Inkstarzz.com Interview:IB3

"Where the starzz come to shyne!"

Inkstarzz.com had the chance to catch up with one of the hottest
femcees out of the great state of Texas. Backed up by “My
Movement”, she is ready to attack the industry and show the world
what she has to offer. So cruise with us down 59 as we take a ride
with Houston’s Hip Hop artist IB3…..She’s Got Ink!

Inkstarzz.com: So what's up? What's good with you? How's
everything going?

IB3: Everything is good, man. I'm just tryna push the mixtape and get "My Movement" on the map. So far so good.
We've been connecting with a lot of promoters here and just going out about to try to really start getting the record
played in the club more. Everything has been going really good so far.

Inkstarzz.com: Which song are you pushing as your single?

IB3: well my leading single right now is "Light-Skinned Friends" and "Party Animal". I actually have two and I can't say
that I'm pushing one more than the other one. "Party Animal" came about first and I think immediately in the club
setting and even on the radio, at a first listen, that one catches your ear. It's kinda like the same thing for "Light-
Skinned Friends" but that one is still new even to me. I did that one like two days before I put the mixtape out, I
recorded it. We're really pushing both of those records and tryna get those out there. They're kinda along the same
vibe so we figured a DJ drops one of 'em in the mix and it's successful, then we don't have to worry about them tryna
play the same two times in one rotation, they got the other one.

Inkstarzz.com: Let's start from the beginning. What got you into the world of Hip-Hop?

IB3: Honestly man, I really wasn't too involved in Hip-Hop. I have a big music background. How I came up, my
grandfather is a Jazz Musician, my aunts and uncles all play instruments. I just have always had an ear and a love
for music. Just growing up by coincidence, well nothing happens by coincidence, but my mom was best friends with
Matthew and Tina Knowles and my parents were great friends with them and I was raised with their kids. With
Matthew pushing Beyonce' and Solange on a business level at the early point like he did, I always kinda just
witnessed everything that happened with them first hand. It was just like a front-row seat. I can say that played a big
role into me actually becoming a professional at this. It's been years. The first time I recorded a record, I was 13 and
I'm 22 now, so I'll say that was about 9 years ago. The first time I wrote a record I was 11 so I've been doing it for
about 10, 12 years strong.

Inkstarzz.com: What was it like being that close to, or even in, the Music World family?

IB3: Honestly, it's interesting. It's cool for me because they really are my family
beyond the business. At the end of the day, tomorrow if I'm not signed with them or
if I am, that's still gon be my family. I can say that it was difficult at a point doing
business and having a personal relationship with your manager. It's always gon be
tough, but that's natural. That's like anything. It's a gift and a curse because, from
my standpoint, I've always known Imma be straight, Imma be taken care of. I don't
have anything to worry about because I know that Matthew will look out for me and
make sure that everything that was done will be in my best interest. On the flip side
to the outside world externally, the way that it appears to people it's kinda like,
"Aww man she set. She rollin' with Beyonce's dad. Beyonce the biggest star in the
world, so she don't really need to mess with us." So, in turn, a lot of people haven't
really worked with me. A lot of people haven't really welcomed me in I guess
because they feel like I'm already in and I'm not in. So it's kinda like I'm tryna break down these walls and stuff and
let people know "Listen, I'm just like yall. We in the same boat." I'm starting from the bottom up. People assume that
I'm a lot further along than I am, but I'm not.

Inkstarzz.com: What artists did you grow up listening to?

IB3: Well, I'm a huge fan of Country music. That's like my favorite genre of music. I can say as early as elementary
school 4th, 5th grade, I really got into Country music really heavy and then I got back into it around late middle
school, early high school. Really, the past six years, I really just listen to country music. In the past year I've listened
to a lot of Electronica but, as far as Hip-Hop goes, of course my favorite rapper is Jay, Jay-Z. Just music in general, I
love 'em all from Kenny Chesney to M.I.A., Jack Johnson.... there's a band that I'm super, super feeling right now
called ChairLift and I'm listening to their stuff a lot. I try to listen to everything.

Inkstarzz.com: So do you play any instruments?

IB3: Well, I don't know if this counts but, in middle school I played the flute. I haven't touched it in years. I dabble
around on stuff. I started kinda tryna produce a lil bit and I'm working Pro Tools, with lil mini boards. I know a lil bit. I
know my sharps and flats. When it comes down to serious stuff, I can't work the machines. So I do my little co-
producing and executive producing kinda on the sideline and I let the real producers do it.

Inkstarzz.com: With the internet being so major right now,do you think it's helping or hurting the artists?

IB3: I think it's honestly helping. I've been asked that before and honestly you have to think about five years ago.
Every last artist, all he really wanted to do was be heard. The internet has taken that away. That was like the first
biggest thing for every artist. All you wanted to do was have people to hear your stuff, if it's your mama, if it's your
sister, if it's kids at your school, there was no mass way to get it out there. It hasn't been for years. Now, with the click
of a button, boom you're heard. You can reach out to one person in five seconds or you can reach out to one billion
people in five seconds if people were really tuned in like that.

Inkstarzz.com: So why do you think there are so many people with negative outlooks on it?

IB3: People complain about the internet and what's it's doing to the music business and sure it's caused sales and
stuff to decline but at the same time, as far a popularity goes, I really think it's the reverse now. Like back in the day,
people used to make music in the studio, but the big deal would be hearing it on the radio and going to see the
show. They would just tour, tour, tour and that's how people would make their money. In the past 10,20, 30 years, it's
changed. The music industry evolved and it kinda turned into " Ok we're gonna do shows to promote this record"
and for the longest time, people were just making money off selling records. Artists didn't have to do shows. They
could do two big huge shows and make their money, but they were getting those royalty checks then. It's not like
that anymore. People are not going to the store and buying records, but they are going to shows. I opened up for
Drake a couple of weeks ago and his show was sold out. For him to be a new artist, every city he's gone to, he's
selling out shows. He put his mixtape out for free. But, if you ask me, he's doing the same exact numbers that these
artists are doing who are being put out on these labels who aren't selling any records. You have Michelle Williams
who, in her first week, sold 14,000 records. That's considered a flop and I thought her album was dope! Not to even
be biased, but Solange's record too. Her album wasn't a flop by any means even though people say it is, but she
sold over 185,00 now. That should have been more publicized. The fact that they act like 185,000 for an Indie artist
isn't that much and it is. If you put those numbers up to M.I.A. and to a whole lot of other people, you not gon see the
same numbers. It's all about perception.

Inkstarzz.com: So, can you see the female emcee taking over Hip-Hop?

IB3: Definitely. I don't think that it's limited to anyone, but I definitely really think, especially with what I'm hearing now,
finally people are starting to be about music again. To be different is cool now and for that reason, I feel like it's cool
to be the underdog now. Female emcees have always been the underdog. For that reason, you have bands like
Chester French and all of these random bands where, when you look at their picture, you're like "Whaaat?" but
that's why everybody likes them. I think it's kinda like the same thing for female emcees. There's always gonna be an
open lane for us because of the fact that no one's really confident yet. So sure, it's
gonna have to happen one day. I really honestly feel like it's just about the right
person. One thing that I noticed even after I put my mixtape out, I told a couple people,
Generally anytime someone hears my music they're gonna say one of two things.
It's gon either be like, "Aww man,for a girl, you real dope!" or " Man, you sound like
MC Lyte". It's gonna be some kind of female emcee comparison. When I put this
mixtape out, I didn't really think about til like a week later. I'm like going through my
comments and the views and everything, criticism, whatever. Nobody used the words
"female emcee". I think, once I realized it and I spoke it out loud and repeated it a
couple days later, it was funny how this mixtape just moved and people were listening
to it the same way they listen to Drake's mixtape, the same way they listen to Chester
French's mixtape. It was just something new. I think that, as long as you keep doing
something new and fresh, they're not gonna really look at your gender cus they're
tryna look for what's next. They don't really care how it's packaged, they just wanna
know what's next.

Inkstarzz.com: Speaking of your mixtape, what kind of feedback did you get?
You blew the internet up with it.
IB3: I haven't gotten as much feedback as I would like. I've gotten quite a bit though.
We've gotten over 1500 downloads now, we've burned and passed out over 400 now. We've got quite a few out
there. People have been telling me great things. I really haven't got any negative reviews. I can honestly say my first
piece of real constructive criticism was just maybe four days ago. I was talking to Angel from Concrete Loop about a
post and she was saying "Honestly, I like the mixtape. I listened to it, yet I feel like it's unfinished." I said "Wow, it's
funny you said that" because that same morning, I had had a meeting within my company and I was like "I wanna re-
release the mixtape, but I wanna do it like, where it's finished." Like, where we have features, we have drops mixed
together, really put it back out and actually have the hard copies burned up and all that. I really just wanted to get
the buzz going. So, when she said that to me, she didn't say it in a disrespectful way. She was like " I like the
records" and I know she really listened to it because she was commenting on specific songs that she liked or
whatever. The fact that she had the balls to really tell me what she felt, I appreciated that. I felt like "dang that's real
talk" and I don't know how many people felt that way. She's the only person who said that but I can imagine if she
feels that way, I 'm sure someone else probably does. Now, I'm kinda tryna take that and use it to my advantage; Get
on a couple of these records, reach out to a couple of people and see who I can bring in to do some features. I got a
couple dope people locked in so far. If I can get maybe three or four more and then just put it back out. At that point,
people will already be familiar with the songs, but it's kinda like "dang, we like these songs but damn now we love
these songs".

Inkstarzz.com: Well, if you need me on there.... I can't rap, but I sure can act like I could.

IB3: (Laughs) It's a lot of rappers out here acting like they can rap anyway, so I might just take you up on that.

Inkstarzz.com: So what would you say IB3 has to offer to Hip-Hop?

IB3: I'd say diversity. I'm not your typical Hip-Hop or rap artist. I did not grow up in the hood. I grew up in what would
be considered suburbs by many people's standards. I didn't grow up with necessarily a financial struggle, but I did
grow up with different struggles. I lost my mom when I was a kid, my biological mom and I've just grown up in a
different situation, a different family situation. I think that, for that reason, I can't be duplicated. I think the problem is,
with female rappers in the music industry, everybody is the same. Everybody does the same thing. They all sell sex.
They all talk about how hot they are. They all roll with a crew of dudes, a crew of dudes who are already established
and that's kinda how it is but you don't really have a crew where there's a female at the forefront of it. Who has just a
crew, period of people who are all on the come-up? I think that that's what's gonna stand out. Anytime you do
something that nobody else is doing and you're actually doing it. I watch people all the time, chicks, girls, try to do
things. It's not even to be sexist or anything, I don't even really pay attention to gender when I operate. People bring
it to my attention all the time, but I've noticed that people don't really follow females like that. For some reason I seem
to have a solid clique or dudes and chicks who just really cut for me, they're in my corner. Just knowing that, I'm
confident enough to know- number one, I'm not gon give up. They gon have to kill me first (Laughs)! I honestly think
that, when it comes down to IB3, if I could sum it up, I would say that I have that different, that next s#!t to offer and
it's gonna be that universal feel..

Inkstarzz.com: Tell us about your movement, "My Movement".

IB3: My Movement is.....it's funny, we just started a "My Movement is...." series for quotes and stuff. My Movement
really is about you, me, like anybody who's involved in my movement. That's why it's called "My Movement" because
just as much as it's my movement, it's Chris's movement, it's Coline's movement. Whoever's in it, it's your movement
and the way we operate is, you do something for me, I do something for you. We all work together and move
forward. If you ask me where I would like for us to be in a year I want it to be to the point where, when you think
Houston, you think My Movement just like when you think New York, you think Bad Boy, you think Rocafella. A
situation would be like where you can call someone in My Movement and say "Ay yo,I'm in town and I need a
Photographer for this." and I say "Ok, I got you." and I call my in-house photographer and I'm like "Yo I got somebody
in here" and in turn, when I need a shoot, my photographer doesn't charge me. That's just kinda point blank how it
is. It's a system where everybody is 50/50, there's no taking advantage of each other, we can have contracts, but we
really don't need contracts cus it's that point blank. It's like when you break the code, then that's it. We are an
entertainment company. Eventually we will have a roster of artists and producers, I'm sure. Right now, we have about
four production acts, four producers on deck and we do have a photographer. We are a big entertainment
networking company pretty much. We just really came from grassroots, bottom up. We roll in numbers. Everywhere
you see us, we gon be at least 15 deep. It's all about pushing stuff and the "I" slogan we use is inclusive. Everybody
talks about being exclusive, that's what everybody wants to do, but My Movement is an inclusive company where
everybody's included. That's what makes it so powerful because, if you f%&k with everybody in your city, really can't
nobody touch you. That's why it's a movement. It goes beyond a record or a song or a mixtape. It's really a
movement for culture. It's really about coming together and working together to move forward.

Inkstarzz.com: Solid

IB3: Yep!

Inkstarzz.com: Alright, If you could use one word to describe your flow, what would it be?

IB3: Hmmm, let me think.....I'd say Humorous. I'm a real sarcastic person. A lot of times people listen to my songs
and it's really just straight sarcasm where people don't even know if the song is serious or not! Unless I told 'em. I
have whole songs that sound like they're serious, but I'm mocking the s#!t out of somebody or where I'm being
sarcastic. It would either be sarcasm or humorous. People often tell me "you're really funny". I can live with that.

Inkstarzz.com: Thanks for the interview.
Interview by: Sonnie_Inkstar

IB3