What do you have going on right now? We’re actually cocked and ready wit’ a mixtape right now. We’re gettin’ the final mix and mastering done, some overall production stuff done to it. It should be out by the time this interview comes out. I’ve been concentrating on my shows. The name of the mixtape is Get Ya Money Up – it’s self-explanatory. Most of the production was done by my homeboy Rodney P. from Average Joe Productions. The rest of it is industry tracks. It’s hosted by my homeboy DJ Q45.
management goes, I’ve been back and forth over the past 5 years with a few different management situations. I ain’t sayin’ they didn’t have my best interest in mind, but at the end of the day, I gotta do what’s best for me. So I’ve been runnin’ everything on my own for the last 2 years. It’s been good for a nigga. It’s been stress free, drama free. I can’t tell you the exact reason why shit ain’t popped off the way it’s supposed to, but all I can tell you is that for ’08 and ’09, if they ain’t fuckin’ wit’ me I’ma make them kick themselves in the ass and ask why.
Why didn’t your usual producer DVUS do the tracks? He had a lot of shit goin’ on during this mixtape. At this point, no bullshit, I was writin’ a mixtape worth of material every week. After a while I guess it got to be a bit much for us to get in the studio at the same time. He was doin’ one thing and I was doin’ another thing so I went on ahead and did the mixtape. He did do the mixing, mastering, and overall production as far as puttin’ it all together. I got a few singles on the mixtape that he did the production on, but I was just testing the water and gettin’ some new blood under my belt.
Back in the day you used to be on the freestyle circuit real hard. Do you think you could still eat some dudes up in a battle? I’m still on that! If you know Swordz, you know I’ve always been about lyrics. Regardless of what a nigga stands for, regardless of what a nigga been through, I’ve always been ‘bout lyrics. If y’all niggas thinkin’ a nigga was sleep, this mixtape finna wake your ass up. A lot of the shit niggas ain’t been gettin’ over the last 3 or 4 years, they’re gettin’ it now. Half of the mixtape is songs, and the other half I’m rappin’ from the start of the beat to the end of the beat. But I don’t do the freestyle battles like that, mainly ‘cause I’ve been there and done that and I don’t have to prove myself to these niggas. They know what I can do. Make it worth my while. Put the cash pot up to a thousand, or some stacks, and holla at me. I can’t be doin’ these battles for $200. I don’t feel like I have to prove myself over and over. It’s always been there and it’s always gonna be there.
You have a new song called “I’m So Hated.” What inspired you to write that song? It’s one of those self-explanatory joints. It’s a lot of muthafuckas that fuck with me, but at the end of the day that’s how I felt so I put it out there like that. That’s how I was feelin’ then and that’s how I’m feelin’ now, so I put it in the streets and the people are taking to it. It’s an overall good look for a nigga. What are some other bangers you have out there? I got “I’m So Hated” that’s beatin’ the streets up. “Work” is doin’ alright. We also got a video for that. We got this joint that’s about to be hittin’ the street real soon, I’ve just been real picky about when I wanna put it out there. It’s a song I did called “Hell Yea.” We put it on DVUS’ Myspace page for a minute and as far as a single, that one is a problem! Over the years you’ve had several management situations, a few deals on the table, and a lot of performances. Why do you think nothing solid has materialized yet? I think it’s a combination of things. I always felt like I was ready, but me being as special as I am, maybe internally I wasn’t ready. I look at the situation like the stars have to align. You’ve got to have the right song, the right team, the right people lookin’ at you; everything has to happen at one time. I ain’t sayin’ everything’s aligned right now, but we’re plotting and planning and we’re damn sure ready. As far as
Your performances are another strong quality. What’s been your favorite shows so far? I’d have to say the ones where the audience don’t know who a nigga is or what a nigga is ‘bout to do. Like a lot of these Hood Rock shows I’ve done, I like doing ‘em ‘cause my back is against the wall. I don’t know what to expect from the audience and they don’t know what to expect from me. That’s where my comfort zone is at. Unless I’m constantly challenging myself it’s not really doing nothin’ for me. I like doing shows in cities where they aren’t up on a nigga like that. Shows where they don’t know what to expect and I blow ‘em the fuck out their shoes and they like, “What the fuck was that?” What else do you want to let people know about Swordz? I ain’t been nowhere! I’ve been planning, plotting, and strategizing, and now I’m back in y’all’s niggas asses like toilet paper. This mixtape is dropping. We got a Duval mixtape following that. The long awaited studio album is finally getting ready to hit the streets around Spring of next year. Keep watchin’ for me. OZONE MAG // 27