I wrote my first official verse in 1998. I was a freshman in high school. I had been doing poetry before that, but I’d never written an official verse until then. I started honing my skills on the karaoke and by the summer of 2000 I did my first show with MOC3 at the old Grog Shop. That was our entry into the Cleveland Hip Hop scene. The group MOC3 (Me, Rai, and Jac Bur10) was my first affiliation and then I was in a group called the HNT. The HNT was me, Saj Supeme, Garbs Infinite, Blitz The Ambassador, D. Lorand, and Eclispe. The Djs were Mick Boogie and Joey Fingaz. The producers were M. Tilla and Sleepy C. That was a very strong movement. I’ve also been in several indie films that David Stewart from Velocity Productions put out. Hip Hop For Life, Cleveland Vs. Detroit, and Detroit Vs. New York to name a few.

For me, the transition isn’t difficult at all. I always wanted to be the best artist I possibly could. I entered my first battle just to draw attention to my emcee skills. I was writing songs and coming up with concepts way before that. I never set out to be the best battle mc you’ve ever heard in your life. It was always about the music with me. Battling was just something I felt you had to do in order to earn stripes on the Cleveland Hip Hop scene. So the transition wasn’t hard for me because I never stepped out of the artist lane. Though battling was gaining recognition for me, I was always driving in both lanes.

I think standout battle rappers usually don’t get a break when it comes to excelling as artists in the industry. Besides Eminem who really did it in a major way? I heard Jay Z used to battle but there isn’t much footage out there to prove it. Then when you look at artists like Jin, Posta Boy, and Serious Jones things haven’t panned out for them just yet. So I just see battling as a way to get your name out there. It’s a marketing tool to promote your artistry. Hopefully you have good material to back up your battling reputation, because you never know how long you can eat off being a great battle emcee.

I listen to all sorts of music for inspiration. Anything with a real feel to it usually draws me in. I like good hooks and concepts. The music most definitely has to have a nice sound to it for me to stay interested. The combination of that usually makes for the best listening. I have an 80 gig IPOD so my listening habits change from day to day. Right now I’ve been checking for myself, Razor Blade, Twizted Mind, Wale, Drake, and this dude I just got hip to named J. Cole. Honestly, I’m listening to everything though.

I haven’t taken that many artists under my wing but I do roll with a select few. If I had to say one artist it would probably be Razor Blade. He’s definitely on the come up. We work with each other and bounce around ideas. I’ve noticed his growth as an artist over the years. Razor Blade and Twizted Mind are my Cleveland co-signs. I’ll bet the house on em. Even in the recession.

I would say David Stewart helped me get my feet wet in the game. I met him years ago and when we reconnected I told him I was into rhyming. He plugged me in with Paulie Rhymes and Pooh from Nappy Head for some of the first shows I did. He also put me in the lab with Clarence Gaines (NRG at the time). That’s the first studio I ever cut a record in. So I would say Stew. On a music side I found my own way when it came to recording. No one ever took me to the side and gave me game on how to record. I discovered how to count bars on my own. Real talk.

The good of Cleveland Hip Hop is that you still have talented artists that want to make their mark in this game. There is a lot of untapped talent in this region. The bad is that there are a few roadblocks stopping this talent from being heard. There are some “Me, Myself and I” producers, promoters, and artists who strictly focus on the money. Nothing else matters, not even talent. I can’t knock the hustle, but we could advance quicker if everyone networked and shared resources more often. This kind of hurts the growth of the scene as a whole. The politics are to the point you have to fend for yourself, and when you make it decide who else you want to help. Looking around for an assist will get you nowhere. Go hard in the paint or get an offensive board. Lol

What’s next for me is to release my debut LP called Let’s Begin on my label AWHIN. The latest single OFF TOP is in rotation and I’m planning on putting out the album very soon. Right now SPWE (Stop Playin’ Wit Em!!!!!!!!) is still for sale and Everybody Raps is still for free download. There’s no excuses for the consumer to not have heard me after this interview. People can contact me at http://www.myspace.com/drasticmusic or http://www.twitter.com/drastic216

I5: Last words?

Make sure you look out for Dras and Let’s Begin in the near future. I promise I’m one the dopest artists you’ll ever hear so get acquainted. Other than that “AWHIN Til The End”.

Also here’s the Everybody Raps download link

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?f5k3embnu3k