Monday, August 2, 2010
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Monday, July 19, 2010
Friday, July 9, 2010
Monday, July 5, 2010
Friday, July 2, 2010
#1 of Heebs' Top 10 Battles!!
The classic, highly anticipated, living up to the hype battle!
The Saurus vs Illmaculate
MAKE SURE YOU FOLLOW HEEBS ON TWITTER WWW.TWITTER.COM/HEEBS907
Thursday, July 1, 2010
INTERVIEW WITH NESS LEE
What up Ness Lee. Introduce yourself.(cues loaded lux-esque intro)
introducing the Ness - dopest in the south soon as i open up my mouth, automatically known internationally shown, ga is the birthplace they created an earthquake, daddy slicker than the average rhyme clown/ swaggy's thicker than dizasters eyebrows, married to the game i never need a stupid wedding ring/ better than PH at everything including everything, my haircut game is shittn on lush one's/ the one son a mother couldnt trust with a trust fund, everyday working man, man's man (pause, no homo and so on and so forth), rhyme animal, production genius, 3 big ass dogs live in my crib, Kap Kallouses beard breast feeds from mine, my girlfriend probably raps better than you, i just lost 25 lbs bro, tyga ty for president, dirtbag dan will die soon, christian side hugging all you niggas girls in the club just to piss you off - Lee!
what up fam? i appreciate the look out. i'm trying my hardest not to do that gay ass leg cross rich niggas be doin when they on talk shows but when you're important you're important and cant help it
How long have you been rapping and battling for?
seriously since i was 17. i'm 23 now. so close to 10 years.
i was always a hip hop fan but i didnt write my first official rap until i was 15 or 16. i was at west laurens high in dublin ga. my nigga jeff from jersey used to battle my other dude jimmy brown every day all day in school. one day jeff didnt show up and jimmy needed someone to pick on so he just did a drive by freestyle on me in the middle of the hallway in front of everybody. i was pretty much forced to spit a verse back. i ended up being pretty decent but he still shitted on me. i went home and wrote a verse and came back the next day like WHAT. he still shitted on me. he had the more simple rhymes, i was on my canibus big word, i read a science book and made it rhyme, tip. ever since i been rhyming.
what really got me into it was battling shawn jay from field mob on the radio every day in albany. they had this show called "who got da flava" where they let local artists call in and battle each other. i got pretty far and ended up battling shawn live at the amphitheatre. we tied. being that he was THAT DUDE in albany, it kinda made a name for me and my squad Kontraband around town.
How was MOB? I heard the crowd energy wasnt the same as it usually is.
man i missed a good 75 percent of MOB. i was in the freakin hotel room with strep throat coughin up green stuff on A Classes bags. but from what i seen MOB was all around one of the best hip hop events ive been to. its hard to pinpoint why there was a lack of reaction on some of the battles. i personally think it has to do with the stage. i think when spectators are closer to the artists they feed energy back and forth off each other. crowd hears bars better and react quicker and louder. emcees feel the reaction and get more amped or animated. so on and so forth. i prefer being in a circle in a battle. more hood/grassroots type. it may sound bad but the feeling of "organization" takes away the authenticity. for me at least. not to take away from whoever it was that thought of the stage idea. a lot of emcees used it to their advantage when they stomped and what not.
You had a battle with Illmaculate, i heard you battled in a parking garage after the event got shut down.
who? i battled a little kid outside my hotel yeah. a lot of people seemed to know him. dude had bars. real talk though, i cant think of a better place to battle than a parking garage. the energy was crazy. a good 70 people were out there and they responded to everything sans a few bars in my third. we both got crazy. shouts out to the little kid from the parking garage.
Why didnt the battle happen at March Madness?
schedule conflict. he had to be up @ 6 to catch the bus to school. i had to find that out a round and a bout way.
You are a top tier battler_300dpi_cmyk.jpg)
and you also make dope music, how much does battling help you put more light on your music.
nah i'm not top tier yet but i appreciate it. i'm working on it. real talk, i have to be specific when i say this, its not battling that helps shed light my music, its grindtime. i cant put egnough emphasis on this. for someone like me who's rocked everywhere he can rock in his city and has his city behind him, doesnt have a huge hit on the radio, and isnt on mtv/bet, grindtime is one of the only consistent ways to get shine. battling in general is great and i love it but you have to be strategic about your career if you want to have one. so as an artist who puts music first i advise anyone trying to get out to take part in grindtime/king of the dot/ smack-url etc. battling/ grindtime got me a contract along with my production partners Cafe Society.
How many CD's do you have available and where can we find them?
go to www.nessleeis.com :)
You had the best impersonation in your battle with FLO do you think it was one of your best showings?
lol i remember when i was writing impressions were big in grindtime. i was always a fan of his style so i figured trying 4 bars of it would be fun. i never noticed how similar our voices are until i got the feedback from that battle. yeah i def think its one of my best showings. either that one or vs paperwerks. shouts to paper and flo
Are you currently in the process of putting another album together?
indeed i am. "everybody loves ness". except for like 5 people on rapmusic.com. me and my team Cafe Society will handle the bulk of prodution. ive always been a person that people are drawn to and speak positively about for some reason. the album is focusing on that and more specifically my move to jerz. i moved from atlanta to new jersey in december 08. i got a d.u.i. the day b4 i was about to drive up here. things have been going like that ever since. so its an understatement to say the transition has been hard. without the help of others i would've been homeless or worse. aye at least i dont look like marvwon. anyway a lot of people have proven to me that the world, even in its terrible state, has an abundance of people with big hearts. for some reason these people see something in me and feel the need to help me get where i'm going. so this album is a tribute to all those people. shouts to Harsh z, blaze wun, hemisphere, sonny bams, drect, ph, poison pen, CAFE SOCIETY
Can you name some battle rappers you're working on music with?
me, hemisphere, jarren benton, and sonny bamboo are doing a project. i rocked a few beats for blaze wun. i'm producing Animal Planet's ep. shouts to passwurdz. chase moore and i will be working on some things in the future i'm sure. i'm doing some production in the near future for marvwon so i can steal his twitter followers. i plan on doing work with dutch vega. man, so many i cant really name them all. i did the beat for that huge grindtime collabe. the studio session for that was crazy.
i also am doing an ep with that toddler from the parking garage. planned on putting it out the day the battle is dropped but i've been so busy writing and producing. we're almost done though.
Do you have any idea what and when your next battle is? Anyone you interested in specifically?
i got syd vicious in atl on the 17th. i'm lookin forward to that one he's one of the better rappers in grindtime and just an all around monster. if i lose i'm probably gonna have a drink with or drop kick him. i wanna battle locksmith. i think that would be dope. but real talk, i reeeeeeally wanna get at E Ness. i respect what he does and just to keep it honest witchu i been tryina bait him for years. nigga finally acknowledged. so yeah i wouldnt mind zipping him up real nice. only enough room for one battle rapping, husky, dark skinned, reality tv showed artist named ness.
What do you think about Rapmusic.com? I see you posting there.
if you use rapmusic.com right it can be extremely helpful. i got my name there from battling. ever since, i had a hardcore fanbase that follows me and buys my music. now a days i just use it to argue with folks and get them saying my name.
Grindtime West Coast vs East Coast, Poison Pen is gunning for it, i saw your suggestion. Why do you think its being delayed?
oh no not gt west vs east (even though that was in the talks at one time). i'm petitioning for gt vs url/smack. i couldnt tell you why its being delayed. i'm not sure if delayed is the right word seeing as its such a new idea. i'm sure if the people call for it it'll eventually happen u feel me.
Where do you see Grindtime in the next year?
i'm kind of afraid for grindtime. its like the and 1 of rap. outsiders look at it as side entertainment away from the "real" rap industry right now. its getting huge though. power industry players are hitting me up saying they saw me on grindtime. but in its current format, it would be easy for it to hit a ceiling. i think by next year its either gonna be the biggest thing ever or exactly where it is right now depending on the moves that are made and the artists involved that blow.
Between battling and performing your music which do you like more?
definitely like performing my music more. two different people. as a battler i get a lot of comments on my writing and rapping ability. but on stage i get cult followers. for some reason my music touches people. its awkward and i dont know how to explain it. i feel like a martin luther type speaker when i'm performing
Where can people hear your music and show you love and see more of you, Ness?
www.myspace.com/cafesocietybeats
www.twitter.com/nessleethertist
www.facebook.com/jeron.nesslee.thomas
yall niggas stop stealing my name with these sites
Do you have anything else you want to talk about we haven't touched on? If so go for it:
thanks for having me, rest in peace point game, and rap isnt for everybody.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Heebs907's Top 10 Battles. #2
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Heebs907's Top 10 battles #7 and #6
#7- Dumbfoundead vs The Saurus. Two of the Grindtime heavyweights go against eachother to see who the battle king is. Dumb's witty bars and smooth delivery against The Saurus' ruthless multis and asian jokes
Next we have #6 Tantrum vs D Lor
Saturday, June 26, 2010
INTERVIEW WITH SOUL KHAN
Whats happenin Soul? Give yourself a quick intro for the readers. I'm Soul Khan, a rapper, a battle rapper, a sometimes singer, and a man who constantly labors at his craft in hopes of entertaining others. I'm from Woodland Hills, California but I live in Brooklyn, New York and I busy myself with music, video games, and events of social and cultural interest. I can also drink an unlimited amount of whiskey when angry.
How long have you been rapping for and when did you get into battling?
I have been rapping in one form or another for thirteen years roughly, though I've only just started taking it seriously as a career aspiration since I moved to New York in '07. I used to only battle in freestyle ciphers and a very small number of on-stage on-beat tournaments, but entered the field seriously through Grindtime in late '08 against Yellow Rat Bassterd (yes, that is how he spelled his name). I'm critical of myself for my late entrance into battling on a national scale, but there really weren't too many outlets for me as I was really on the periphery of the LA hip hop scene growing up and then later stuck in total obscurity when I went to college in upstate New York.
You have battled in Grindtime and Smack, any other leagues?
I have also battled in King of the Dot, a dope Canadian league that originated in Toronto but now spans several provinces. I will also be doing a one-time battle for the Grindtime New Jersey off-shoot, When Animalz Attack against Leathle, the head of the organization. In the future I'd like to travel to Australia to participate in a Got Beef event, as well as to England to take part in one of Eurgh's Don't Flop battles. Hell, I'd even love to just judge some other country's event if I happen to be in the region at the time.
Where has your favourite place to battle been?
As far as the intensity and sheer depth of talent at an event, I'd have to say that battling in Oakland against Dirtbag Dan and then later against QP was a favorite. Overall, Toronto provided me with the warmest reception each time I've been there, first against Aspire and then more recently against Porich. I highly recommend that anyone who is a serious battler or even just a battle viewer go to a King of the Dot event. They're run with the highest degree of professionalism and bring a crowd that is smart, alert, and up on their references.
Stylistically you are different from a majority of the eastcoast battlers, do you find that gives you an advantage?
It used to distinguish me, but now that I've been part of it this long, it's no longer got the "wow" factor it might have once had to regular battle viewers and other battlers even. The fact that I'm dealing with a different crowd than a lot of my fellow California natives has required me to adapt a lot of my stylistic approaches and even the lines I use because different folks are responsive to different content. If you ever wonder why a crowd reacts to me when you're not doing so while watching a battle on Youtube it may be because I gear every line to that particular live audience, especially in a judged battle. Sometimes it works, sometimes it fails, and sometimes I wear a fake beard.
You and Dirtbag Dan had a good match against Quest McCody and Marvwon, what’s next in the 2 vs 2 format for you?
My next 2 on 2 will feature me and Kap Kallous against Tricky P and Charron at the August 6th and 7th King of the Dot 2-year anniversary in Toronto. I wish Tricky and Charron the best of luck because I'm the least of their problems. Kap is the meanest man in the world.
What have you been working on music wise? Do you have a mixtape or album in the works?
I've been working on an album on and off since I first got to New York City. It's seen a lot of obstacles and diversions, namely the growing success of my group, the Brown Bag AllStars and having to prepare for battles (I could obviously have worse problems). A repackaged, fully remixed double CD called Brown Bag Season Volume 1 will drop later this year from my crew with a lot of recently released joints and several new exclusive tracks.
My solo record is called Soul Like Khan and it spans four main themes that are important to me and maybe somewhat important to other people. I don't know if it will appeal to some of my battle fans since we may have diverging musical influences. I'm more of a Native Tongues type of dude. I tend to concern myself more with the emotion, tone, and proportion of the words than the intricacy of rhyme structure and just frivolously showing off my wordplay abilities, which has become unfortunately too much of a trend in underground hip hop. And the beats will knock like a motherfucker. Then, the Brown Bag official album will drop in 2011 and no lie, it's going to sound classic.
I hear you are in a group called Brown Bag Allstars, who else is in the crew and how did this come about?
I am so prophetic in how I answer questions (shout out to my homie, Hard White, ask your girl). Brown Bag started with five rappers, two of whom produce, including myself, Cold Codeine (later kicked out for being a loser), Koncept, J57 (one of the producers), Audible Doctor (also a producer), and three dj's, E Holla, Element, and Goo (who moved to Arizona). We formed a group as a result of our collective friendship that arose from working at or hanging out at Fat Beats in Manhattan.
You’ve been in a bit of controversy with the SONS since MOB. What happened after your battle with QP? (would you like to speak on the whole video that was put out by fox? It was kinda hard to hear what was being talked about)
After my battle with QP, Fox approached me and J57 as I was leaving the main battle area, and basically said that I had "fucked up" because we had an agreement not to speak about each other negatively in any setting after we spoke to each other in New York at a URL event, where, after impliclity threatening me online, he was much more peaceable in his approach. I had, mistakenly apparently, concluded from our first encounter that a battle was still not off-limits for bars directed at him, especially since I was battling one of his crew members. Fox thought otherwise.
He had several clear opportunities to try whatever he wanted until people intervened, and he did nothing. Anyone who tries to suggest that I got "punked" or "checked" is delusional. I refused to indulge him in a fight because first, it's ridiculous to scrap over that kind of shit, and two, because we were at a battle event where a lot of money, time and effort had gone into making something big happen for a lot of people and a brawl would definitely derail that. It would not be even remotely worthwhile for me to fuck up my relationship with Grindtime and Lush, which has given me a great deal, just to settle some overhyped misunderstanding. And in any case, we all know who ruined the event and how later, so I guess my good intentions didn't even matter.
And your next battle is against Fox, right?
It was going to be. I had confirmed my flight information in the middle of June and was waiting on Fox to confirm that he was ready to go, too, but Melody of Grindtime Florida informed me that after she was basically ignored by Fox several times, Fox texted her stating that he and I would do our battle at URL instead. I immediately spoke to Norbes at URL who stated that this was never discussed with him or anyone else in the organization. Additionally, I agreed to a Grindtime battle with Fox, nothing else. Therefore it appears that we are not battling any time in the near future. It's whatever to me, though. It was originally a part of just agitating Conceited, but I don't care anymore since his novelty will wear off sooner than later. I do wish Fox, Heart, and QP the best, though.
You called out Dumbfoundead and Conceited in a youtube video , have you heard a response from either of these two?
Dumb and I spoke about it a while ago and he said he was taking a hiatus, which I respected. I wanted to battle him just because I wanted to prove that I could go the distance. Conceited, on the other hand, was just a challenge based on the fact that he was so insistent that he is the best, which to anyone of taste, is a ludicrous suggestion. He said he only wants battles with people who can get him more views than he does, but as he is the most accessible (read: shitty in a way that makes stupid people feel like they're smart) battler with a big name, nobody gets more views than he does. Theoretically no battle will benefit him. Then again, he doesn't really make music and he has to be suspended above his toilet seat to pee so the greater joke is on him.
Back to music, who are some of your favourite artists?
Big Daddy Kane, Slum Village, Pharoahe, De La Soul, Wu-Tang in its various forms, Paul Robeson, Bjork, Erykah Badu, Daru and AB, Stevie Wonder, Lee Morgan and...this list will get ludicrously long.
What was the best cd of 2009 in your opinion?
Daru and AB's A Work in Progress
What can we expect from Soul Khan before 2011?
Some battles, a lot more music, and a few surprises.
Take some time to plug your info so mofos can find you and show some love:
http://www.soulkhan.com
http://www.twitter.com/_soulkhan
http://www.myspace.com/soulkhan
Facebook: Soul Khan
You got some final words for the people reading this?
I am not cocky, I am driven, 
and if I falter, it is not due to a lack of capacity but a failure of discipline. I'm always working to make what I do, whether it's music, battles, or myself better for the sake of fans, listeners, and viewers. Also, while I owe damn near everything to the people who watch and check out my performances, I hope that this new era of internet interactivity hasn't for a second deluded any of them into thinking that they have the slightest notion of my character or the reasons I do what I do and how I do it in the battling and music world. Everything is more complicated than you think. And that's my word. Peace.
Press Play!
Friday, June 25, 2010
INTERVIEW WITH DIRTBAG DAN
What up Dirtbag Dan? Introduce yourself further!
Ladies and Gents, boy and galls, this is the one and only Dirtbag Dan of the mighty Counter Productive Crew out of beautiful San Jose, CA. Or As I like to call it "The Zae Baby... Arrrhhggg"
You just got back from Hawaii and battling Osna. How did you like it out there?
Hawaii was nothing like I thought it would be. Cool as all shit, don't get me wrong, but not what I thought. Its a real inside culture. Meaning they aint really feeling outsiders. Definitely the most hostile audience I've ever performed for. At one point someone said, "kill that houle". I think I earned their respect. Its all about respecting the soil. No matter where you go.
You’ve travelled a lot recently to battle, where would you say has the most intense battle scene?
There all a little different. Hawaii was all about the home team. I can dig it. Oz was on some major love and respect right from the gate. Everyone there is happy to be a part of this whole thing. In England the fans were pumped. All our (Myself and Madness) merch sold before it hit the table. A lot of autographs and pictures. Someone even stole my hat during my battle. I'd have to say though, after all my travels, its really a toss up between The Bay and Toronto. I think we are consistently a larger audience with regard to views and demographic, but they have a huge core audience of die hard fans. Either way they are both the most knowledgeable of all the fans throughout. Meaning they get the references to other battles and inside jokes a lot of random viewers miss.
A break from battle questions, what have you been doing in the studio? Anything in the works?
I recently released a self titled album with my crew (Counter Productive). We had a record release party on 04/08 this year as an homage to our city. It will be available on iTunes coinciding with the release of my battle with Thesaurus (TBA). Abel Abilities is currently on tour with the homie General Populus and Ichy the Killer is the DJ for all 43 dates of The Vans Warped Tour w/GrintimeNow/Rolling Rockers. I'm gonna join him out there for a few performances and at least one battle. I think the plan is to get a mixtape done between now and Grizzlemania
2. The homie Skylar G recently procured a new facility in the Zae so as soon as I get this next battle out of the way, its on.
Would you still keep the name if you shaved the beard?
The name was never a choice... the great ones never are.
You are a top tier battler, who do you think are your biggest challenges?
I've had a lot of Wars, a few massacres, and a couple fun ones. I'm always my biggest challenge. If I feel like I'm on, I'm a fucking world beater. I really think I can beat anyone on any given day. That doesn't mean I think I'm unbeatable. Far from it. I just feel like on this level anyone can get it. Traveling for battles is added pressure. I got the heart of a fucking champion in me. Pressure makes diamonds baby!
Soul Khan and you have been teaming up for 2 on 2’s; Is it harder to
prepare for 2 on 2’s than it is 1 vs 1?
Hahahaha... prepare? Soul Khan lives in New York. I live in the Zae. We talk on the phone, put together a few bars, and watch it go. I think every time at least one of us had a 1 on 1 battle that day. We are both very loud and present. It works out. Me and Mad kill together too, but Critical will always be a better suit for him. They have that long time battle chemistry. You can fuck around in a 2 on 2. Never in a 1 on 1.
Who are some artists you’ve got rocking on your playlist on the regular?
That Lynch Hung, Dinner and a Movie is off the chain. That new Yukmouth is on point. Jacka is killing 'em out here. Sometimes I put on 112's Anywhere and just do Zane's verse in the mirror... hahaha, nah. I knock the range from Sizzla to Slayer, but thats what I been knocking lately.
Yukmouth did a video the ways to beat you in a battle, what do you think about it? Do you agree with his tips to beat you?
Haha... Yuk's that dude. That shit killed me. Really though, the one time I shaved I did so much damage that it was basically called cheating. I hate not having a beard. It makes me feel weak. So.. yah he's right.
And for those who aren’t familiar with this HYPERLINK http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqhyYV15DFw (Skip to 3:10)
What’s it like to be undefeated (In Grindtime)? Not many people have that record!
Not undefeated... Lost my 3rd battle to Sahtyre. In retrospect, probably not the smartest decision I've made with regards to accepting battles. I think it was good to lose early for me. I learned a lot from it. I do however have the best over all record (current 8 and 1).
Do you believe all of your wins in Grindtime are legitimate?
I mean legitimate in the sense that they were judged by 5, impartial, competent judges, Yes. Either way it aint on me to decide who wins my battles. Some of the ones that people feel most "offended" by are my best work. That tends to get overlooked. Fact of the matter is it aint a fist fight. Its opinion in the end. I know that a lot of the time the camera fails to capture the whole picture. It is what it is.
What is a rematch you’d be down for the most?
Of course Saht. But if anyone want to get some redemption of their own... Lets go bitches.
With all these different battle leagues popping up world wide, where do you want to go and battle the most and who is the guy you’re gunning for in that league?
I'll battle ANYONE! I'm not one of those dudes who is gunning for Con or Iron. I could give a shit. I would ROAST 90% of those so called "street" rappers with the greatest of ease, Con included. I wanna battle in EVERY english speaking league in the WORLD. I'm pretty fucking close. Its up to the match makers to put it together. I've spoken with the dudes at FlipTop Battles in The Philippines. That would be fucking retarded ill. I'm ready to set up "The Thrilla in Manilla 2011". I wanna battle in Scotland and Ireland as well. I'm sure I'll make the trio next year. And URL if they're around and actually have an opponent who isn't scared. Thats gonna be the mark I leave on this shit. Most traveled. Most battle tested. LEAST SCARED!
What’s your goal for 2010?
Man... I just wanted to get out of the country a little. That turned to a lot. I'm just gonna get another solo project out and watch it go.
Plug your info for the readers so they can come find you for beard stylin tips!!
Hit me on twitter @DirtbagDan408 and check out the music @ www.cpkrew.com and www.youtube.com/user/counterproductiveTV We got MEDIA!
That’s whats up bro, if you got anything left to say the floor is open!
I love my family, I love my City, I love to compete, I WAS BUILT FOR THIS SHIT!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
INTERVIEW WITH AVOCADO
Yo Avacado! Whats up? Time for an introduction!
What's crackin? My names Kyle Gray but most of the most of the nerdy hip-hop world knows me as Avocado. I do all the filming and editing for the Grind Time West Coast division and recently I've done the GTNW division, Grizzlemania graphics and I have done some motion design for King of the Dot. There's more jokes about my arms than I'd like and I wear shirts with sleeves to work contrary to popular belief. YAH!
What is some of your work people might be familiar with? I heard you’ve done some work in the movie industry is that true?
Yes sir, I do visual effects and motion design for a living. I've worked in commercials, music video's, documentaries and feature films. In terms of movies, I've worked on a lot of "great" films such as GI Joe, Invictus, Men Who Stare at Goats and Knight and Day to name a few.
Explain the name Avacado:
Well this is a pretty personal question. A while ago I was dating the love of my life and would do anything for her. She encouraged me to advance in my career and was always there for me when I needed her. She was a big part of my life. Her lifelong goal was to move to central california and own an avocado farm. I worked my ass off for 2 years saving up to move and we started to gather enough money to invest in her dream. A week before we got confirmation from the bank for a loan, she was killed in a car crash. I named myself Avocado in homage to her. Nah, Avocado is just a stupid name and I chose it cause its funny. :)
What’s it like being the cameraman for Grindtime?
Imagine sitting in a circle full of dudes, its hot as fuck, them spitting all over you and having to tell people at the bar to shut the hell up every 4 seconds. SOUNDS FUN HUH? haha nah its actually pretty fun, I'm a big fan of battles so I really enjoy contributing to the artform whatever way I can and having a front row seat to some of the most historic battles of all time is a plus.
Where is one of the dopest place you’ve filmed at?
The last 4 bay area events have been at the same location which is a big warehouse, its pretty good and housed the MOB audience comfortably which was around 500-600 people. The first BOTB event was at a regular venue in oakland with like maybe 20 heads. BOTB2 was in mosswood park in Oakland, that was pretty cool and it was a fun environment. I've also filmed in LA at project blowed for BOLA1 and I've been to portland twice to film two different GTNW events. Basically all the places I've filmed at have been dope except for the venue for BOLA2, that place was extremely small and the owner of the venue was a complete dick.
How much work goes into filming a big event like MOB?
Oh god man, a lot. It's just crazy cause these events take so much time, work and money to pull off correctly. Grind Time has literally gone from a group of friends chilling under a fucking park bench to these huge events attracting hundreds of people from around the world. I give a ton of props to Lush One, who gets a lot of unwarranted flack for shit thats out of his hands. The dude made such a big difference in grind time and the battle world in general, he literally REVIVED a dying art. But yeah I mean these events are literally planned for months beforehand, like any big event. At MOB for example we had a little platform built so everyone could see the battlers and we used a microphone to gently help the mc's with projection so everyone could hear. We try to cover all the aspects of making watching battles FUN when you're there, obviously shit slips through the cracks
but I like to think we're on top of shit for the most part.
What is some of the craziest shit you’ve caught on camera so far?
Madness being the hype man for a rapping bum was pretty dope. I think the craziest shit though was when they cut the lights out on dizaster during his battle with arsonal and he KEPT RAPPING. That shit was just so cinematic and awesome, the only light was the one from my camera and they just cut the lights out on him in the middle of his round. He didn't miss a beat and finished his round IGNORING the fact that the staff at the venue was flashing the lights and turning on music over the speakers trying to clear people out of the venue.
How did you get this opportunity?
Well I made a documentary about the west coast battle scene a while ago, "Fresh Coast". You can look it up and watch it on grind time's youtube channel. And I knew Lush from that and he basically approached me about filming the first bay area event and we just kept working together from then on out.
What other ways are you involved in Grindtime?
I film some events but I also do all the editing and graphics for the GTWC and recent GTNW division events. I get a lot of help though, my in house editor, Humberto Hidalgo, cuts some of the battles. Also Corey, the MAIN cameraman and editor for grind time, helped me out out A LOT at MOB. He also got his camera stolen there which was awesome. Corey does not get enough props for what he's done, he edited EVERY grind time battle for a while and was filming a good 90% of them which he still does.
Will you always work with Grindtime or will you eventually pass the torch as new opportunities present themselves?
Well Grind Time has always been something that I do as a hobby, I don't really let it get in the way of my professional work but recently it has been a lot of work. I mean I have uploaded battles from Las Vegas when I should have been out drinking, in Colorado when I should have been hanging out with my family, in the grand canyon freezing my ass off at 1AM next to a possible serial killer haha. I'm sure Corey feels that same way but the work that goes into uploading just 1 battle is pretty heavy and can get pretty time consuming for a "hobby". We'll see but right now I love it and I sort of feel like its my baby so its hard for me to turn my back on it.
You made it out to the Northwest to film the Bridge City Battles, how did you like the environment and do you plan on going back?
I LOVE PORTLAND! This recent trip sold me on it. I've been up there multiple times and I love the town. I like how its a city with a small town feel. A lot of people hate on all the hipster's up there but whatever man I lived in San Francisco haha. And last but not least, I LOVE THE WOMEN up there. Jesus christ me and Reverse Live were walking around before the battle just wondering when we were going to see a girl we weren't attracted to. The girls up there have style, dark features and attitude. I plan on going back at the next event for sure, ILLMAC I see you! "holla back surgery whats goody two shoes?"
Have you gone out to the east coast to film yet? Is that something you’re interested in?
I went out to brooklyn to interview Critical, Iron Solomon and Poison Pen for the Fresh Coast documentary and I loved it. Brooklyn is such a fucking cool city, how could you not love NY? I am REALLY interested in filming a battle out there. POISEN PEN I see you!
You get a front row view at all the battles, who would you say your top 5 battle rappers are or can you decide?
Oh man that's a hard question haha. Well my personal favorites are
1. passwurdz
2. illmaculate
3. dumbfoundead
4. nocando
5. thesaurus
I guess that really exposes the biased nerd in me haha.
How much pussy does the camera man really get?
Well i just woke up with some visions of last nights encounters with the police, making out with a girl and something that resembles a bite mark
Plug your info so your fanbase can grow! (Don’t forget your appreciation thread on rapmusic!)
hahah shout outs to belowtheheavens for making that, I see you stock! Well if you want to hit me up with any questions or just to say hello hit me on twitter at twitter.com/avocadoisgod. If you want to check out some work I've done go to www.kylegrayvisuals.com. My reel up there is actually old, I need to change that.
Any last words for the readers?
Thanks for all the kind words, you guys really make my day sometimes. Shout outs to all the RM heads, Goon Squad, Lush, Drect, Corey, Dirty Bird, Greg for doing that dope ass portrait and everyone who follows me, I still trip out when someone says they are a fan of me. Believe me its appreciated. Thanks also to the Bodyguard for giving me this interview, much appreciated! Also everyone should be on the lookout for Grizzlemania 2 in Miami. There are only 10 Battles and they are all dope, 4 battlers are BIG names that are being pulled out of retirement for the event. Start making your travel plans now....
thanks again guys, peace.