Illuminati 2G caught up with one of the rising newcomers in hip hop, Rain, for a exclusive interview. We discuss his new album, American Dreamin, out now, keeping it real, some concepts behind some of his songs and much more. Check it out.
Illuminati 2G is here with Rain, how’s it going?
Everything good, chillin out relaxing
How did you get your start in the game and some of your musical influences out there in hip hop?
I started rhyming when I was like 9 years old. It was always something that I wanted to do, I would watch Yo MTV Raps and watch guys really get they stuff on and doing they thing. Busta Rhymes, Nas, Jay-Z those are the people that motivated me to get into the game. Outkast, UGK, it was ill to see how people was expressing themselves in the game and people were listening. I started writing all my thoughts down and tried to keep it how they was doing it.
How did you come up with the name Rain for yourself?
Rain, it just represents new beginning. Rain, it’s like, nothing can grow without rain. I feel like as far as the new generation and a new sound, the game needs me to start that new sound. They need me to grow. Rain is a necessity, and I feel that I am very much needed in this rap game.
What is the music scene like where you are from in North Carolina?
It’s cool. It’s alot of people out here that are talented. It’s hard to get on out here because it is no really big outlets. We have our radio stations, but we don’t have any major labels. It’s not a big market, versus Miami, Atlanta and New York. So it’s alot of talent, but it is untapped. I feel that once one person breaks through here, everyone else will follow and have a chance to showcase their talent as well.
I was on your myspace page and I checked out a song you had basically it was a open letter to 2PAC. How did you come up with the concept for that song?
I was actually in the studio when this guy named Music Mykstero, he is a producer who makes beats, he was going through a bunch of beats and like the last beat he went through it was a sample from the same song Pac used for Pain. I wind up doing that record and I wanted to do 6 more records being that it was the same month that he died. I did a tribute to 2PAC and that song was what really started the tribute. After I did the tribute to 2PAC mixtape, I was going through mad beats, looking through songs for that mixtape, and like I wanted to do something creative. I figured I would write a letter to him and just tell him everything that is going on. I only spoke about the people he would know about. Because alot of the dudes in the game that is new, he really did not know about. So I was just letting him know, I was letting him know about that was out at the time he was out when he was alive. I think it was me just being creative.
Yeah that is a dope ass song that you had on there. I just recently checked out and recently did a review for Raptalk for your new mixtape/street album, American Dreamin. Tell me about the mixtape a little bit.
Well is a actually like an album, we did not do it in a mixtape format. We used all original music. So we could do it as a album and get it out on the retail side and on the internet. Distribute all across the board. The album just consists of ill production and me being creative. I wanted to talk about what was going on to date. Alot of rappers do not talk about what is going on in the current stages of the economy and life and everything that is going on, so I just wanted to tap into reality. My reality, and that is what I came up with, American Dreamin. Everybody chasing that American Dream, especially right now. We going through this little recession right now. The economy is at a all time low. People starving, everybody broke. I just wanted to give people some motivation, motivate to keep chasing that American Dream. It’s not impossible. But that is what that whole album is about.
Yeah that is one thing that I liked about the album. It touched alot of different subjects. It was not just with alot of albums and mixtapes where they are just talking about flossing and slanging on the corner.
Yeah, yeah that gets played out after a while, you know what I’m saying? That’s why I try to do songs, like if you listen to the song I got on there called Angie Baby. It’s about this girl that is addicted to rap music. She sits home all day listening to the radio, and watches 106 N Park. And she winds up looking at these rappers like you know how these girls look at these rappers and want to meet them so bad and think that they have a chance to be in a relationship with these guys?
Yeah definitely. (laughs)
And it is about when she finally gets a chance to meet this guy and she finally gets a chance to meet him and he does not treat her the way she wants to be treated. And then she is no longer a fan of him, she don’t even listen to rap no more. So it is just tapping into real situations that go on, and shit that people never talk about. And that is what I tried to do with that album is keep it as real as possible and as close to reality as I can.
It is definitely in my rotation in my cd changer. It is one of my favorites mixtapes…., I mean albums. Stop saying mixtape, it is definitely an album, albums that I have heard so far this year. So congrats on the album.
Thank you man, thank you.
That was a ill sample that you flipped on the Can You Feel It song by the Jackson 5. How did that song come about?
Aww man Hot Tracks, producers, they sent me the beat and I was listening to it and I was like yo this crazy. They way that they flipped it. I actually had 2 beats prior to that with the same sample. And I never touched it because I felt like the producers did not sample it right. So Hot Tracks they definitely killed the sample, the way they flipped it was so ill. I just did it on the spot. Alot of times the things I was going through during that song, that’s when everything starting going good for me. Me being in the Source Magazine, and me being on BET, and different things like that, it had just started happening. I really did that song trying to tell people that I feel what’s about to happen, I feel that I am getting close. So that was what that song was about, reflecting at where I was at last year, and where I am at this year.
Yeah I could definitely hear that song at some battle of the bands at some colleges.
Yeah that is going to be my first single that I am running with.
Oh Ok!
We about to go hard with that. It’s about to be the first single off the album. We about to pick it up on the radio, the radio stations we will definitely shoot that one out, and see how people react to it.
Yeah that song is going to be a problem definitely. Sometimes you can just hear a track and just know. That is one of those tracks you know when you hear it, that it is definitely going to pick up with some people. Where can people pick up your album that want to check it out?
Well right now, and it is so crazy because we were trying to hold out and put the album out next month. But after the Pac tape came out, there was a demand on the internet. So after the 2PAC mixtape, we just shot it out on the internet. So right now you can google it, google Rain American Dream and it will pop up, or you can go to my myspace page www.myspace.com/rain910 and download it, but as far as the hard copies I don’t really know. We was trying to get the hard copies out now so SOON, SOON we will have it out and it will be in all the moms and pops stores, the local mixtape spots, wherever they sell mixtapes and street albums is where you will be able to pick that up at.
So after this album do you have any plans for another album or mixtape or anything to drop. Do you have a label situation?
Right now I am just doing everything independent. I am about to put my independent group out, which is First In Flight. I am going to put a mixtape on them out. Like probably 1st Quarter, the beginning of next year. Imma still grind out and I always release songs out on blogs and on the internet. So I am going to keep releasing my music but at the same time I am going to work on the First In Flight Entertainment project compilation cd and we gonna put that out at the top of the year. Hopefully we can get us a situation with a label or something but we got to make this first. Hopefully it will happen real soon and I will have something out in the big stores.
Do you have any shows or upcoming tour dates that you want to let the people know about?
We doing the Best Of Both Offices Tour. I’m sure you have seen the Best Of Both Offices video?
Yeah
They doing a few showcases coming up. I don’t have the dates yet, but look out for that, The Best Of Both Offices Tour. That’s it, other than that I am doing to do different radio shows, you can catch me on the Green Lantern show on October 6th. Different radio promo and dvds. I’m going to be on the Smack DVD. You can check me out on the Smack DVD Channel on the cable channel. It’s just different things going on, we working.
What’s your thoughts right now on the state of hip hop. You happy with the music coming out, you think it is alot of BS out, what are your thoughts on it?
I think it is a good balance man. If it weren’t for wack music, you would not know what good music is. So it is a mixture of both right now. It’s all good. I think it’s something for the game, it helps the good guys stand out. As long as you got a little sprinkle of the bullshit, the good dudes will stand out. It does not bother me, it’s all good. I feel like there ain’t no real niggas out. That’s the thing that bothers me. Whether your music is good or your music is great or just above average, I feel like you got to be a real person and I feel like that what’s missing from the game right now. Alot of these guys are allowed to be in here and they reputation ain’t right. They street cred ain’t right or speaking about the shit they saying. It’s a bunch of fake niggas out here, I think that is the biggest problem in the game. That’s why I am here. Call me the clean up man. I’m coming to clean that shit up. Get all these fake niggas out of here. I stand by everything I say. My music is 100% authentic. You ain’t got to worry about nothing funny popping off with me. You will never see no pictures of me kissing my father, or you will never see no pictures of me in a police uniform. (laughs)Nothing crazy! You won’t hear about me getting robbed, that shit don’t happen to me. It’s not gonna happen. So just stay real to what you saying man. Everybody that checks this interview out, if you rhyming, talk about your life. If you work a 9 to 5 job, rap about that shit. Rap about what you got going on.
Well that is all the questions I have for you. Before I wrap this up, you had even spoke on it, thanks for bringing back some real music. My opinion is a little different, I think there is alot of bullshit out there. It’s really cool to listen to a cat that is really repping what he is doing and really talking about real topics. Is not the same thing every other track, party tracks, and all that so I really dig the album, it’s definitely one of my favorites this year so I really appreciate what you doing out there.
Thank You.
Is there any last words or anything that you want to get out there to the fans?
I just want to thank everybody that is out there supporting it man. I was not expecting this kind of feedback from it. I knew what I was doing was right and the music I was making was real. I felt like real music was getting overlooked so I just want to thank everybody that stopped and noticed what was going on and everybody that is supporting. If you want to continue to support, drop by the myspace page and you will be up to date with everything that is going on. www.myspace.com/rain910, First In Flight Entertainment.
Appreciate the interview
Thank you man, appreciate it. If you need anything from me, holla at me.
D-Nice