P
-Pluck has been working the freestyle circuit for several years. His most notable championship occurred during this year’s BET Spring Bling Freestyle Battle. After taking home yet another win, PPluck is finally being recognized as an artist and true competitor.
up meeting a lot of the Program Directors for Rap City and a lot of the BET staff. A couple of judges from the battle took my demo. Their main question was, “You can freestyle real well, but can you make songs?” Once I gave ‘em my demo, you know, good things should come about real soon.
You moved to Tallahassee for a while. Was it to go to college? I went to Tallahassee in 2002 and graduated from FAMU. I got a degree in electrical engineering.
I heard some record labels have been hollering at you. Yeah, we got a few people here and there. You never like to jinx yourself and talk before your situations come about but I’m just going to say that some pretty prominent people are interested in me. They’re really thinking about doing something. I just stay humble. I figure if God has it planned for me, it’ll happen.
Has your college education helped your music career? I actually started rapping seriously during my sophomore year in college. The knowledge from things I studied gives me a better insight on lyrical content. Who are some lyricists that you respect? Artists like Jay-Z, Eminem, Big Daddy Kane, Nas, Biggie, Tupac – people that can convey a message and leave you with something. It ain’t all about the beat and the dancing. Does a song keep me from killing a nigga or keep me from killing myself? That’s the type of message I like to put forth. Has it been harder to break into the music industry than you expected? In a sense, yeah, ‘cause I’m different. I’m from the suburbs. I graduated from college, lived with both of my parents and I get money the legal way. I don’t really fall into the “dope boy” or “killer” category. Niggas don’t really care to hear lyrical content. It’s all about shining or creating a lifestyle and I’m just me. Tell me about the BET Spring Bling freestyle competition. I did Spring Bling two years ago and lost in the championship round. It always stuck with me because even though I had won numerous freestyle titles, people would always bring that up. They would say I was good but I couldn’t do it on BET. I met DJ Q45 a long time ago and we built a real cool relationship, and it just so happened that he ended up working for BET. When this Spring Bling came around, he talked to some people for me. He called me the day before the show and said he needed me there at 8:00 AM for the preliminary rounds. We jumped on the road at 3:00 in the morning and headed down to West Palm. The rest is history. How has winning the freestyle battle changed your situation? It gave me some serious contacts. I ended
Are you working on an album? I’m recording the album now. It’s called The King of the Burbs. It’s a concept I came out with a year and a half ago. One day I got a call that it was a white rapper named King of the Burbs. I’m still calling my album that ‘cause if you see where I grew up at, it’s in the suburbs. It’s all legitimate. I’m probably 80 songs deep into the album. I’m looking to have 120 songs in my catalog before I pick the final 15. What are some of your personal favorites you think will make the final cut? Of course, the lead single “I’m the Shit.” It’s produced by No Name The Great from Atlanta. I feel like I’m the shit – lyrically, mentally, physically. I feel like I’m the guy that could do something in Hip Hop. I have another single called “King of the Burbs” but I’m not sure if it’s going to make the cut ‘cause we used a sample from Tom Jones’ “It’s Not Unusual.” That’s the song Carlton Banks from the Fresh Prince of BelAir used to dance to. Paperwork and publishing has been really hard to clear for that song. The follow up single is “They Know.” It’s produced by M Geezy from Jacksonville. If there’s one thing you could change or improve about yourself, what would that be? I would work even harder to better myself lyrically and mentally. I’m looking for longevity. I’m not looking to be here for 15 minutes, have a hot song and disappear. I want to be able to make my mark in Hip Hop. Where people can hear your music? www.myspace.com/ppluck or you can go to www.YouTube.com and type in P-Pluck to see my freestyles. You can check on me at www. rawkusrecords.com and www.loud.com. I’m pretty much everywhere. My personal email is p.pluck@hotmail.com. // OZONE | 23