cause they didn’t want people waiting in line during the taping and that was so bogus. I whipped out my flask and there were some older ladies looking at me like “Now she has the right idea!” So it came in handy and yes there were many a flask admirer. We were there for four and a half hours! My ass was so numb. We were sitting in front of Trey Songz and his mom. At one point, I hadn’t really talked in awhile and my breath was marinating in my own mouth so it started to get a little funky. I didn’t bring any gum and Trey’s mom had some gum so I’m like “Can we have some gum?” I didn’t mean to offend her or her son with my horrible breath.

For more information on Kid Sister please visit www.myspace.com/kidsister.

Filthy: Some people love what you do and others seem to dislike it so much that they can’t even ignore it, they have to express it. How do you feel about the divide that seems to exist with you and your music?
Mickey: At this point a lot of people that are online, cause I read everything — I read forums — I read every single thing, weren’t accustomed to the music and then when they heard it they were like “oh this kid is actually OK.” They’re not even hating on the music anymore, they’re hating on how I dress. They’re hating on the thesis that I put together. Some of the artist that they say they’re listening to I listen to those same artists and I’m like “are you kidding me? They’re nowhere on my level.” I studied Hip Hop all my life, I know Hip Hop like the back of my hand. So I know what’s hot and what’s not hot. I wouldn’t put out something that’s garbage or bullshit. I put out music that I’m trying to change the world with. So I’m actually doing it for both sides of the door. I’m doing it for those that love my music and I’m doing it for the haters so I can hopefully turn them into die hard fans.

Filthy: Well — if you really are reading all these forums then you must have a sense of humor cause it would drive most folk crazy.
Mickey: Oh I love it. I look at it and laugh.

Filthy: You love it? So how did you feel at XXL poking fun at your name in their latest issue (July 2008 issue)?
Mickey: Oh that’s dope! They hit me up talking about they want to get me in the Show and Prove section. Yo it’s just funny how things work out, they put me in 5 wackest names and just before they sent it out they apologized to me, “we’re sorry, could you be in the Show and Prove section?” That’s how you know you’re doing something good. I look at it as any promotion is good promotion. People are talking about me and I love it.

Filthy: Were you afraid that by doing a mixtape like Flashback, Vol 1, which is full of classic hip-hop beats, your versions would draw heavy comparisons to the originals?
Mickey: I’m a fan of music, so basically what I did was, you know, I knew that there would be backlash from some people. But I didn’t care. Like I said this is what I’m going to do for me. I grew up on this music. I’m a fan of this music. From the jump, you know. And I’m going to interpret it in my own way. It’s an interpretation. So that’s why I asked Precise, that’s my producer, he did some of the beats over and made em a little hotter, yahmean. Well, I wouldn’t say a little hotter but he gave them his own interpretation. He added a synth to a great vinyl record. If ghostface had done it everyone would have loved it. So its like, it depends on who you are.

Because I’m a newcomer and I’m doing these things and I’m making proclaims like I’m the new age Rakim and stuff like that. People are gonna be like “oh this guys is just crazy, he’s nuts!” but if you don’t aim high then it’s like what the hell are you aiming for?

Filthy: How do you feel about the association of Mickey Factz and the term “hipster rap”?
Mickey: I mean, I’ve been doing music all my life. I play instruments. I can read music. I’ve battled artists, I’ve battled rappers, I’ve done graffiti. Only thing I haven’t done is break dance. I don’t know what the hell a hipster rapper is. I don’t know what the hell it is. What is it? People just want to place things in a specific category.

Filthy: So do you think there’s any truth in someone saying that with no hipster scene there would be no Mickey Factz buzz?
Mickey: Nah that’s not true. I’ve had so many things in the works before all that hipster rap. I was gonna do a record with Travis (of Gym Class Heroes), I was on the original remix to Arms Race with Lil Wayne & Kanye, two of the biggest artist in the game right now. Like I was on the remix with Fall Out Boy, Travis, Kanye and Lil Wayne. It just doesn’t make sense to me. So on a couple of my next releases I’ll be separating myself from the whole hipster genre.

Filthy: Do you think that going an unconventional route with your music selection for Heavens Fallout fed the “hipster rap” talks?
Mickey: I mean yeah some of that has to do with it. When I did In Search Of The N.E.R.D. I rapped over a traditional N.E.R.D. record. Those N.E.R.D. records were amazing you know. Then I did Flashback and in Flashback we created some of the music so it was a preview of what we were going to do in Heaven’s Fallout. I just had to separate myself from everybody. I could not continue to rap over regular music. Like if I do that I’ll be a crab in a barrel, when I honestly want to be a needle in a haystack. It’s a totally different thing. I don’t want to be compared to anyone else. I want to be different, and different meaning hot. I don’t consider myself to be cool. I mean I’m like on fire at this point cause I’m just doing what the hell I want to do.

Filthy: Well what’s inspiring you now? What are you listening to?
Mickey: Right now I’m really listening to a lot of my own music. I’ve been listening to (Lupe Fiasco’s) The Cool a lot lately. I wasn’t a Lupe fan before but now I kinda like his shit. I’m also listening to Kanye’s Graduation a lot still. I’m kinda skeptical on if I really wanna listen to Lil Wayne’s album or not. The N.E.R.D. album is dope, I like that a lot. I’m looking forward to Janelle Monae’s project, I’m looking forward to Chester French’s project.

Filthy: So what’s the album and label situation looking like?
Mickey: The album is gonna be release next year. The EP is coming out later this year. I have a couple of situations from labels that are interested in the product; it’s just a matter of how I go about it. I’m trying to make sure the marketing is correct. I’m also trying to make sure the packaging is a little different. I just want it to be a total experience. I’m trying to co-brand. I just want to make it an experience for all my fans because honestly that’s what means more to me than anything else.

{Photo Credit: Rahan Cotterel}