Rideout Interview

Illuminati 2G chopped it up with Rideout for a exclusive interview. Many of you have seen the promo our site has done for his mixtape, Rideout With Me The Prequel, and now the time has come. The mixtape is out and Rideout discusses his new mixtape along with the Vegas hip hop scene, his views on hip hop, and much more. I co sign him 100% and I really feel he is someone people need to check out for. To download the mixtape click on the link below.

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?nyngmimdmnz

For audio of the interview click on the link below:

http://www.zshare.net/audio/585119666497993e/

Illuminati 2G is here with Rideout how’s it going?

Man everything is good man, I am blessed.

How did you get your start in hip hop and who are some of your musical influences out there?

How did I get my start, man the start was crazy. I was 16 years old at the Boys & Girls Club over off of MLK and Washington. Up in the teen center there, they had this thing called Throwdown Thursday where niggas was doing freestyles every Thursday. There was a woman that worked there that went by the name of Light Skin. She had actually heard me freestyle along with my friends in the basketball gym, I was on the basketball team. She had told me right then and there that I was pretty good and she wanted me to meet her friend, who at the time was Lady Lust. Linked me up with a studio and it was all love from there.

Is there any artists out there in the industry that you looked up to coming up?

I mean I can keep it real. One cat that I really looked up to was Landlord. Simply because I went to high school with him and we were in the cyphers with each other my junior and my senior year, and to see him graduate and progress, start his own label, get his team and do his thing that was showing that it could be done. In my eyes he opened up the door for local hip hop and let alot of local MCs know that it could be done. You had to hustle and get it in. That was one for sure that had a big impact and made sure for me that I was out there on my grind. For real.

Tell me a little bit about the mixtape that you just dropped, Ride With Me The Prequel.

Oh man, this mixtape it’s crazy man. It only has 11 tracks on there but I feel like my presence is felt. But this project I did not want to sound like a typical Las Vegas artist. I wanted to make sure I kept my west coast swag and everything but also hit these cats with the lyrical. I feel that now a days that is what is lacking from alot of music that I hear on the radio, that I see on MTV videos, BET videos was lyricism. From a talent aspect and it is not just about who has the best dance song at the time. Shout out to Soulja Boy, ya feel me.

Is there any other artists on the local scene other than Landlord that you mentioned earlier that you look up to out here in Vegas?

Oh man out there in the Campfire gang, I represent Campfire, a young brotha by the name of Samson. Samson he been doing his thing since day one when I met the guy. He was always showing love. I heard his first project, The Birth Since Birth, I listened to that and it was a good project. It was cool to see him doing his lyrical thing, to have a project out and still doing shows and still be humble and represent Vegas to the fullest as well as his affiliation. Lady Lust, being a female and not really giving a fuck about the preconceived notions about how a female rapper’s image should be, or how a female rapper should sound. It was those 2 individuals that let me know that it could be done and you just gotta love yourself and believe in yourself and shit will come to pass man for real.

What inspired the track, Ride With Me on the mixtape?

http://www.zshare.net/audio/58192541d0555a09/

Ride With Me, that track is my life in 3 verses. That track, I felt like I had to tell people what happened. There were alot of young cats that knew I was rapping and doing it. I mean I had a little reputation of battling here and there and just being a cool little freestyle cat but after I graduated from school and I when to college at UNR (Reno), I when missing. To alot of people I fell off the map, I lost contact with alot of cats and they did not know my story. They always knew I had a jumpshot, they always knew that I could start on the basketball team. I was known for my hoop game. I really had to tell people from my point of view and the way I seen my life and how I knew that this is what the fuck I am supposed to be doing with my life. I had promise in basketball, but that shit fell through. I always wanted to rap and how I was always good, it just came to a point that I felt like I was too good not to pursue this shit. That perspective that I was coming from on that song was to let people really know that I was real and I was about this and to keep their eyes open and their ears open because they were going to hear from me in the near future.

Are you signed to a label or anything at the current moment? What is your current status right now?

I wish I was signed to a label. Ideally speaking that is what every artist kinda wants to do. But after talking to a few guys and really looking at the local Vegas scene, it seemed like in my best interest to start my own shit. I linked up with my homie Big Rog and we said hey we should start a label, hence L.I.F.E. Entertainment. Living In Fear Of Extinction. The ultimate goal is to get signed and get some kind of backing or distribution deal from a bigger company but as of right now, from the ground up is where I am going, because the way the hip hop industry is there is alot more money going independent then taking these gay ass deals that these labels is giving artists to where they are really not making their money and they not really doing they own music. They pretty much getting dicked by the label. I did not want to do that, I did not need the fame and the glory. I needed cash, right now money. I felt like pushing independent units was the way to go and still do.

Where did you record the mixtape at?

I was blessed with the opportunity to record over at Digital Insight. My man Tyger Stylez he mixed it all down, since the first studio session I connected with the nigga on a musical level. We are both born and raised in Vegas and he thought I was a young threat in the game. I was up in there and I was paying a high note, but it was all worth it. I did not want to come out with no music and it be a question whether the quality was good. Because I was running into alot of MCs projects where the quality was not up to par so I paid a high note to make sure my quality was good. I promised myself that and to make sure that I would make just make good songs, everything else with follow through with good quality.

What are your plans now that the mixtape is out? You have any plans of dropping a solo album?

My plans, finally now that I have completed this mixtape, I am taking this as a loss money wise. For the most part I am pushing this out free, promotion. I am giving this out to the commmunity, giving it to the people, just to get my name out and to get a little buzz. Just as quick as this one is one I am already in the studio and got my mind set on my next project, which is Volume 2 The Sequel. I will have features from local artists and features from a couple big names and even with that I am going to put alot of money, time and effort into that and even with that, it is not going to be my album. It is going to be a all original project that I am doing locally and push out in Phoenix and out in Cali. The goal is so push albums out and make money off of that so I can get enough cheese so I can do this album and do it right. So I can have a legit product that can stand in these Vegas streets along side in the west coast, even nationally.

I am just going to do word association. Just going to throw a topic out there, you can sum in up in one word or a sentence, just what you feel about it. First thing is Vegas hip hop.

I think of Vegas hip hop one, as being underrated. I feel like alot of people have this misconception about Las Vegas and think that it is all about gambling and tourism. But muthafuckas is beyond the neon. There are niggas out there that have been grinding all they life, recording songs and hustling just to make sure they get heard. Local MCs are always running into the problem because are radio stations do not have local DJs and most of the time they have issues. They may not like local music so they do not put it on, so that is a hinderance local MCs run into. We underrated, but once the national spotlight gets shown our way it will show that we have talent. We are a force to be reckoned with and once that happens, I think we gonna take it and run with it, because we different out here and we got talent. It’s real in the field out here in Vegas, fuck what they talking about.

Northtown, For all you squares out there that is North Las Vegas. It’s a suburb of Las Vegas so just to let yall know, Northtown.

(laughs) Yeah right, Northtown, North Las Vegas! I am born and bred there, 89032! I think of North Las Vegas and I just think of the real. It’s beyond the neon, it’s where you gotta worry about Northtown police being on you and fuck around and be at the wrong place at the wrong time with a hole in your muthafucking ass. Muthafuckas have seen the dvd Hood To Hood, it ain’t all about pimpin out here, there is gangbanging and real clicks out here. It’s real niggas that is with it out here so it is real out here. Northtown, if you want to know something about some streets you make sure when you out in Vegas you head to the North or make sure your ass is in the West somewhere and you will REALLY see what it is about man. It ain’t all the Strip for real.

50 Cent/Rick Ross beef that is going on right now

I mean with that I ain’t gonna front, I was a Rick Ross fan. I bought all his cds, I went to the store the day it came out and bought it. Rick Ross makes good music. I was a 50 Cent fan, he makes great music. He was killing the game. I just feel like some muthafuckas in this game you just really can’t fuck with and it became ill. It got to the point where I wanted to throw Rick Ross’ cds out the window! I felt it was gay that the nigga was not coming real off the top. Muthafuckas accusing you of being a CO (correctional officer), it should be like so what, you getting your money. But don’t say everyone is a hater and the pictures are photoshopped and say that is not you and you know it was. It was not the fact that you were a CO, it was the fact that you denied the shit and called everyone a hater and that niggas was just trying to nitpick and shit when it was just the truth. With that, you just got to be real off top. Right now you feel me I am a custodian. I push a mop and a bucket, but I have a hustle to me. If it ever came to the point to where you ask me what I did, I am not going to lie about the shit. It might not be something that you want to broadcast to the nation but you got to keep shit real and 100. That is what hip hop is about man for real.

Just your general thoughts on hip hop

I feel like right now hip hop has its peaks and its valleys. I can speak for alot of people when they say we are in a valley right now. Hip Hop is not flourishing like it used to about 10 years back or even 5 years back. Shit we can even take it 3 years back. It is going digital, niggas ain’t buying cds, things are getting downloaded. But I don’t think hip hop is dying or is dead by any means. I just think it is going in a different direction and what muthafuckas need to do is take it to the roots. Take it back to lyricism and actually talent and not just what sounds good on the radio. It is not all about how many records you can sell when it comes to radio and soundscan and ASCAP and all that shit. It is geniune hip hop and being in love with the music. I love this shit, I love hip hop and I ain’t never going to talk bad on that shit ya feel me.

Your top 5 Vegas artists locally

Shit I could say I have been underneath a stone. I don’t know if I can even name 5 niggas like that. But my top 5 in no particular order, I got to say Landlord and YBE, Sedrew he is up there, he is doing his god damn thing. He is sick, I like Young Severe, he is doing his shit. I respect Lil Will, even Thursty. Forgive me if I forgot you but those are the muthafuckas that I seen. There are alot of older cats that have been doing they shit, like D Bomb. He on the streets selling his shit, over 20,000 sold, out there grinding. Lady Lust, it’s crazy and it’s so many people out here and to just come up with 5, it’s difficult for real.

Your personal definition of what a ultimate hustler is

Ultimate hustler to me is not so much someone who on the block 24/7 getting they cheese, a ultimate hustler whether good or bad is doing something for the greater good of themselves and their family. A ultimate hustler sits back and thinks of ways to make more money, not all illegal but definitely to get more cash. A ultimate hustler is going to get up at 4:00 in the morning everyday and clock in and work for the man and get those 8 hours or pick up a second job to take care of their kids or get off that pound of that kush to make sure they are eating and they are flourishing. Ultimate hustler does what they got to, to progress. That is a ultimate hustler to me.

Greatest MC of all time

Man that is kinda deep right there. Of course the first name that comes to my mind is Pac. Best lyricist of all time to me and a pioneer. You cannot mention Jay-Z. Listening to Life And Times Of S. Carter is what really got me on this rap shit. Sitting up late at night listening to and smoking a blunt just trying to be like Hov. The greatest of all time is people that have put albums out, is known to be successful and even now if they are not rapping they can still lay something down because the love and respect that the hip hop community has for them. Can’t forget Nas. It’s crazy the legends of the game.

Top 5 MCs DOA.

Again no particular order, but the top 5 that really had me going when I was growing up that I listen to, my Mom the first cd that she ever bought for me with cuss words was Tha Last Meal by Snoop Dogg.

Laughs

Busta Rhymes, I had all his albums. Jadakiss I had all his shit, Nasir, I fuck with Nasir and Jay-Z. I would say them, that would be my top 5.

What is you myspace or website info for people wanting to hit you up and check out your music?

Oh man I am trying to get my music everywhere right now. The best way is to go to http://rideoutmusic.com/. I got that site up, my myspace www.myspace.com/rideoutmusik. They got a download link to the new mixtape on the myspace and in my blog, Rideout With Me The Prequel. You can free download that shit and ride to that shit. I am trying to make my music accessible. You can’t get it on the computer then go locally to the barbershops or go to the urban shops or go to Sight & Sound, we will have them in there in a minute, so I am trying to make it accessible to everyone.

Do you have any upcoming shows or tour dates coming up that you want to let the people know about?

I am at the Beauty Bar tomorrow (interview conducted before show last week). I am going to have me a little table up there and I will have my posters and my cds and get it out there on the low. 10, 11, Midnight the show is going to be jumping off. Also my homegirl Lady Lust she got a show, I can’t even tell you where it is at but I am going to be on stage with her. I got a release party in the works, we don’t know the location, that is going to be announced. I am going to be out there, just keep your ears to the streets and your eyes open because Rideout is going to be seen for real.

Alright well that is all the questions I have for you, appreciate you getting down for the interview. Is there any last words or shoutouts you want to get out there to the people?

I got to shoutout, being that this is my first product and I got it out there and it was a long time coming, I got to shout out Lady Lust. Thank you for getting my swag bolder and guiding me in this rap industry and believing in me. I got to give props to Big Rog, my manager and my big nigga. He has been showing love, every dollar I have put in this nigga matched me. Alot of niggas can’t say that. Shout outs to my nigga Dice Hogg, Urban Lyrics Television. Grapes N Skittles that is the store he has off of Maryland Parkway across from the Boulevard Mall. Shouts out to Campfire Music, VIP giving niggas a spot on this end to go out there and do they shows. Thank you for giving me shows and letting me. Shit it is so many people to thank man, to name them right now would take all night D.

Just to let people know, you want to check out the mixtape, hit up Illuminati 2G, Raptalk, and So Prup Radio and That Crack.com. It’s free download DO NOT SLEEP!!!!

FOR REAL!!!!

Just don’t sleep, do not get narcalepsy.

You will never wake up. It is going to be eternal resting place if you sleep on ya boy (laughs)

Just pick up the mixtape. Man appreciate the interview.

Thank you it is a blessing