Bio
MysterE Interview
"Who I Be"
By Josh Jordan (AKA Le®oy G®een)
J: So this whole interview format seems like a different approach. What made you choose this as opposed to just writing a bio?
E:I figured that instead of telling a story about myself, that I would just have a conversation with one of my boys, and put it on here, and allow folks reading this to not only get my history, but also a sense who I am. Hope everyone enjoys it.
J: How did you get off into music?
E: You know how it is mayne. Anything you love, you just love. There's no way around it. Its just there; ya know its always been there. You listen to music and it does something to you. As far as getting into the music scene, it all started with mah boy, Buford Brown, (Boog) who runs whats now Bay Area Music but before it was called Money Green Productions. He was a childhood friend from Sunny Hills in Milpitas. He came back from Portland sometime in 99 and Boog came through and we found out he was now seriously doing music, but I mean he had always been into music, actually a lot of mah boys were there was Sir-Moj, Strip from True Hoggz as well the other half of True Hoggz, Zo (lonzo), my boy Lendell (Dell) and mah boys Bach and Tay. Tay and my boy Half Breed had put out an album called Mad Face back in the day when I was in junior high. Theyd been performing shows, dee-jaying and what not. All of em had been into music for a while and I hadnt stepped in back then, Id loved the shit and had always been there from day one but I wasnt (involved) in it. And when he came back, he had all his equipment and set it up in his apartment and I was like let me get down and at first he didnt believe me. You know how some people just wanna get on? But, he never said no and I came to the house and started droppin tracks and before you know it, it got good and thats how I made the first album. Only 3 of the tracks were done by other producers. Two were done by Bill Williams and the other was done by my boy Marcus (Dj Primetime). Boog produced the rest and engineered it all and I had it mastered somewhere else. He had Money Green Productions goin on and then I put together ECE entertainment with the cousins Chris and Ed and then we started pushin it mayne we wrapped it up and started doin all kinds of shows at Malls and Fairgrounds and got on the Street Low Tour. I been doin that for a couple of years now.
J: So what were you like when you first started?
E: When I first started, I went crazy. Everything that I ever thought was cool, I tried. You know when you first get involved, and I think thats what happens with a lot of these youngsters, you dont realize that you should just be you. I think when you first hear your voice, it does somethin to you, It makes you think youre a star already, the first few months I was tryin to take pictures with guns n sheeit. Trying to fit the image, but eventually that shit toned down because that wasnt me. I can't be up here doin that silly shit. I think at first I was trying to prove that I could be lyrical and use metaphors and all that. You have to be able to say some shit that makes sense. I personally dont like to listen to something that at the end of the verse meant nothing. Ya know you rhymed 82 words together beautifully, but you didnt say shit. I like to have context to my shit.
J: If not music, what would you be doin?
E: Counseling, like psychology. Id just jump into school and finish it up. I dig psychology the brain, not counseling as in listening, but I do like to be able to give off a perspective that they might not have had before they talked to you. And if its somethin that changes their lives, its fuckin cool.
J: Do you try to put that perspective into the music that you make?
E:Completely. Its about messages like what I would say in a conversation but making it poetic because there's rhythm and rhyming involved.
J: How would you describe your music?
E: Therapeutic, if that makes sense. I try to make music where you can just pop it in whether youre at home chillin, in your car, smoking with some of your folks, or at the club. I feel that anybody who does a whole album with a certain sound, that just sucks. Could you really listen to 90 minutes of the same sound or concept? See Im not one type of way. I mean today I might be dressed in sweats, but hey tomorrow I could be suited and booted and the day after that I might be outside playin ball and so my music is the same way. Its like a cycle. Everyday of my life is not the same, so my music can't be the same.
J:Ok that was a good answer.
E:It was a long ass answer.
J: How'd you come up with your name? Did you have a couple of different names you were considering or what?
E: I've always been known as E, ya know what Im saying. Folks be like E or E-40 but of course I can't be E-40 but boy we used to drink hella 40s back in high school. Really I was just tryin to find something with E just to keep it as close as possible to myself and who I am. And I came up with Mr. E but then it was like Mystery so I was like yeah that makes sense as well. Thats why I made the cover of my album all black so that you hardly see who I am, but at the same time the name of the album is Who I Be, so if you listen youll understand who I am. To some it might seem like a corny concept, but I dug it.
J: What are your thoughts on the whole concept of artists using the internet? It used to be local artists were only really known locally how do you feel where it is now where you can live in your attic and be a hip hop star?
E: I have mixed emotions about it. Im against the internet morally to the extent that you can't be on there (the internet) without seeing a whole bunch of naked people and for me as an adult, I love that shit, but I swear to god I dont want my 12 and 13 year old lil cousins lookin at that shit, simply because I know life is life and theyll come across that on their own. I dont want that shit just forced on em. In that aspect Im against it but in music, its beautiful. You know as much as underground artists say they wanna be underground, I mean thats cool n shit, but I know that theyd love to have some money in the fuckin bank and I think the internet provides them an opportunity to do that. But I dont like people that are stars on the internet, ya know, talkin bout grindin on the streets if they aint doin it. Homie, real thugs dont sit behind a computer all day. It just doesnt happen.
J: Yeah definitely as we talkin bout puttin youre shit on the internet real muh fuckas dont do that, you know unless its MysterE (laughin).
E: Unless its me then its all good. All Day all night
J: I had asked about your influential figures besides music, are there any other types of people, ya know public figures, people you grew up with that influenced you? That can be just as relevant as type of music you listen to.
E: As a kid, my influence came from my uncles and aunties ya know, people that I loved. Then there were OGs in the neighborhood but honestly my influence were just the people around me cuz I dont think my thought process had expanded yet. But getting older it started switching over to people like Muhammad Ali, Che Guevara, Emiliano Zapata. Hes a soldier from Mexico. He has a quote that says Id rather die on my feet than live on my knees. Basically mayne anyone who has the fuckin balls to go all out for what they believe in. Those are the influences that play a big part in who I am today.
J: Dream collaborations?
E:Stevie Wonder first, gotta be Stevie. Umm sheeit K-Ci from Jodeci, Pac, Big Pun, Cuban Linx, Beatnuts. Id love to do songs with Tito Puerto and Celia Cruz, sheeit would love to just meet em to be honest Sheila E . Thats all I got right now but Im sure there's thousands more. Anyone thats really artistic mayne Id love to work with. I feel like its a test because if you fuck with someone you see as a real artist and you can hold your own with them, then that puts you on a different level, it validates you.
J: Anyone you wanna meet? Chill with?
E: Che Guevara, all the above mentioned, Muhammad Ali. Id love to chill with Jamie Foxx and Chris Rock and Dave Chapelle at one time and have a conversation, thatd be coo. Oh yeah all the beautiful women on the spanish channels, Id love to chill with each and everyone of em
J: This is kind of early, but I heard that this upcoming project may have some comical influences how much does comedy play a part in who you are?
E: You know mah friend Toya told me yesterday I love bein around E cuz 90% of the time, hes laughin. And if youre around me and youre my friend, like I trust you and youre within the circle, then youll see a whole lot of fuckin laughin. I dunno to me there's nothin more therapeutic than to laugh and I believe the whole key to this fuckin life is to be happy. I dont think there's anything elseWhen you shed all the shit and you break it all down, the whole key is to be a happy human being and how you supposed to be happy and not laugh? I mean you can, but I think it goes hand in hand n shit. So yeah comedy is my number one.
J: Right on So youre from the bay, but are there any other places that you draw inspiration from?
E: Ahh mayne the Caribbean mayne Puerto Rico mayne all day Africa ya know the drumming is the root of music Mexico as far as mah background...New York cuz shit mayne thats where civilization in the US as we know it started Down south with blues n jazz ya know what Im sayin. Everywhere mayne.
J:So do you have any prime spots/locations where youd like to perform?
E:I wanna perform any and everywhere where people wanna gig and have a good ass time and just feel that energy and feel like Yes I gotta see that muhfucka perform again. Thats where I wanna perform wherever people wanna gig
J: Well iight while were on the subject of performing, do you prefer recording as opposed to performing?
E: I do like performing mayne. Im real hype before err show because you know its your songs mayne and believe me once youve felt energy one time from one show where people were feelin you and you felt that love, its addictive its a done deal, youre hooked. I mean I prefer making the music, creating and recording the music but of course, it goes hand in hand with performing because ya know its just like makin a cake or somethin youre makin the cake for someone else to enjoy and when you give it to em and they go mmm, thats the prize. Well its the same with music mayne when youre creating something which you feel is youre masterpiece and then you give it to somebody, you want them to love it. So thats what the performing is mayne, its the icing on the cake. Its the prize, the payoff for the work you did. I mean money is money ya know you can pay your bills but that money doesnt bring you that feeling. That energy you get from people thats the feeling
J: So has the idea of you workin as a solo artist always been that concept? Was there ever an idea of you being a part of a group?
E: Naww its been more of a bunch of individual acts collaborating together on somethin. I mean when it first started, it seemed like it was me n Boog in a group, but it wasnt. Boog had his own album and I had my own album but we rocked shows together, were always on stage together as it is now with Sir-Moj. You know, alotta people connect with me Sir-Moj but its two identities, its MysterE and Sir-Moj but thats my dude. He helps me on stage I help him on stage, its a team. Back then with the first album, the homie Stripp from Tru Hoggz and the homey Dell feddi, we had this thing called The Coalition we made a compilation album and it was all of us. So The Coalition was the group, but it was comprised of solo acts.
J:Kind of like the Dungeon Family or Wu-Tang clan? You know theyll all come together and put some shit in the pot, but at the end of the day their solo acts
E: Exactly, its you and you and you and together were us. Ya know just a bunch of Milpitas cats.
J: What are the major differences between youre upcoming project and youre last album? Do you feel like youve matured or changed in any way?
E: I think the major difference is I used different producers so there's a different type of sound, obviously. Because I use a wide variety of producers now because, I mean mah dude was down (locked up) for a year and a half so during that year and a half and I had to get music made, so I started buyin beats off people. But now at what is second half, bout 6 or 7 songs, Im more involved in the actual producing. Ill actually book studio time with someone like Rico Nivel from Studio Apocalypse and Ill have a beat or a rhythm in my head and Ill just beat box to the dude like yo mayne can you make this sound? So actually now I have more of a creative input in not just the writing, but also the music itself. And the second part, as far as my performance, is that you get more familiar with the mics, the booths, the studios, the recording process and tracking considering that youve been doing it much longer. You can see a big difference but its not a big difference in who I am because thats still me but its a big difference as far as the quality. You know you upgrade each time you do somethin.
J: Any types of moments where you felt like doin music was what you wanted to do? Like anything that solidified it?
E: Yeah mayne there have been a couple of times where I hear my music bein played in someone elses car drivin by. And if that ever happens to someone you just feel like to you wanna catch up to that car and you dont wanna say anything you just wanna listen to them listening to it. You wanna see someone giggin to your shit. When someone genuinely digs your music thats a great feeling. Or when you give yo shit to somebody and they call you back sayin good shit and you know they really dont want to be complementing you but they feel like they have to, mayne that shit feels so good. To be honest I've been blessed, I still get compliments on my first album. I've yet to hear somethin negative so its real cool. And I always say its just cuz you know me, but I think if someone really didnt like my shit, they just wouldnt say anything at all as opposed to something good. Ya know I keep it cool, but on the inside Im like hell yeah.
J: Do you go for a certain sound with ur music?
E: What I've noticed mayne that I create, but thats prolly cuz Im just learning, I start off basic with the drums then snares then some kind of horn comes in and thats just the basic latin rhythmbut naww mayne I dont have anything in particular because all kinds of different shit makes my head nod so I like to grab those different types of beats and see if I can write somethin to that. I think everyone should be versatile because if you love music, you should be able to jam to anything.
J: Have you ever considered sampling music?
E: Yeah I've done it and Ill do it again. Sometimes Im sittin with my mama drinkin n shit and shell pull out her big as 45s and throw on some music and well be reminiscing on old times and then one song will come on and shell start singin and all of a sudden, because Im into music, a beat will come in into my head usin that old song that were listenin to. So in that case, I think its more about the music. Alotta people wanna say its not original but Im like yeah it actually is, because hip hop consists of nothing but taking something else and puttin your own spin on it Adidas were not intended to be staples of hip hop. Sheeit the first major hip hop song was taken from a disco hit.
Thats another problem is that Im caught right in the middle. Im not a complete hip hop head backpacker and Im not on the other side with big platinum chain. Im in the middle because I think both sides are full of shit. Anytime youre too far to one side, you lack balance and balance is fuckin huge. Im not against anyone. Ill never knock the next mans hustle, but sheeit I might say a couple of things and take a couple of jabs at them as a joke but Im open game. People can take jabs at me too, it aint nothin personal. It aint gonna stop me and they shouldnt let it stop them.
J: Now do you prefer that or?
E: I prefer that when I got somethin, but I have no problem using somebody elses music mayne, as long as the musics talkin to me and Im able to come up with somethin for it then its beautiful. I think its a nice collaboration. I dont wanna be like no it has to be my music.
J: So you dont feel like you have to stay in the same mind state that you were in on the first album?
E: I mean on a physical level, people dont ever stop growing. So how can you possibly maintain musically at a certain level if you as a human being are growing? Now if you as a person stop growing, youre dead which means youre music is fuckin dead.
J: Oh iight. It seems like a lot of people feel like they have to fill a particular niche. Is that the case with you?
E: Its all about doin what I like. The whole thing is crazy because I be getting into arguments with people about that. Ya know sometimes you be in frustrating sessions with producers n shit because theyre not hearing what youre hearing in your head so to them its fine but ur like naww its gotta be like this! and they get irritated. But its like if Im not satisfied with it, how am I supposed to put it out there to people?
J: So how long do you see urself doin music?
E: Forever mayne I dont plan on stoppin ever. I dont know if Ill be singin n dancin forever but Ill be makin music forever regardless if I get famous or not, this is me mayne. I love music whether its writing for people, makin music for people or promoting shows mayne. Whatever it may be, I will be in music.
J: Well dayumm iight. So should you become successful, from a financial perspective, do you have any other types of interest that youd pursue?
E: Yeah mayne I plan on getting into real estate real tough. If everything goes right, yeah mayne I definitely plan on opening businesses and having friends and family run these businesses. That way youre helping everyone come up. You can't just stack your money and hold on to it, you have to reinvest the shit. I mean I plan on being involved in whatever the hell interests me. So Im going on this journey and I walk into a room and I like what I see in that room then Im prolly gonna stay in that room until I get tired of it, and then walk into the hallway and into the next room to see whats crackin in there. I plan on doin that for as long as Im alive but thats me and who I am. I can't really be somewhere for too long so I have to really dig it for me to stay there. So obviously music is me because Im still doin it.
J: So where do you see yourself being in a couple of years? Is it something where you have a timeline of where you wanna be at a certain time or it just an experience that takes you wherever you end up?
E: Umm I wanted it to be a timeline. I would love for this album to be the one that opens that door but at the same time, he who expects nothin has everything to gain so I dont really know. I guess the most honest answer is Im just gonna take it to where it takes me but if somethin popped off in the next two to three years mayne, thatd be great. Yeah thatd be wonderful.
J: So whats the deal with you and the whole reggaeton phenomenon?
E: Im gonna be honest with ya, Reggaeton has been in my world for bout the last fifteen years ya know. It just got popular according to mainstream, but Reggaeton has been popular in Panama, the islands and New York and all that shit for years. Im not sick of it, but it was the shit before it got tampered with.
J: Is MTV the place you wanna end up?
E: Itd be nice mayne, it would be kinda great to be on MTV. No bullshit I would love to see one of my videos on MTV. Ya know at that point, unless you got screwed in a contract deal, at that point its pretty much time to celebrate but if that doesnt happen, I mean Im not trippin now, so I can't imagine that Id be trippin later.
J:This is really deep shit for myspace, so it might not make the cut but you know how some artists albums never lose quality because their drive is the music and not the money? Well alotta hip hop artists like to talk about their possessions and making money, is that where youre at?
E: Naw dude Im about the music mayne. Like if you listen to some of my music, its somethin I actually bring up. I mean especially the ones that talk about havin shit that dont have anything, but umm I personally think its stupid to talk about material shit so I dont think that will ever be the drive.. Mayne I love music, I love sitting there smokin a fat one and havin a piano player riffin or havin the saxophone goin or havin someone on the drums just goin nuts and creating something from like a jam session! I love jam sessions. I love just bein in the garage with a bunch of the fellas havin a jam session, Thats my shit, but I also think that once you do have some money that you should put other artists out because theyre gonna be hungry so if you wanna continue to do somethin, if you put hungry muhfuckas on yo shit, then itll never sound lame. That answer your question?
J: You basically answered my question, which was about money being the motivator.
E: Naw its not the main motivator but it is a huge motivator. Mayne if we was all naked on an island it wouldnt matter but thats not the situation.
J:A lot of the kids in the ghettos idolize hip hop artists who are puttin on this act is the type of music that you make somethin that you would consider suitable for kids and by that I mean do you consider yourself a role model?
E: Well yeah. I got two little brothers that play my shit. I mean of course I curse and talk about the shit that I do but at the end of the day, I speak about how Im trying to get out so if you really listen and pay attention, then it is appropriate
J: Well aight because a lot of artists, hip hop artists especially, dont like to accept the fact that their music is influential when a lot of kids listen to hip hop music, they hear it and go thats what I need to be doin and then when rappers get caught up in it, theyre like Woah woah its just my music, Im not really that person.
E: They say Im not a role model, your parents are supposed to be role models and thats true, but unfortunately they should know that just like you , them kids are glued to the TV watchin these videos, theyre glued to radios and to the internet. Just like me when I was younger, I didnt necessarily believe everything I heard, but I thought the shit was cool so theyre gonna think its cool. I mean yeah its ok if you talk about things you went through because youre venting what you went through, but at the end of the day what are you sayin? Are you tellin em to do that or not to do that? Are you sharing what you did but saying dont do that, or sayin if you did that youll be cool just like me?
J: I agree with that. So thats pretty much all I've got, as far as questions. Anything else you wanna say?
E: I just want everyone to know that I believe karma is real, its one of the things that I believe the most and that I love my friends and family with all my heart and thats my absolute life and my backbone and no body exists without that. Love is everything mayne. If you dont have love in your life, then there's no happiness. You aint gonna make it.
"Who I Be"
By Josh Jordan (AKA Le®oy G®een)
J: So this whole interview format seems like a different approach. What made you choose this as opposed to just writing a bio?
E:I figured that instead of telling a story about myself, that I would just have a conversation with one of my boys, and put it on here, and allow folks reading this to not only get my history, but also a sense who I am. Hope everyone enjoys it.
J: How did you get off into music?
E: You know how it is mayne. Anything you love, you just love. There's no way around it. Its just there; ya know its always been there. You listen to music and it does something to you. As far as getting into the music scene, it all started with mah boy, Buford Brown, (Boog) who runs whats now Bay Area Music but before it was called Money Green Productions. He was a childhood friend from Sunny Hills in Milpitas. He came back from Portland sometime in 99 and Boog came through and we found out he was now seriously doing music, but I mean he had always been into music, actually a lot of mah boys were there was Sir-Moj, Strip from True Hoggz as well the other half of True Hoggz, Zo (lonzo), my boy Lendell (Dell) and mah boys Bach and Tay. Tay and my boy Half Breed had put out an album called Mad Face back in the day when I was in junior high. Theyd been performing shows, dee-jaying and what not. All of em had been into music for a while and I hadnt stepped in back then, Id loved the shit and had always been there from day one but I wasnt (involved) in it. And when he came back, he had all his equipment and set it up in his apartment and I was like let me get down and at first he didnt believe me. You know how some people just wanna get on? But, he never said no and I came to the house and started droppin tracks and before you know it, it got good and thats how I made the first album. Only 3 of the tracks were done by other producers. Two were done by Bill Williams and the other was done by my boy Marcus (Dj Primetime). Boog produced the rest and engineered it all and I had it mastered somewhere else. He had Money Green Productions goin on and then I put together ECE entertainment with the cousins Chris and Ed and then we started pushin it mayne we wrapped it up and started doin all kinds of shows at Malls and Fairgrounds and got on the Street Low Tour. I been doin that for a couple of years now.
J: So what were you like when you first started?
E: When I first started, I went crazy. Everything that I ever thought was cool, I tried. You know when you first get involved, and I think thats what happens with a lot of these youngsters, you dont realize that you should just be you. I think when you first hear your voice, it does somethin to you, It makes you think youre a star already, the first few months I was tryin to take pictures with guns n sheeit. Trying to fit the image, but eventually that shit toned down because that wasnt me. I can't be up here doin that silly shit. I think at first I was trying to prove that I could be lyrical and use metaphors and all that. You have to be able to say some shit that makes sense. I personally dont like to listen to something that at the end of the verse meant nothing. Ya know you rhymed 82 words together beautifully, but you didnt say shit. I like to have context to my shit.
J: If not music, what would you be doin?
E: Counseling, like psychology. Id just jump into school and finish it up. I dig psychology the brain, not counseling as in listening, but I do like to be able to give off a perspective that they might not have had before they talked to you. And if its somethin that changes their lives, its fuckin cool.
J: Do you try to put that perspective into the music that you make?
E:Completely. Its about messages like what I would say in a conversation but making it poetic because there's rhythm and rhyming involved.
J: How would you describe your music?
E: Therapeutic, if that makes sense. I try to make music where you can just pop it in whether youre at home chillin, in your car, smoking with some of your folks, or at the club. I feel that anybody who does a whole album with a certain sound, that just sucks. Could you really listen to 90 minutes of the same sound or concept? See Im not one type of way. I mean today I might be dressed in sweats, but hey tomorrow I could be suited and booted and the day after that I might be outside playin ball and so my music is the same way. Its like a cycle. Everyday of my life is not the same, so my music can't be the same.
J:Ok that was a good answer.
E:It was a long ass answer.
J: How'd you come up with your name? Did you have a couple of different names you were considering or what?
E: I've always been known as E, ya know what Im saying. Folks be like E or E-40 but of course I can't be E-40 but boy we used to drink hella 40s back in high school. Really I was just tryin to find something with E just to keep it as close as possible to myself and who I am. And I came up with Mr. E but then it was like Mystery so I was like yeah that makes sense as well. Thats why I made the cover of my album all black so that you hardly see who I am, but at the same time the name of the album is Who I Be, so if you listen youll understand who I am. To some it might seem like a corny concept, but I dug it.
J: What are your thoughts on the whole concept of artists using the internet? It used to be local artists were only really known locally how do you feel where it is now where you can live in your attic and be a hip hop star?
E: I have mixed emotions about it. Im against the internet morally to the extent that you can't be on there (the internet) without seeing a whole bunch of naked people and for me as an adult, I love that shit, but I swear to god I dont want my 12 and 13 year old lil cousins lookin at that shit, simply because I know life is life and theyll come across that on their own. I dont want that shit just forced on em. In that aspect Im against it but in music, its beautiful. You know as much as underground artists say they wanna be underground, I mean thats cool n shit, but I know that theyd love to have some money in the fuckin bank and I think the internet provides them an opportunity to do that. But I dont like people that are stars on the internet, ya know, talkin bout grindin on the streets if they aint doin it. Homie, real thugs dont sit behind a computer all day. It just doesnt happen.
J: Yeah definitely as we talkin bout puttin youre shit on the internet real muh fuckas dont do that, you know unless its MysterE (laughin).
E: Unless its me then its all good. All Day all night
J: I had asked about your influential figures besides music, are there any other types of people, ya know public figures, people you grew up with that influenced you? That can be just as relevant as type of music you listen to.
E: As a kid, my influence came from my uncles and aunties ya know, people that I loved. Then there were OGs in the neighborhood but honestly my influence were just the people around me cuz I dont think my thought process had expanded yet. But getting older it started switching over to people like Muhammad Ali, Che Guevara, Emiliano Zapata. Hes a soldier from Mexico. He has a quote that says Id rather die on my feet than live on my knees. Basically mayne anyone who has the fuckin balls to go all out for what they believe in. Those are the influences that play a big part in who I am today.
J: Dream collaborations?
E:Stevie Wonder first, gotta be Stevie. Umm sheeit K-Ci from Jodeci, Pac, Big Pun, Cuban Linx, Beatnuts. Id love to do songs with Tito Puerto and Celia Cruz, sheeit would love to just meet em to be honest Sheila E . Thats all I got right now but Im sure there's thousands more. Anyone thats really artistic mayne Id love to work with. I feel like its a test because if you fuck with someone you see as a real artist and you can hold your own with them, then that puts you on a different level, it validates you.
J: Anyone you wanna meet? Chill with?
E: Che Guevara, all the above mentioned, Muhammad Ali. Id love to chill with Jamie Foxx and Chris Rock and Dave Chapelle at one time and have a conversation, thatd be coo. Oh yeah all the beautiful women on the spanish channels, Id love to chill with each and everyone of em
J: This is kind of early, but I heard that this upcoming project may have some comical influences how much does comedy play a part in who you are?
E: You know mah friend Toya told me yesterday I love bein around E cuz 90% of the time, hes laughin. And if youre around me and youre my friend, like I trust you and youre within the circle, then youll see a whole lot of fuckin laughin. I dunno to me there's nothin more therapeutic than to laugh and I believe the whole key to this fuckin life is to be happy. I dont think there's anything elseWhen you shed all the shit and you break it all down, the whole key is to be a happy human being and how you supposed to be happy and not laugh? I mean you can, but I think it goes hand in hand n shit. So yeah comedy is my number one.
J: Right on So youre from the bay, but are there any other places that you draw inspiration from?
E: Ahh mayne the Caribbean mayne Puerto Rico mayne all day Africa ya know the drumming is the root of music Mexico as far as mah background...New York cuz shit mayne thats where civilization in the US as we know it started Down south with blues n jazz ya know what Im sayin. Everywhere mayne.
J:So do you have any prime spots/locations where youd like to perform?
E:I wanna perform any and everywhere where people wanna gig and have a good ass time and just feel that energy and feel like Yes I gotta see that muhfucka perform again. Thats where I wanna perform wherever people wanna gig
J: Well iight while were on the subject of performing, do you prefer recording as opposed to performing?
E: I do like performing mayne. Im real hype before err show because you know its your songs mayne and believe me once youve felt energy one time from one show where people were feelin you and you felt that love, its addictive its a done deal, youre hooked. I mean I prefer making the music, creating and recording the music but of course, it goes hand in hand with performing because ya know its just like makin a cake or somethin youre makin the cake for someone else to enjoy and when you give it to em and they go mmm, thats the prize. Well its the same with music mayne when youre creating something which you feel is youre masterpiece and then you give it to somebody, you want them to love it. So thats what the performing is mayne, its the icing on the cake. Its the prize, the payoff for the work you did. I mean money is money ya know you can pay your bills but that money doesnt bring you that feeling. That energy you get from people thats the feeling
J: So has the idea of you workin as a solo artist always been that concept? Was there ever an idea of you being a part of a group?
E: Naww its been more of a bunch of individual acts collaborating together on somethin. I mean when it first started, it seemed like it was me n Boog in a group, but it wasnt. Boog had his own album and I had my own album but we rocked shows together, were always on stage together as it is now with Sir-Moj. You know, alotta people connect with me Sir-Moj but its two identities, its MysterE and Sir-Moj but thats my dude. He helps me on stage I help him on stage, its a team. Back then with the first album, the homie Stripp from Tru Hoggz and the homey Dell feddi, we had this thing called The Coalition we made a compilation album and it was all of us. So The Coalition was the group, but it was comprised of solo acts.
J:Kind of like the Dungeon Family or Wu-Tang clan? You know theyll all come together and put some shit in the pot, but at the end of the day their solo acts
E: Exactly, its you and you and you and together were us. Ya know just a bunch of Milpitas cats.
J: What are the major differences between youre upcoming project and youre last album? Do you feel like youve matured or changed in any way?
E: I think the major difference is I used different producers so there's a different type of sound, obviously. Because I use a wide variety of producers now because, I mean mah dude was down (locked up) for a year and a half so during that year and a half and I had to get music made, so I started buyin beats off people. But now at what is second half, bout 6 or 7 songs, Im more involved in the actual producing. Ill actually book studio time with someone like Rico Nivel from Studio Apocalypse and Ill have a beat or a rhythm in my head and Ill just beat box to the dude like yo mayne can you make this sound? So actually now I have more of a creative input in not just the writing, but also the music itself. And the second part, as far as my performance, is that you get more familiar with the mics, the booths, the studios, the recording process and tracking considering that youve been doing it much longer. You can see a big difference but its not a big difference in who I am because thats still me but its a big difference as far as the quality. You know you upgrade each time you do somethin.
J: Any types of moments where you felt like doin music was what you wanted to do? Like anything that solidified it?
E: Yeah mayne there have been a couple of times where I hear my music bein played in someone elses car drivin by. And if that ever happens to someone you just feel like to you wanna catch up to that car and you dont wanna say anything you just wanna listen to them listening to it. You wanna see someone giggin to your shit. When someone genuinely digs your music thats a great feeling. Or when you give yo shit to somebody and they call you back sayin good shit and you know they really dont want to be complementing you but they feel like they have to, mayne that shit feels so good. To be honest I've been blessed, I still get compliments on my first album. I've yet to hear somethin negative so its real cool. And I always say its just cuz you know me, but I think if someone really didnt like my shit, they just wouldnt say anything at all as opposed to something good. Ya know I keep it cool, but on the inside Im like hell yeah.
J: Do you go for a certain sound with ur music?
E: What I've noticed mayne that I create, but thats prolly cuz Im just learning, I start off basic with the drums then snares then some kind of horn comes in and thats just the basic latin rhythmbut naww mayne I dont have anything in particular because all kinds of different shit makes my head nod so I like to grab those different types of beats and see if I can write somethin to that. I think everyone should be versatile because if you love music, you should be able to jam to anything.
J: Have you ever considered sampling music?
E: Yeah I've done it and Ill do it again. Sometimes Im sittin with my mama drinkin n shit and shell pull out her big as 45s and throw on some music and well be reminiscing on old times and then one song will come on and shell start singin and all of a sudden, because Im into music, a beat will come in into my head usin that old song that were listenin to. So in that case, I think its more about the music. Alotta people wanna say its not original but Im like yeah it actually is, because hip hop consists of nothing but taking something else and puttin your own spin on it Adidas were not intended to be staples of hip hop. Sheeit the first major hip hop song was taken from a disco hit.
Thats another problem is that Im caught right in the middle. Im not a complete hip hop head backpacker and Im not on the other side with big platinum chain. Im in the middle because I think both sides are full of shit. Anytime youre too far to one side, you lack balance and balance is fuckin huge. Im not against anyone. Ill never knock the next mans hustle, but sheeit I might say a couple of things and take a couple of jabs at them as a joke but Im open game. People can take jabs at me too, it aint nothin personal. It aint gonna stop me and they shouldnt let it stop them.
J: Now do you prefer that or?
E: I prefer that when I got somethin, but I have no problem using somebody elses music mayne, as long as the musics talkin to me and Im able to come up with somethin for it then its beautiful. I think its a nice collaboration. I dont wanna be like no it has to be my music.
J: So you dont feel like you have to stay in the same mind state that you were in on the first album?
E: I mean on a physical level, people dont ever stop growing. So how can you possibly maintain musically at a certain level if you as a human being are growing? Now if you as a person stop growing, youre dead which means youre music is fuckin dead.
J: Oh iight. It seems like a lot of people feel like they have to fill a particular niche. Is that the case with you?
E: Its all about doin what I like. The whole thing is crazy because I be getting into arguments with people about that. Ya know sometimes you be in frustrating sessions with producers n shit because theyre not hearing what youre hearing in your head so to them its fine but ur like naww its gotta be like this! and they get irritated. But its like if Im not satisfied with it, how am I supposed to put it out there to people?
J: So how long do you see urself doin music?
E: Forever mayne I dont plan on stoppin ever. I dont know if Ill be singin n dancin forever but Ill be makin music forever regardless if I get famous or not, this is me mayne. I love music whether its writing for people, makin music for people or promoting shows mayne. Whatever it may be, I will be in music.
J: Well dayumm iight. So should you become successful, from a financial perspective, do you have any other types of interest that youd pursue?
E: Yeah mayne I plan on getting into real estate real tough. If everything goes right, yeah mayne I definitely plan on opening businesses and having friends and family run these businesses. That way youre helping everyone come up. You can't just stack your money and hold on to it, you have to reinvest the shit. I mean I plan on being involved in whatever the hell interests me. So Im going on this journey and I walk into a room and I like what I see in that room then Im prolly gonna stay in that room until I get tired of it, and then walk into the hallway and into the next room to see whats crackin in there. I plan on doin that for as long as Im alive but thats me and who I am. I can't really be somewhere for too long so I have to really dig it for me to stay there. So obviously music is me because Im still doin it.
J: So where do you see yourself being in a couple of years? Is it something where you have a timeline of where you wanna be at a certain time or it just an experience that takes you wherever you end up?
E: Umm I wanted it to be a timeline. I would love for this album to be the one that opens that door but at the same time, he who expects nothin has everything to gain so I dont really know. I guess the most honest answer is Im just gonna take it to where it takes me but if somethin popped off in the next two to three years mayne, thatd be great. Yeah thatd be wonderful.
J: So whats the deal with you and the whole reggaeton phenomenon?
E: Im gonna be honest with ya, Reggaeton has been in my world for bout the last fifteen years ya know. It just got popular according to mainstream, but Reggaeton has been popular in Panama, the islands and New York and all that shit for years. Im not sick of it, but it was the shit before it got tampered with.
J: Is MTV the place you wanna end up?
E: Itd be nice mayne, it would be kinda great to be on MTV. No bullshit I would love to see one of my videos on MTV. Ya know at that point, unless you got screwed in a contract deal, at that point its pretty much time to celebrate but if that doesnt happen, I mean Im not trippin now, so I can't imagine that Id be trippin later.
J:This is really deep shit for myspace, so it might not make the cut but you know how some artists albums never lose quality because their drive is the music and not the money? Well alotta hip hop artists like to talk about their possessions and making money, is that where youre at?
E: Naw dude Im about the music mayne. Like if you listen to some of my music, its somethin I actually bring up. I mean especially the ones that talk about havin shit that dont have anything, but umm I personally think its stupid to talk about material shit so I dont think that will ever be the drive.. Mayne I love music, I love sitting there smokin a fat one and havin a piano player riffin or havin the saxophone goin or havin someone on the drums just goin nuts and creating something from like a jam session! I love jam sessions. I love just bein in the garage with a bunch of the fellas havin a jam session, Thats my shit, but I also think that once you do have some money that you should put other artists out because theyre gonna be hungry so if you wanna continue to do somethin, if you put hungry muhfuckas on yo shit, then itll never sound lame. That answer your question?
J: You basically answered my question, which was about money being the motivator.
E: Naw its not the main motivator but it is a huge motivator. Mayne if we was all naked on an island it wouldnt matter but thats not the situation.
J:A lot of the kids in the ghettos idolize hip hop artists who are puttin on this act is the type of music that you make somethin that you would consider suitable for kids and by that I mean do you consider yourself a role model?
E: Well yeah. I got two little brothers that play my shit. I mean of course I curse and talk about the shit that I do but at the end of the day, I speak about how Im trying to get out so if you really listen and pay attention, then it is appropriate
J: Well aight because a lot of artists, hip hop artists especially, dont like to accept the fact that their music is influential when a lot of kids listen to hip hop music, they hear it and go thats what I need to be doin and then when rappers get caught up in it, theyre like Woah woah its just my music, Im not really that person.
E: They say Im not a role model, your parents are supposed to be role models and thats true, but unfortunately they should know that just like you , them kids are glued to the TV watchin these videos, theyre glued to radios and to the internet. Just like me when I was younger, I didnt necessarily believe everything I heard, but I thought the shit was cool so theyre gonna think its cool. I mean yeah its ok if you talk about things you went through because youre venting what you went through, but at the end of the day what are you sayin? Are you tellin em to do that or not to do that? Are you sharing what you did but saying dont do that, or sayin if you did that youll be cool just like me?
J: I agree with that. So thats pretty much all I've got, as far as questions. Anything else you wanna say?
E: I just want everyone to know that I believe karma is real, its one of the things that I believe the most and that I love my friends and family with all my heart and thats my absolute life and my backbone and no body exists without that. Love is everything mayne. If you dont have love in your life, then there's no happiness. You aint gonna make it.
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Location: San Jose, CA
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Member Since: Jun 16, 2007
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