Prophet Interview! (Detox? "It's Like That" For Dr. Dre?/Sam Sneed/Mixtape/More)

[Lunatic]

Interview/Audio/Video Feature: Prophet (By Justin "Lunatic 63" Melo)
http://raptalk.net/website/content/view/570/54/







Is Prophet on Detox? Is the “It’s Like That” track that leaked all over the internet a few weeks ago actually the first single from Detox? What does Dr. Dre think of the record? Get all those questions answered in this interview plus a lot more!

Prophet also discusses his upcoming mixtape “Before the ink dries” which may feature a much respected rapper from the Death Row days! Who can it be? Continue reading below to find out!

Also find out what Prophet thinks of the industry right now plus his record making tactics!

 

Q: We’re here with Prophet, how’s it going?

It’s going pretty good, I can’t complain – in the studio grinding.

Q: We’re going to give you the opportunity to speak on many things but I’d like you to start us off with clearing up the controversy behind the track you so called wrote for Dr. Dre “It’s Like That” that leaked a few weeks ago.

That’s not a problem at all.

What happened was about seven months ago I came in the studio with my producer named Wall Street who’s signed to my company “High Caliber Ent.”  I heard the beat and I was like damn; it had a nice Cali vibe.

I wanted to write a record for Dre because I am close with a producer who works with Dre. I thought I had a solid chance to get the record at him with the possibility of it being considered for Detox.

I wrote the record out and used my voice similar to what Dre’s sounds like just to get an idea of what it would sound like from his perspective.

We sent it out to a few family members and relatives to get opinions on it to see if it was even really worth sending it to Dre since the project is so anticipated and everyone wants to work with him.

The next thing you know, a few months down the road I see the record out on SOHH and they’re talking about me flying out to Cali to work with him and I was just like what the hell? I started hitting people up to see if they saw it as well and it popped up on a lot of websites.

It got a lot of good comments; I am very appreciative for that. Some thought it was good enough for Dre to use but it wasn’t a record he actually chose for Detox.

I don’t know who got it to SOHH and the internet to post.

At the end of the day, I want to make it clear that no, we are not working with Dre although we would like to. I don’t want to get known off of something that isn’t true because we’re working too hard right now.  I don’t want that to overshadow that we do have great records and that we can write music for any genre because that’s what artists do.

Q: And what kind of feedback did you get from the people you sent it out to?

I got some people that thought the lyrics were too aggressive for him right and for where he’s at in his career. Other people thought it was great, different things. Not everybody loved it, but I’d say about 95% of the people who heard it liked it.

Q: You mentioned having a little network to Dr. Dre, do you know if the record got to Dre before SOHH leaked it?

I believe it did. I wasn’t there playing it so I can’t say everything I hear actually went down, especially since I’m just taking the words from someone else. From my understanding he did get a chance to hear it.

Q: Have you got a chance to meet him since the record leaked?

Nope I haven’t and truthfully I don’t even know how he feels about the record. With the whole wait on Detox and then for this to happen… Some people thought that was Game rapping on it, others called it his single since the tone of voice I decided to use on the record.

Q: The tone did sound a bit like Dre.

Exactly and it was meant to. It’s no different then when you write an R&B song for somebody; If I write a record for Lindsey Lohan or Rihanna I want to have a girl with a similar tone of voice reference the vocals.

Q: The internet went nuts when the record leaked. Not to diss you or anything, but you’re media coverage before that track wasn’t too high…

Right, not at all.

Q: So what was your reaction when you saw the internet blowing up over this song?

I was happy because I saw a lot of good reviews about. Some people loved it and some people didn’t like it.

A lot of people hit me up to do interviews about it and to be honest I’ve only taken your interview because you came across like you just wanted to get the truth out there and a lot of sites seemed like they just wanted to interview me because this song was out there.

At the same time I want to make sure that I set the record straight: we are musicians first and this was just an unfortunate event that happened to generate some interest for me; at the same time it can confuse people because my music sounds nothing like that; I’m not even really doing a rap project right now. I’m doing one were I’m mixing reggae, hip-hop and Jamaican and I’m trying to create a whole new movement; it will sound nothing like the stuff I did for Dre.

Q: Well I’d like to thank you for choosing us as your way to get the truth out.

Absolutely, I appreciate the opportunity. There’s going to be a lot of other stuff coming besides this. I need people to understand where a song that leaks can hurt or help your situation; it all depends on how you handle it afterwards.

Q: Moving on, tell us about the current projects you have on the table.

I’ve been doing a lot of performances; I just got back from performing at Showcase in Ohio. I just did a joint in Atlanta for V103.3; it’s one of the biggest radio stations in Atlanta.

I have this mixtape that I’m doing; it’s more like an album because there’s a whole lot of original music on it – I think there’s three freestyles on there. I have so many hot producers around me that want to work with me so it’s easy to knock out records.

I’m reaching out to people to host it; there are a lot of people in mind right now. I have some nice shout outs out there from people like Sha Money, Greg Street, Don Cannon and a lot of different people that I’ve built relationships with.

On an artist level I have that going on but I’m a business man first. I don’t subject myself to one way of having success. As an artist, I’m chasing it but I also have a company with other people that I deal with such as writers and producers; where just trying to get it all out there.

Q: Does that mixtape have a title?

It’s called “Before the Ink Dries.”

Q: When can we expect it to be released?

I want to say around August because a lot of the music is done but I want to release it when I feel it’s 100% ready. I don’t believe in putting a record out prematurely just for the sake of making a date. I don’t have a major label situation where I’m feeling pressed about dates and what not; I’m feeling pressed about giving the people the type of product that I want to represent and put my name on.

With the game the way it is right now and being over saturated, it’s important for you to put out good music that generates interest and it is going to be something that can generate money because in the end, this is a business.

To me as an artist if you’re putting out a mixtape and just putting it out for free…

I understand doing that to a certain extent but if its situation where you can’t make money off of it because people don’t want to spend their money on you then that’s something else.

At the end of the day this is a business and you need to generate money before anyone wants to put money behind it.

Q: You need to generate money, but you need to be proud of your music as you said.

My thing right now is seeing my artist Goldie out of Decatur get bigger out here because he’s been doing so many songs and a lot of people like him.

I want to continue to do good stuff with my producer Wall Street; he has a track on the upcoming B.O.B. album who is a new artist out of Atlanta. We got a record on there that he co-produced with Colli Park Music. We’re just trying to get these singles out here and do what we do.

Even though it’s a business, it doesn’t start with you wanting to make a million dollars in it; it starts with you loving it and you doing the necessary things to make your craft go to the next level – I don’t want to ever stop getting better and becoming a better artist. When you stop getting better - that is when you should stop doing it.

Music grows and if I would have got on when I was 14, you would have heard a lot of good music and you would have heard me grow. At this point people are showing interest in me so I am just trying to get my following together. I have a big Caribbean following from Hartford, Connecticut – if anyone knows Hartford Connecticut, it’s a really ghetto and gutter area.

For me to be living in Atlanta right now chasing my dreams, I’m doing a lot better than some people I grew up around. They look at me and see what I’m doing and their very proud of me because I’m young and I’m surviving; I’m not hurting at all.

Q: Just to get another question out of the way about that mixtape, how is it dropping?

I’m going to be selling it; as far as free download goes, I might do a little promotional thing where the first 1,000 people to download it can get it for free; but for the most part, it won’t be free.

It’ll be sold on my myspace at www.myspace.com/prophet860. I’ll be selling it on there and I will be getting in the streets really heavy in places like Miami, Connecticut, Anaheim and so on. Will be driving down coast to coast making people aware of the music I’m making.

I’m going to Jamaica at the end of this year to promote out there and to perform out there; I’m trying to hit up the UK as well to see what that overseas love is like because I need it (laughs).

Q: Do you have features on the mixtape at this time?

I’ve done a lot of records; I did a record with Sam Sneed who used to be with Death Row records.

Q: Oh wow.

He’s a beast; a lot of people seemed to have forgotten about him but I have a lot of respect for him; shouts out to him.

For the most part I’m working with my in-house production but I have a lot of contacts to a lot of different producers and people who show me a lot of love and respect; but I am trying to promote the movement I am apart of and the people who benefit me an the people that I benefit. That is why I am more or less about doing it with my in-house production such as Wall$treet; I have a track on there from an upcoming and producer by the name of Tone Beats.

I even get a lot of tracks from people who just hit me up on myspace; it’s so funny because a lot of people are trying hard to make this project, but I can’t put fifty records on my mixtape. I’m not one of those dudes who don’t respond back or take a long time to respond to you. It make take me a long time to record the track because I am doing so much, but if I like the track I am definitely going to fuck with it. To a lot of people see that as a conflict of interest, but to me it’s a conflict of interest to only have my hand in one pot, it doesn’t make sense to me.

Q: You can’t put fifty records on the mixtape, but you most definitely need to put that Sam Sneed record on there (laughs).

(Laughs) I know, right.

It’s funny to me because I had a previous mixtape called “HTFD” Vol.1 which is an abbreviation for my city and “it’s hard to fucking die.” I can make the pop records and such, its nothing to me. But I feel like with the situation we’re in right now with the gas prices the way they are, I don’t understand how there’s no music out here that talks about the struggle and not always balling out in the club by throwing money at the floor when you have kids to feed; or you have that nice ass Benz and you live in an apartment. I just bought my first house last week so I’m proud of that; I am just trying to get to the next level.

Q: Congratulations on buying your first house.

That’s big and I encourage everyone out there - stop renting, let’s own everything; own our masters, own our music and own everything we attach our names to.

Q: That’s the right state of mind right there.

Definitely.

Q: Earlier you mentioned how you try and get better with each song you write. With that said, that shows that lyrics are very important to you. Do you feel that lyricism has lost its way in hip-hop?

There are a lot of great MC’s out there with great lyrics, but today, you have to still have it come across as something people can play on the radio and people can vibe to it.

I remember when you could play some Wu-Tang in the club. It wasn’t a club beat, just a hard hip-hop beat with great lyrics and that would bang in the club.

To me, it’s partly the fault of the people who promote the music. They decide what the consumer listens to and what we hear; the DJ decides that. When people get fed up and decide they no longer want to listen to this stuff, will see these other MCs with more lyrics and better production come to the forefront.

It’s hard for me to say because I bop to all these records; I’m in the Atlanta strip clubs and sometimes I want to hear that stuff. It might not be the most lyrical record but it serves its purpose.

I just want to hear more range; more of everything. It’s become one thing. It’s come to the point where the flavor in Atlanta is the same in Ohio. We all know how the music scene is right now.

I can remember when there was a time when it felt like music was from the stagnant; then DMX came out and tried to shift it, that was after Pac and Big died and it seemed like everything was starting to sound the same – then someone came along out of nowhere; I think will always have someone come from the blue and shift the music and hopefully I can be one of the artists to do that.

Q: We need more of a balance.

There’s people with stories out here that can’t tell them themselves so as artists we have the stage and the attention of the people which makes it important for us to talk about issues that aren’t as simple as what’s going on in the club; we need to address these social issues and what’s going on in the world.

I still get silly in the club, that’s fine; but I want to hear other stuff as well.

I grew up in the 90s so I heard the 2Pac’s and Biggie’s when they first came out. A lot of fans today aren’t old enough to have seen that; all they know is a certain type of artist.

It’s not to say there isn’t good music out there; you have your T.I.’s and you’re (Young) Jeezy’s. I’m a big fan of those two and some other artists that are popping right now. You do have some artists that can rhyme and put together a good record; you support what you like – if I don’t like it, I don’t buy it; but when I do like an artist, I go to the store and buy his record. That’s the only way that there can be a change; if we don’t support the music we like and just complain all the time, it’ll be the same thing always.

People have to realize as a consumer, you dictate what is popular.

Q: Concepts seem to be very important to you as well after hearing “It’s like that.” How important do you think it is to keep your music creative and original?

As an artist you should always bring a piece of you to any record. At the end of the day, you want to get your point across. Even if it’s a pop record and I’m talking about a woman leaving her man; I want to paint the picture that whatever happened, it was dead serious for that women to leave her man; that is what I try to bring to the table.

A lot of people make records for a quick dollar; if you can do it and that’s your hustle, more power to you; I can’t do it myself though, every time I write a record I am trying to advance and get better – I’m still growing as a writer, that’s a lifelong journey.

Q: you mention having a hand in business and being an artist yourself; do you ever find it difficult to balance?

More or less, there aren’t enough hours in the day. It’s hard to do everything such as promote yourself and promote other people; I use it to my advantage.

The same people I am meeting with to try and sell a track to be the same people I am playing my own records to; it could both open and close doors.

It comes down to being organized and knowing how to manage your time. You need a good team around you, one person can’t do it. When you’re grinding on an independent level, you need other people to join your movement so it can become a movement; it can’t be a movement with just you; it can start with you but with any other business, it has to grow and acquire other people.

Q: Which side do you prefer? The artist side or the business side?

To me, it’s not a preference. I love doing the artist stuff because I can do a lot of stuff regarding to art such as draw and having other talents. Business is also very important to me because I want to set myself up where my kid’s, kid’s, kids can eat off of my accomplishments. It’s not so much what’s more important to me. I love music, but business is mandatory. I’m not going to get treated any kind of way in this industry because I wasn’t treated any other way while I was in the streets. For me to leave one extreme and go into another with changing my way of thinking, that’s not going to happen.

I take everything I’ve learned along the way and everything I’ve gone through and I apply it properly. There will be some bumps and bruises along the way and in this game; you need to take a loss to get ahead sometimes. Where in a business, you may know everything about it but you may come into a situation where you need to do a certain thing to land yourself an appearance on an album; as an up and coming artist you can turn your back on it and say fuck it, or you can do business the way the person who’s more established than you wants to do it and get an opportunity to get your name out there. You can’t be naïve due to your ego.

As an up and coming artist, this is a game that is over saturated. There are a million rappers, a million producers, a million singers and a million people that are really good at it and deserve a shot; What separates you from them is how you get on and the moves you make with the grind you put in and the fact that you may be willing to budge and bend on a few things that others aren’t willing to do.

You still have to have that business sense and understand that more opportunities will come; if it’s not worth it to you, go with your gut. If my gut is telling me something is wrong then I don’t mess with it. That is how I do business; I do business off my gut. If I feel like a situation can benefit me, I go with it.

Q: Thank you for your time Prophet; do you have any last words for our readers before I let you go?

Just give everybody a shot. Don’t look at musicians on a record to record basis; learn about the artist first. Before the music, you need to know all about that artist; before you can love my music, you have to love me. You need to know all about me from the interviews to the songs that I write for myself and for other people; Give every man a shot, a real shot.

[D~Nice]

Wow this is a GREAT interview. Seems like he is a level headed guy and has his priorities in order.

[The Real Kilo2]

Amazing interview. You are a great interviewer and props to you. Prophet is also an amazing level headed artist, I hope he makes Detox. We need someone like him on there. I love his track with Sneed doing the beat on his Myspace.

[Dre-Day]

I believe it did. I wasn’t there playing it so I can’t say everything I hear actually went down, especially since I’m just taking the words from someone else. From my understanding he did get a chance to hear it.

Q: Have you got a chance to meet him since the record leaked?

Nope I haven’t and truthfully I don’t even know how he feels about the record. With the whole wait on Detox and then for this to happen… Some people thought that was Game rapping on it, others called it his single since the tone of voice I decided to use on the record.

well if Dre thought it was the shit, he probably would have contacted Prophet.

[Hittman2001]

I believe it did. I wasn’t there playing it so I can’t say everything I hear actually went down, especially since I’m just taking the words from someone else. From my understanding he did get a chance to hear it.

Q: Have you got a chance to meet him since the record leaked?

Nope I haven’t and truthfully I don’t even know how he feels about the record. With the whole wait on Detox and then for this to happen… Some people thought that was Game rapping on it, others called it his single since the tone of voice I decided to use on the record.

well if Dre thought it was the shit, he probably would have contacted Prophet.

It could've been that Aftermath released it also 

[Lunatic]

D: Thanks a whole lot for the support; he really is extremely level headed
Kilo: I can't tell u how much I appreciate that coming from a veteran such as yourself; props to you, homie. After hearing "Its like that" I also really hope he makes Detox, it would benefit the album.

Did anyone hear the songs or watch the "Studio Talk" with NO ID?

[Lunatic]

by the way, if y'all wanna download the songs, u have to be on the raptalk page

[Dre-Day]

it would benefit the album.

in what way? 

[Lunatic]

it would benefit the album.

in what way? 

lol at quoting 1 part of my post
good music
this is opinion
i personally really liked "its like that", sounded like some dope dre shit
if u didnt, thats your opinion.
lets leave it at that

[Dre-Day]

it would benefit the album.

in what way? 

lol at quoting 1 part of my post
good music
this is opinion
i personally really liked "its like that", sounded like some dope dre shit
if u didnt, thats your opinion.
lets leave it at that

lol i merely asked why you made that assumption 

[Lunatic]

it would benefit the album.

in what way? 

lol at quoting 1 part of my post
good music
this is opinion
i personally really liked "its like that", sounded like some dope dre shit
if u didnt, thats your opinion.
lets leave it at that

lol i merely asked why you made that assumption 

and i answered u homie
its all good

[Dre-Day]

it would benefit the album.

in what way? 

lol at quoting 1 part of my post
good music
this is opinion
i personally really liked "its like that", sounded like some dope dre shit
if u didnt, thats your opinion.
lets leave it at that

lol i merely asked why you made that assumption 

and i answered u homie
its all good

sure, it's just that it sounded like you were blaming me 

[D~Nice]

it would benefit the album.

in what way? 

lol at quoting 1 part of my post
good music
this is opinion
i personally really liked "its like that", sounded like some dope dre shit
if u didnt, thats your opinion.
lets leave it at that

lol i merely asked why you made that assumption 

and i answered u homie
its all good

sure, it's just that it sounded like you were blaming me 

Nah I did not get that from what he said.

[Lunatic]

it would benefit the album.

in what way? 

lol at quoting 1 part of my post
good music
this is opinion
i personally really liked "its like that", sounded like some dope dre shit
if u didnt, thats your opinion.
lets leave it at that

lol i merely asked why you made that assumption 

and i answered u homie
its all good

sure, it's just that it sounded like you were blaming me 

blaming u for what? wasnt doin that at all
sorry u felt like that

[Dre-Day]

it would benefit the album.

in what way? 

lol at quoting 1 part of my post
good music
this is opinion
i personally really liked "its like that", sounded like some dope dre shit
if u didnt, thats your opinion.
lets leave it at that

lol i merely asked why you made that assumption 

and i answered u homie
its all good

sure, it's just that it sounded like you were blaming me 

blaming u for what? wasnt doin that at all
sorry u felt like that

in that case, no problem