Interview with L.M. from Houston, Texas

L.M. is a rapper from Houston, Texas that was featured in Caprice's Fantasy Girls. He hit me up and I did an interview with him. Here is the interview for all of y'all!!!


ROYAL: Tell us who you are and where you are from.

L.M.: Wassup world? My name is L.M. and I’m hip hop recording artist/songwriter from Houston, TX (USA)

ROYAL: What do the initials "L.M." stand for?

L.M.: L.M. actually stands for "Lil Mike". Its a name I was given when I was a young'n so that’s what people knew me by. When I first initially wanted to use it as my stage name, there were too many Lil's already in the game and I wanted to be different so I just ran with L.M. So that’s pretty much the story behind that.

ROYAL: What is the hip hop scene like where you at?

L.M.: In America the hip hop culture/scene has taken over completely and has been able to spread across the world. Its amazing to me how much hip hop as a genre of music has grown not just here in America but the whole world. Places that you never knew hip hop even existed at are now some of the biggest markets and are responsible for a majority of the record sales and downloads etc. To me personally hip hop is a way life, my way of life.

ROYAL: How long have you been doing this rapping for?

L.M.: I been rapping since my teen years but I've been at it strong now for about 6 years.

ROYAL: What kind of message or what kind of things do you rap about in your music?

L.M.: I deliver in my music only what I know and what I have seen in my everyday life rather it be Love, Hate or Success. When you hear L.M. your not listening or looking at an actor or character, your actually getting the real me. I write my life, so the message I send to the people is authentic. I feel like when people listen to my music especially alot of my deeper records that they can actually feel like they know personally.

ROYAL: I want ask you about your thoughts on the "N Word", because are some Asian rappers out there that incorporate the word "nigga" in their raps. Some Asian rappers go so far as to call themselves "niggas" too. What are your thoughts on Asians using the word "nigga" in their raps? And in your opinion are there any Asian niggas out there?

L.M.: Lol..Wow!! You just taught me something I didn’t know at all. But to answer your question I don’t think there are any Asian "niggas" out there what so ever. A lot of people dont really know what the word "nigga" means or where it came from. I’m personally not offended by it but at the same time I do feel like if you are going to use the word "nigga" at least know and understand the history behind it because everyone might not feel the same way I do about it. Where I’m from its an everyday thing.



ROYAL: Tell us the story on how you, Caprice and Sofia Legend hooked up for Fantasy Girls.

L.M.: Actually Caprice reached out to me thru my MySpace and told me about the project and the ideas he had for it and I was all in. I recorded my verse, shot my part of the music video and had it back to him within 48 hrs. He had discussed some things with my business partner Floss P who had recently did a clothing sponsor (Real Serious Paper Clothing) with Sofia Legend so we all came together and made it happen. Shouts out to Caprice and Sofia Legend!!

ROYAL: So I checked the Malaysian charts, Fantasy Girls was #1 song on the charts and now its #2 for this week. Congratulations! I know a lot of rappers talking about international this and international that, but you are really doing it! How does it feel having a hit song in Malaysia and having new fans from Malaysia?

L.M.: WOW!! I appreciate that. Thats a real good look. I had no idea the song was buzzin like that. It feels real good to know that I have a hit song on the radio in a place that I never been before but I look forward to coming over to Malaysia real soon and hitting the stage and actually get to meet some of my fans. It's crazy because I actually get MySpace and Facebook messages from fans in Malaysia telling me how much they love the song and how they want me to come visit Malaysia and perform live in concert. So that’s a good look. I just spoke to Caprice the other day though, so look out for some new music from me and him coming real soon including Fantasy Girls Pt. 2!!! It’s gonna be bigger and better.

ROYAL: Do you have a albums or mixtapes out? Where can we get your music?

L.M.: No current mixtapes out right now, but my single "Don’t Stop" ft Mateo Amarei will be hitting I-tunes real soon.

ROYAL: So what is L.M. working on right now? Are there any new projects or new singles on the way?

L.M.: Right now I’m working on a mixtape/street album called Almost Famous: The Come Up and I’m getting DJ Drama to host it. Also, I’m in the process of doing a remix to my current single "Don’t Stop" with DJ Khaled and Pleasure P so I’m real ecstatic about that. In between time I will be dropping a lot of mixtape exclusives and promo singles. I just released a snippet of my street single last week called "Dear Hater"(I Know) so stay tuned!



ROYAL: Shout out your MySpace and your websites for people that wanna reach out to you.

L.M.:

Myspace.com/Lmhustle4life
Youtube.com/Lmmoufofdasouf
Twitter.com/Lmhustle4life
Facebook email : Lmhustle4life@gmail.com

I'm everywhere so hit me up!! Lol

ROYAL: Any last words for the readers of Asian Rap Worldwide?

L.M.: I appreciate all the love and continued support!! Shouts out to Royal for having me!! For more info about L.M. log on to AlmostfamousL.com

Freestyle Battle - Kimchee vs Tri Flaw

Here's a another freestyle battle between two Asians rappers: Kimchee, a Korean from Carson, California vs Tri Flaw, a Filipino from San Diego. This battle was for Bar Exam 2 and the Grind Time West Try-outs, hosted by Dumbfoundead. Kimchee doesn't look like your typical rapper, but he did come up with some some creative rhymes. Tri Flaw came out with a lot of energy in the first round but he lost momentum after the second and third round. He was also clapping after every line which I thought was really annoying. The judges declared that Kimchee won. This was not the most exciting freestyle battle but hey, props to Kimchee for winning.

Oh yeah. Lolz. Did anyone else notice the Lucky Dog Grooming Company in the background? *Insert Asian joke here*

Freestyle Battle - Lyaflip vs Fredo

Two Filipino rappers, Lyraflip from South Bay, California and Credo from Union City battled it out on Grind Time's Battle in the Bay. Lyraflip was poking fun of Credo's weight while Credo was poking fun of Lyraflip's short height. Both rappers delivered their rhymes quite well but the crowd reacted in favor to Credo. Credo took this battle.

Epik High - Map the Soul feat. MYK

Epik High - 魂: Map the Soul

Epik High is a Korean rap group consisting of three members: Tablo, Mithra Jin and DJ Tukutz. They are one of Korea's most popular rap groups, and arguably the most popular rap group currently in Korea. Epik High went independent and have released 魂: Map the Soul today on March 27, 2009. The album can be found exclusively on their website: www.mapthesoul.com. 魂: Map the Soul is a book and album released together. The album is bilingual and has both English and Korean tracks. The book part of 魂: Map the Soul is also bilingual in both English and Korean and it documents the creative process in making the album. Prior to 魂: Map the Soul, Epik High has released 5 albums Map of The Human Soul (2003), High Society (2004), Swan Songs (2005), Remapping the Human Soul (2006), and Pieces, Part One (2008).

Map of the Soul is the first single off the 魂: Map the Soul album. Its a song dealing with the themes of love, nature and faith. The music video is a tribute to the artist Levi Van Veluw and it depicts how nature and society itself is being destroyed by human beings.

MC Yan Raps About Hong Kong's Air Pollution

MC Yan teamed up with Greenpeace China to protest against the worsening of air quality to the Hong Kong government. Hong Kong's air pollution is affecting the health of its residents and also affecting its economy as well. The main sources of air pollution in Hong Kong are the local coal power plants, vehicle exhaust emissions, and ships that come in and out of Hong Kong's ports. Also, across the border in Guangdong, China it is heavily industrialized and there are many factories emitting poisonous fumes that find their way into Hong Kong.

The song or video production below is MC Yan protesting to the Hong Kong government to tell the truth about Hong Kong air quality. The current Hong Kong Air Pollution Index is based on an obsolete 1987 standard which does not give Hong Kong citizens the real picture of how dangerous the air quality is because they are not using the up-to-date World Health Organization Air Quality Guidelines.

Tila Tequila - I Love U

Tila Tequila - I love U

Tila Tequila is a Vietnamese glamor model and MySpace celebrity from Houston, Texas who was featured in many major magazines such as Playboy, Stuff and Maxim magazine. The name "Tila Tequila" came from her not being able to handle herself after drinking Tequila and the name Tila Tequila was made up by her friends to poke fun of her. Tila Tequila had a bisexual-themed reality show called A Shot At Love where both men and women competed for a chance to win her love. Tila did the show for two seasons.

I Love U is the theme song of the first season of A Shot At Love. Its a rap song about her being "a crazy bitch that's running the game". I Love U was released in 2007.



Here are the lyrics to Tila Tequila's I love U

Tila Tequila also has a Myspace at: www.myspace.com/TilaTequila

RIP SLYME - One

RIP SLYME - Tokyo Classic

RIP SLYME is a Japanese rap group consisting of 5 members: Ryo-Z, Ilmari, Pes, Su and DJ Fumiya. The "RIP" part of the name RIP SLYME comes from the initials of the original members Ryo-Z, Ilmari and Pes. Their music can be described as very light and cheerful music. The sound of RIP SLYME is a fusion of old-school hip hop, jazz, funk and acoustic rock. RIP SLYME has released 9 albums so far: Lip's Rhyme (1995), talkin'cheap (1998), Five (2001), Tokyo Classic (2002), Orchestra + Plus (2003), Time to Go (2003) Masterpiece (2004), Eoch (2005) and Funfair (2007).

The song One is one RIP SLYME's most popular songs. One is a song of solace and encouragement for people going through difficult times. One is found in RIP SLYME's Tokyo Classic album.



Here are the English Translation lyrics of RIP SLYME's One

Thanks to Tina of RIP SLYME Vibes, an English blog about RIP SLYME, for recommending this song to me!

Freestyle Battle - Dumbfoundead Vs The Saurus

Here's one of the main events on Grind Time's The Battle of the Bay: Dumbfoundead VS The Saurus, who is a 2-time Rap World Champion. This freestyle battle was held in Oakland, California on February 28, 2009. Dumbfoundead's strategy was to poke fun of The Saurus' face and complexion. The Saurus used a lot of Asian jokes, but I thought they were funny as hell. It was a great battle and in the end The Saurus was declared the winner.

The second video is an "honorary overtime" freestyle battle where Dumbfoundead and The Saurus were battling for the fun of it after the match decision.

Jin - I'm in Hong Kong

Jin has a new freestyle track called I'm in Hong Kong which is about all the major highlights in his rap career since 106 & Park. One funny thing Jin said was "its ironic Learn Chinese was my first single/ but out in HK I speak just enough to mingle/" Hahaha. That's a good one.

HalfKorean.com interviews Carlos Galvan

Carlos - Still Standin

David Lee Sanders from HalfKorean.com did an interview with Carlos Galvan, who is Half-Korean and Half-Mexican, on February 05, 2009. In the interview, Carlos talked about his experiences in the Korean music industry and about being a hip hop pioneer in Korea with his former group Uptown. He said in the interview that he brought in Tasha and Steve to the group and came up with the name "Uptown" for the group. He said he does not keep in touch and does not want to do anything with his former group members, especially Chris and Steve whom he called "shady". He also talked about his new solo album, Still Standin.

U R My Girl is Carlos Galvan's first single from his Still Standin album. Its a pretty cool cut. It also has a very familiar Uptown flavor to it. Here's a promo video for U R My Girl.



Carlos Galvan has a myspace at: www.myspace.com/carlosizsolrac

UPT - 흑기사 (Black Knight)

UPT - New Era

UPT or Uptown is a Korean R&B/rap group that T used to be a part of. UPT was popular in Korea during the late 90's when Korean hip hop was starting to blow up. The group's lineup had many changes over the years. The only remaining and original member of UPT is Jung and he is joined by 3 new members: Maniac, Swings and Chan, a prominent Asian-American rapper formerly known as "Snacky Chan". UPT has just released their 6th and newest album called New Era. Their other albums are Represent (1995), Represented...Now Believe (1997), Chapter 3 in History (1998), Verbal Medication (1999), and Testimony (2006).

흑기사 or "Black Knight" in English is a song from UPT's latest album New Era. It is a song about the "black knight saving the damsel in distress". This song is for hope during the current economic crisis in Korea. Its a decent song but I would never have imagined Chan rapping in Korean. His music with UPT just sounds so different compared to his old music.

Jin - 四圍 Rap feat. 24 Herbs & MastaMic

Jin - Meen Fai Rap Mixtape

Jin has a new mixtape album called Meen Fai Rap. "Meen Fai" (免費 ) means free of charge in English. You can get Jin's Meen Fai Rap mixtape from Jin's blog at jininhk.com.

Here is a song from Jin's new mixtape called 四圍 Rap or "All Around Rap" which is song representing Hong Kong hip hop with fellow Hong Kong rappers 24 Herbs and MastaMic. Compared to his rapping in English, Jin is still in his early stages in rapping in Cantonese. I have faith that Jin will definitely improve over time and will be a forerunner for Hong Kong and Cantonese hip hop.

Shogunna - Walk with Shogun

This is a video clip that was filmed in Shogunna's hometown of Flushing, New York a.k.a. "The Forbidden City" and was released on April 13, 2007 as a promotion for Shogunna's debut mixtape: Signed 2 The Streets. In the video clip, Shogunna says that he part of the Asian American hip hop movement but he is represents the Asian "underground culture" within it. Also, Shogunna thanks his supporters and addresses his critics in this video.

Rest In Peace Francis M

Francis M
(October 4, 1964 - March 6, 2009)

It was reported all over the news that the Philippines has lost one of its greatest rappers and cultural icons, Francis Magalona, to leukemia on Friday, March 06, 2009 at noon. He was 44. Francis Magalona, who also goes by "Francis M", "Kiko", "Master Rapper" and the "King of Pinoy Rap" was the first rapper in the Philippines that has successfully crossed over into the mainstream with his album Yo! which was released in 1990. It was Francis M that showed that rap music can be an acceptable form of music as he rapped about Filipino patriotism and about social, political and economic issues affecting the Philippines. Because of Francis M's success he has inspired and opened the doors for many other aspiring Filipino rappers. In 1995, Francis M began to combine rap with rock music with a band called Hardware Syndrome. Francis M also was a VJ for MTV Asia, hosted a television variety game show called Eat Buluga! and was also a Phillipine Idol judge.

Francis M's Discography

• 1989 Francis M. (Extended of Loving You)
• 1990 Mga Kababayan (E.P. Dance Remix)
• 1990 Gotta Let 'Cha Know (E.P.)
• 1990 Yo!
• 1992 Rap Is Francis M
• 1993 Meron Akong Ano! (I have something!)
• 1995 Freeman
• 1996 Happy Battle (featuring his band "Hardware Syndrome")
• 1998 The Oddventures of Mr. Cool
• 1999 Interscholastic
• 2001 Freeman 2
• 2002 The Best of FrancisM
• 2004 Pambihira Ka (Single)
• 2008 F Word
• 2009 The Sickos Project (with Ely Buendia and various OPM artists)

Kaleidoscope World is one of Francis M's most popular and touching songs. Its not a rap song but I personally think this is one of Francis M's best songs. Kaleidoscope World is a song that uses the metaphor of a kaleidoscope, with all its different colors as representing the makeup of different individuals. Together, all of the different colors make up a kaleidoscope.

Corpus - Made in Thailand

Corupus - Stand Alone Complex

Corpus is a Thai rapper from New York, New York. He has a new music video out for his new single called Made in Thailand which is about bridging the gap between all the generations of Thai people and instilling Thai pride. This song is from Corpus' Stand Alone Complex album.

The song samples the original Made in Thailand from the legendary Thai rock band Carabao. The original Made in Thailand is about how globalization affects Thai culture. Many Thais look down on goods that are labeled "Made in Thailand". This is because they don't see locally produced goods as fashionable as foreign imports.

The second rapper who raps in Thai has a pretty sick flow. Does anyone know who that rapper is?




You can find Corpus' myspace at: www.myspace.com/songpra

Dice & K9 Mobbstarr - Rendezvous

Dice & K9 Mobbstarr - Time Space Rhythm Stars

As reported in SoulSonic TV, Filipino rap group Dice & K9 Mobbstarr have just released a music video for their new trancey-dance/clubbing single Rendezvous. You can find Rendezvous on Dice & K9 Mobbstarr's latest album: Time Space Rhythm Stars.

MastaMic - O8 HK Rap Up

MastaMic is a rapper from Hong Kong who is also a freestyle MC and is known as the "Hong Kong Freestyle King". He has a song called 08 HK Rap Up which is a wrap up of all the major news in Hong Kong for the year 2008.



MastaMic webpages:

http://www.myspace.com/mastamic
http://www.alivenotdead.com/mastamic
http://www.alivenotdead.com/JusticeLeague