New Mic Geronimo Interview

[jbutters]

In our second installment of the continuing Lost & Found series we connect with a HalftimeOnline favorite, Queens MC Mic Geronimo. Back in 1995 when you mentioned dope Queens’s emcees you had to mention Nas, Mobb Deep, and Mic Geronimo. With his debut, The Natural,’ Geronimo had a couple certified classics, ‘Shit’s Real’ and ‘Masta I.C.’, while also showcasing a couple artists coming up including DMX, Ja Rule and Jay-Z on ‘Time to Build.’ After enjoying early commercial success Mic caught some criticism for working with Puff and showing up on an MTV documentary during his second album. As time passed the limelight dimmed a bit as Geronimo resurfaced again with his third album, A Long Road Back. Needless to say his career has had its ups and downs but Geronimo is grateful ofr it all. He chats with Halftimeonline about the lessons he learned in the game, acting, school and of course the new project in the works.

Halftimeonline: You’ve been on the low for crazy long. What’s been going on with you?

Mic Geronimo: I’m just chillin right now. I took some time off, got my business in order and have just been figuring out what I want to do with my next project but everything is cool.

Halftimeonline: What’s been keeping you busy? It’s been at least a few years since you dropped your last project.

Mic: It’s been a couple things. We’re still working on a label called Rebellious and putting out the people we want to get out there and there’s been things like me wanting to get into acting. There are other jobs I do besides rap. I was considering going back to school so there have been a few things on my plate that I thought about doing during my time off. That kept my mind busy just thinking about if I decided to do another project how I would want to do it. That’s enough to keep your mind busy.

Halftimeonline: Since you mentioned school did you have anything in mind that you were going to major in?

Mic: Originally when I first started school my major was going to be Forensics but I don’t think there is much room out here for a rapper that solves murders and shit.

Halftimeonline: Haha

Mic: So I guess I’m gonna change it to English Lit or Business Administration.

Halftimeonline: When were you planning to do that?

Mic: I originally planned to just work on the album and then when everything slows down that I’d go back at whatever semester is convenient. The record shit comes first and once that’s out of the way if that’s still where my thinking is that’s what I’ll do.

Halftimeonline: When you came out you were running in the same circles as the Nas’ and Mobb Deeps. Do you still keep in touch with any of those cats? If so what’s the relationship with them now?

Mic: We all still cool. I was speaking to Hav a lot before they started working on the Blood Money album. Me and Nas is pretty much cool. The last time I got to see him was I believe at his birthday party. So I don’t see everybody as much as I used to because as individuals everybody is busy but none of the relationships have changed. They’re still my peoples the same way they were from day one.

Halftimeonline: I was listening to your first album last week and put on ‘Time to Build’ and back then that was the first time I had heard Ja Rule and DMX. With you putting them on, since none of those cats including Jay-Z were that big at the time, why do you think none of them really tried to return the favor once they got into the limelight?

Mic: The public doesn’t get to see everything. I worked with X a couple times since then. Me and X have a close relationship. We actually did a record they were going to put on the Training Day soundtrack but he ending up buying the record from me and putting it on Great Depression as a bonus track. With Rule I’m not going to lie there was some tension at first. Not necessarily tension with him but there was a thing where me and Irv was going through our own issues and I guess that played a part in not allowing us to work together as much as we used too.

Peep the rest of this interview at http://www.halftimeonline.com

[Knoshen]

nice, finally some real hip hop in this pink circus that we call a msg board