Freddy P.
Many may know him from MTV'S "Making the Band", but the Florida native was making noise before then, and still is now. Walk with us as we catch up with Freddy p and he breaks down the Miami way of life............ Inkstarzz: What’s been up, how has everything been going? Freddy P: Good man, just chillin man, working, staying focused, working on this mixtape "Gameface". It's like the "Best of both worlds" mixtape that I got wit an R&B artist in Miami named T-Drop, who work, I feel, is incredible. I collaborated with him for a mixtape. It's Kind of a recognition thing, kind of a promotion thing for. The mixtape bout to drop in the East coast and one in the Midwest. So, I’m just hustlin right now. I got the album that I'm working on that I'm tryna drop before the summer. Inkstarzz: How long have you been doing this? Freddy P: Actually, Imma be real, I been spittin.... in my neighborhood when we was playing football... sandlot. I been rappin since then. I been rappin since like..... well, really it started with poetry. I used to write to get shit off my chest, going through shit, going through a lot of family shit. Nigga aint have nothin, so I was just writing to get shit off my chest and then, shit it turned into a rap. One day my brother told me he was gon split me if he heard me say anybody else rhyme. I used to always spit Tupac rhymes and that nigga told me "don't say nobody rap 'round me unless it’s yours”. That made me just start writing. Inkstarzz: Do you still do the poetry? Freddy P: Naw I mean I aint really into it, but it's a thing that I could do, you know what I’m sayin? I feel like I have work from it, but I aint really stressin a lot now-a-days, so ya know? Other than that, I got a lot of shit poppin off, man. Just keeping myself moving right now. Inkstarzz: Do you remember your first time picking up the pen and the first bar you wrote? Freddy P: I'm trying to remember whether it was the 6th grade or 7th grade. I was 11. If this was like 5 years ago, I could remember it off top, but I think I was like 11 when I first started, 6th grade when I first wrote my first rhyme. That was like 15 years ago. Inkstarzz: What or who was your inspiration to pick up the mic? Freddy P: In the music game, it was only Tupac and then it was Biggie. That's all I really knew as far as hip- hop. Me being in the generation I came up in, it was only Tupac and Biggie in the south back then what we thought was phenomenal. So, it was like my two inspirations wit them. When I got more focused and really understood how to do it, I think I learned most of my ways from Jay-Z, just studying Jay-Z and listening to nothing but Jay-Z. So, Tupac, Jay-Z and you can say Biggie. Inkstarzz: How do you feel about the state of hip-hop right now? Freddy P: I mean it depend on how you wanna look at it, man. What people fail to understand is.... I can speak as an artist, or I can speak as a consumer. As a consumer, what people don't understand is that music is made to make you dance, all the way back to jazz, you know what I'm sayin? Music is made to make you happy or put you inside an emotion. That's what it's made for, so you can relate and even though, in hip-hop, it's not as competitive as it used to be. Anybody can get famous now; anybody can do a one-hit wonder, that's all they looking for is one-hit wonders now. Anybody can get on T.V. and as a child that was a childhood dream. The reason why I don't knock it is because it gives opportunities to a lot of black families, and I support that a lot. Music is for the kids in some way, but I feel like hip-hop isn't... because it's a gangsta rap. Hip-hop started with break dancing with music and shit, but if you wanna say the rap game in the industry right now, I feel like... yeah, it's crazy. Aint really no emcees, its just people getting famous overnight. It used to be a dream, now it's just a theme. Inkstarzz: Yeah, now it's just for the pockets, yeah you right. What’s your most memorable moment in the industry, good or bad, so far? Freddy P: Imma be real... meeting Pattie LaBelle. I met a lot of stars in my life, and being a nigga from Miami, that shit don't excite you a lot. I don't know if it's just how we is or if we just rough or a certain way down here, know what I’m sayin, but, being the type of nigga that I am, it was when I first met Pattie LaBelle, and I had seen Diddy, I had met Wyclef, everybody. It was Pattie LaBelle and when I met Denzel Washington coming out of the CBS building and Jay-Z like 2 days after the black album dropped. We did a little venture with Jay and I had them boys and I had a chance to express how much that nigga meant to me. That's the most memorable moment I had so far in the industry. Inkstarzz: Mann, that’s major! So, I know you from Florida and yall on bubble right now. Florida is what’s hot right now in the music industry. Do you feel that the artists are sticking together, reaching out to each other and pulling each other up? Freddy P: I just feel like, with Miami's situation, I know Miami is Miami, know what I’m sayin? Niggas in Miami don't fuck with niggas. If you got your circle, then you love your circle to death. Other than that, you watch every nigga and that's just how we is. We aint friendly. Like, I knew all these niggas before the fame and and all that. These niggas know what time it is and I knew Brisco went hard and I knew bout.... (Rick) Ross was actually one of my favorite rappers before he got signed. So he was like somebody I looked up to in Miami as an artist and I was famous at the time and he wasn't. So, it was like, okay it was only a matter of time for me with him, but I feel like ....naw, down here we kinda stick together and then we kinda don't because its like, if you aint gon do what I say, then fuck ya. It aint like they just help you up when niggas eaten. I feel like they helpin a lot of weak niggas eat niggas who they can push around. They aint gon fuck with no nigga who they can’t tell what to do. If it’s a nigga who they can boss around or a nigga that always been in they circle, that's the nigga they tryna help blow up. I remember when these niggas wasn't shit and I was showin nothin but mad love to these niggas way in Puerto Rico. Everywhere we went, I was letting niggas know cus I was reppin my city. For them niggas not to even come back and for Khaled to have two, three albums out and for me not to have a verse on it, but you tellin me you one of my biggest fans and way before a nigga even showed him love, I was showin him love and aint nobody come back with the love yet. It's like a nigga dodging you, for what? When I remember going in the club and everybody all on yo dick. When you was doin you and they wasn't doin them, they was all on yo dick. “Oh nigga you this, you that" every one of them niggas. So I mean the only niggas I respect that keep it real gangsta is E-Class. E-Class always been around and he always just did his thing, know what I'm sayin? He always got money, he aint never was on no nigga, if he don't like you, he don't like you. If he like you, he like you. I gotta give him respect, but I don't feel like they stick together. I f they can't push a nigga around, then they don't fuck wit a nigga. They fuck with the weak when it comes to making money. They got a lot of strong niggas around 'em, but they fuck wit the weak when its time to make money. Inkstarzz: Are you still in contact with anyone from “Making the Band”? Freddy P: I talk to Choppa like everyday, Baps definitely, at least like four times a week. Me and Chop talk everyday. I’m bout to fly to L.A. and fuck with him Friday, cus me and him, we like brothers, know what I'm sayin? Me and Baps, we the closest, but I talk to Dylan the day before yesterday and Sara today for the first time since the band, for the first time since the show been over. Inkstarzz: Oh, that's crazy! Freddy P: and Ness, I haven't talked to Ness in bout a month. Inkstarzz: Would you do reality T.V. again? Freddy P: I got a couple ideas, a couple hot ideas. Matter-of-fact, I was tryna get in contact with a couple producers at MTV today. I lost a lot of contacts, but I got a lot of ideas I wanna pitch to 'em. Yeah, I think I definitely would. I could do anything man, the sky's the limit, especially when you trying to feed your family. I’m a monster right now, it's whatever! Inkstarzz: (Laughs) I feel that! Do you have a favorite collaboration that you have done? Freddy P: I don't know, man. Like I said, I aint the type of person that just call a nigga and ask a nigga to do nothin even though I see that's how it go. Chop be like, "oh you gotta talk to these niggas and ask" and I be like "naw man, I aint really on that" know what I'm sayin? I see the niggas is what's up. I hollered at Jeezy yesterday, he shot a video in the hood. I hollered at Blood Raw, but I aint the type of nigga that's gon ask them for nothin. I'll get a nigga number and for some reason I can't call you and ask you, even though I fucks wit ya. It aint in me dog, I don't know why. Inkstarzz: So if you could do collaboration with anybody, who is that one person that you would just love to work with? Freddy P: You shouldn't have even asked that, man. Inkstarzz: Jigga? Freddy P: He so sick wit it, man. I actually get pissed when I see Jigga doing songs wit other niggas and I know it supposed to been me at that time. I had the opportunity to conquer this shit and niggas know it because back in that time, nigga wasn't even eating and I went all the way to New York and I ran through forty thousand. Even the people that's in the and now, some of them tried out for the band the first time, but didn't make it, know what I'm sayin? We went through like forty thousand people, people don't understand. When you got six people out of forty thousand people, it had to be something special about them motherfuckers. Even in the top ten, it’s something special about them motherfuckers. Them niggas gon eat. It is what it is, know what I'm sayin? If it was anybody, it would be Jay, man. If it aint Jay-Z, fuck it, I don't really care. Or Akon cus I like Akon shit. Akon keep it real. Or Lauryn Hill Inkstarzz: Oh Lauryn, huh? Yeah, she official, too. What separates you from other artists today? Freddy P: I really don't, man. The game right now, like I explained it earlier, the game so wide open. It's just a bunch of sharks in the water, man. It's all about the big sharks, the big dogs, then the lil guppies, know what I'm sayin? I feel like the only thing that separates me from other artists is the fact that I aint got no big name over me, right now. If I had the big name over me right now, I think I would actually be one of the best that’s at the top of the game right now. If I would've stayed under Puffy and I would've been an ass-kisser and stuff like that, I think I would've been at the top of my game because, lyrically, a lot of people always spoke for me and said that I was ahead of my time. I’m original, I just do me. I try to be a perfectionist at everything I do. Shit I did four years ago, I'll let a bitch hear it and they'll tell me that need to be a single. They don’t even know, they think I just left the studio wit it. What separates me from other artists is the fact that I believe in real conversation. I can't sit up in here and talk to you and just say “yeah dawg, you feel me my nigga, that shit was crazy, that shit was fucked up". I just said a whole bunch of shit, and aint make no sense. But if I can take that same opportunity and them same ten seconds and I could say something wit meaning, then that's what imma do. If I feel like that about a conversation, and music aint nothing but a conversation, imagine what I do wit my music. I take it real serious and hold a serious conversation. Any time you hear me talking in my music, I'm talking about something. I'm not just saying no dumb shit or talking bout eight different things in one verse. I'm really talking bout something. If you take your time out and listen to something that's relating to something, it aint gon be nothing to make you dance, cus I don't know how to dance. That aint my thing. I make music so people can relate to it. Inkstarzz: Give me one word to describe your flow Freddy P: Damn, it could be remarkable, phenomenal... man just different. Inkstarzz: Different? Freddy P: Different, just different. Without being cocky, arrogant just say it’s different. Inkstarzz: Do you feel that artists should considered role models or should be looked at as role models? Freddy P: By any means. Imma put it like this, they have no choice. Once you on, I don't give a fuck if you killed a hundred niggas, if you moved a hundred bricks in one year. That light is on you and what you say is... it makes you, know what I'm sayin? Like I said in one of my flows, if you can't tell somebody to tote a tool or go to school, then you useless. You sayin nothing. If somebody looking at you for selling dope, then that's the niggas that listening to you. If a nigga don't sell no dope then nine out of ten aint listening to a nigga who talkin' bout dope. You can be a role model in your own way and to a certain extent if you talkin bout, though, encouraging niggas to get the same kind of money you got, and take the same chances you got. If you encouraging niggas, but you sell dope and don't want them to sell dope, encourage that nigga to go to school and tell him how rough the world was, "I'd rather see you do this, than to do that". You a role model, but it aint always got to be in a positive way, ya know what I'm sayin? Inkstarzz: Anything you wanna plug or tell your fans out there? Freddy P: Keep yo head up and keep the hustle going. It’s only a matter of time, that's how I look at it. Inkstarzz: Do you want to put your contact information out there? Any upcoming projects? Freddy P: Just look out for the album and "All or Nothing" mixtape, "Life is what you make it”, the other mixtape, "One Band man”. Look out for Yung City, he bout to drop real soon. Baps, she doing her thing, she hustlin. Dylan still grindin. Holla at me on myspace. I might not get to everybody, but I try to, its just too many pages to be writing everybody back all the damn time (laughs)! Inkstarzz: (Laughs) Alright, man. Thank you for your time. Interview by: Sonnie V. |
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