Interview with Tacoma’s BBOY MANGO

www.myspace.com/mangook

REIGN: So how long have you been bboying?

MANGO: Just hitting 6 years now, 6 tough years with bboying that got me through a lot of bs in my life!

REIGN: Word… like what kind of bs if you don’t mind me asking?

MANGO: bs that a Tacoma kid could run into. Friends, bad influences, Weed everyday, family problems, and me not living with my dad since 15.

REIGN: Word… i feel it!

REIGN: What got you into the art form of bboying?

MANGO: Hmm… well i never knew i was into it but i remember playing kick ball in 3rd grade and stealing bases…

MANGO: How does that relate? Well when i stole bases, it was so easy that i danced to the next base! And thinking about it now i realize i was top rocking to the next base! hahahahaha…

REIGN: hahahaha….

MANGO: And with my brother Billy being a bboy along with my cousins Wooty and Peanut it was unavoidable!

REIGN: Word.. yeah i can see that!

MANGO: One day my brother decided to teach me how to brooklyn rock, six step, and CCS. Then the guidance was given to me in a way by Peanut.

MANGO: He helped me form style, looking smooth, and how to be original. Especially with my tops.

REIGN: Word…

MANGO: I love top rocking more than anything.

MANGO: Then the broomz helped my hone into bboying in 7th grade.

REIGN: Nice…

REIGN: Would you consider yourself more power or more style? dancer or battle hungry?

MANGO: I would consider myself all of those. when i started getting better and people noticed, people called me a style head

MANGO: Well school bboys because of my top rock mainly, it separated me from the rest.

REIGN: Nice!

MANGO: So I see myself as a dancer and stylist in that since. And power, I’m finally all basic power, flares, mills, halo, crickets, etc.

MANGO: And battle hungry? MAN you don’t even know!

MANGO: Its like a dj spinning. If they don’t spin for like a week, they get hungry for it! And for me, i am battle hungry like no other!

REIGN: hell yeah!

MANGO: Especially hungry for out of state battles.

REIGN: No doubt…

MANGO: That’s one of my goals, to travel and battle.

MANGO: I’m going to Canada this Saturday to smoke fools!

REIGN: hah gett’um!

REIGN: So what crews/crew are you repping as of now?

MANGO: Right now my crew is me and my homie, just the two of us. Were called No Roots.

MANGO: The reason for that name is we didn’t start out know each other from school or since we were little but we feel that we know each other to feel to feel like that. Vibe off of each other.

MANGO: So like if it a tree, its a tree that’s healthy and green, just no roots, making it a unique tree. Some hippy stuff i know but its how it is! lol…

REIGN: Nice! I like it….

MANGO: Lol… and my other crew is Hamburgerlicious. Its Tim, Chips, Little brother, Brenden, and me.

MANGO: They put me on and were looking to do damage in the future!

REIGN: Word… yeah that sounds like a pretty solid crew!

MANGO: Ive been in a hand full of crews but those are what I’m in right now.

REIGN: So what do you have planned for the future right now as far as bboying goes?

MANGO: Well I’m kinda in the struggle you know? Just need a job and I will be straight. And I’m going to school at Bellevue college as of now.

MANGO: And as far as bboying, I wont ever stop! Since im gaining power right now i want to be really well rounded. Not just have tops, foot work and power down. But finesse, transitions, executions and personality.

MANGO: I just really want to separate myself from the crowd. I guess you can say be original! That sounds better! haha…

REIGN: I feel it! I’d have to say your doing it right! you started out with solid foundation and now you have room to grow massively! Foundation is key!

MANGO: Yeah dog! the Broomz helped me out a lot! Every time I go to Tacoma and practice with them, it reminds me what I’m actually doing.

MANGO: I get pulled away, distracted from what I actually want to be as a bboy.

MANGO: Being in Seattle and all, its different compared to the Broomz. The Broomz are really really unique! And they never cease to inspire me!

REIGN: Yeah the Broomz are one of the most solid crews I’ve ever met in person. there like family!

MANGO: Yeah seriously!

REIGN: Well it was good talking to you homie!

MANGO: haha… yeah dog!

REIGN: Keep bboying strong pimpin! late.

video of bboy mango in action!

INTERVIEW WITH OLYMPIA’S OWN DJ SLIMROCK!

click link below to go to slimrock’s website
(SLIMROCKS CONTACT AND MYSPACE)

So since i gave you guys a emcee interview, i thought “lets make this a on going thing! Lets do emcees, DJs, b-boys, and writers every week! So next up brings us to olyimpa’s cut master DJ Slimrock! lets go!

REIGN: so how long have you been spinning records?

SLIM: guess i started DJ’ing as a hobby in like, 97 and it turned into a job somewhere around 2000

SLIM: but i’ve been around records my whole life! my folks used to collect old jukeboxes!

REIGN: nice!

SLIM: i was always fascinated with ‘em! and there were always piles of junker 45′s and 78′s i got to mess with

REIGN: word.. what was so fascinating to you about the jukeboxes?

SLIM: alot of the old ones you could see the platter raise up and then the single record would be selected out of this big stack perfectly, i dunno, it seemed like pretty high tech stuff back then…

REIGN: yeah i feel it… that used to intregue me to! lol…

SLIM: all the shiny lights probably helped…

REIGN: hahaha…

REIGN: so what got you into hip hop?

SLIM: i blame yo! mtv raps!

REIGN: haha… whys that?

SLIM: i just saw it on the tv one day, and next thing i knew i was runnin home from the bus to catch the Ed Lover dance.

REIGN: lol.. yeah it was the shit back then…but yeah…

SLIM: well in like 3rd grade, i was seeing b-boys all over and it was all downhill from there, i got a boombox one year for christmas, and started boosting all the tapes i could get my hands on

SLIM: Run DMC, Beastie Boys, Jazzy Jeff etc.

SLIM: and it just sort of progressed from there, we moved around alot and I just kind of bugged out in my room alot listening to music and dancing.

REIGN: word… well what was your first set up?

SLIM: haha…some garbage-ass geminis, i think one was a belt drive

REIGN: hahaha my first set up was 2 gemini XL-400′s! both belt drivin! lol…

SLIM: and a radio shack mixer i found in a pawn shop…

REIGN: hahaha… me 2!!! crazy shit!

SLIM: haha… thats funny..gears definitely come a long way since…

REIGN: yeah it has!

REIGN: but yeah… so what crews have you/do you run with?

SLIM: Defcon Four, Seattle .. and these Crate Life geeks in Tacoma.

REIGN: hahahaha… yeah them crate life fuckers man! i wanna just… wanna just…. lol…

SLIM: nah, I need to get back up there and build with you guys more. I’m stoked on the momentum Fresh Blends has been building up, gettin sponsors and whatnot.

REIGN: yeah weve been puttin in mad work latley… Things are hella poppin off now! i LOVE all the support everyone has gave since the begining!

REIGN: but yeah… Defcon Four… how long have u ran with them, and whats up with you guys?

SLIM: I’d guess since around 99 or 2000, the crew is a bunch of guys that all kind of do our own thing… One’s strictly a club jock, one guy’s more into production, another’s a screen printer/visual artist,and another is a pro ebayer/record hustler, but we’re all record collectors and became friends through that.

SLIM: i had nothing to do with establishing the crew, i got put on after the fact.

REIGN: word.. sounds pretty fresh…

SLIM: really good guys to know if you’re looking for a particular piece of wax.

REIGN: word…so on a digger tip… you got ne thing to say to the toy diggers out there that still our gems to hold in there numark set up at there mammas house in the basement to collect dust?!

SLIM: yeah, I’ll see you at your garage sale when you quit.

REIGN: hahahahaha!!!!! hell yeah!!!

REIGN: so hows the olympia seen changed since back in the day?

SLIM: man…HipHOp is a weekly occurence here now, and I never thought I’d see it. there are cats from here getting recognition, touring, and there’s actually dope events going on in town now.

REIGN: nice! hella good to hear!

SLIM: it’s changed ALOT since we first started trying to build anything here, and I’d like to personally thank Compost and all the Homeland Security staff for making most of it happen.

REIGN: yeah theve been holdin it down hella latley! much props to them!

SLIM: those guys were bringing through alot of nationally touring acts I never thought I’d see in a town this size, much less having the opportunity to open for most of them.

SLIM: HipHOp is alive and well here nowadays, it’s good to see the younger guys like Puget stepping up and getting some shine.

REIGN: yeah Pudgets dope.. and a hella cool cat…

SLIM: yeah, he’s definitely on the top of my up-and-coming list at the moment out here. talented, and good people

SLIM: whereas 10 years ago we’d have to beg and plead to do a weekly in the back of some metal bar that reeked of piss

REIGN: yeah i remeber going to he weeklys behind the voyer back in the day…

REIGN: whats your plans for the future as of now?any projects your working on? any free download links where cats can listen to you?

SLIM:good question.. I’d say to hopefully keep busy doing it. I’m planning on getting back on the radio soon out here, getting another mixtape out by summer, and making these cdj jokers step their game up out here.

SLIM: got nada online at the moment, if i can resurrect a hard-drive there will be soon, i’m working on the myspace artist page and all that… trying to get more into production and put up some original works rather than just blends and mixes and shit.

REIGN: hahaha… word… well it was good talking to you pimpin… looking forward to your mixtape… peace

SLIM: always a pleasure, respect.

Interview with SAWCHOSIZ…

CLICK LINK TO PEEP SAW’S MYSPACE
www.myspace.com/sawchosiz

I took the time to get a quick interview with Tacoma’s own SAWCHOSIZ to see what hes been grinding on and tell you guys a lil bit about his story. So….. here it is!

REIGN: what got you into hip hop?

SAW: I wanted to impress girls and I figured if I become a huge hip hop star I can have orgies with lots of women

REIGN: haha… word…

REIGN: well how did you get the name sawchosiz?

SAW: i wanted to have something no one else would have… i came up with it in junior high and stuck with it

SAW: even though its not a real word im gonna make it a real word

REIGN: lol… so you used to be in a group called “ill mannerd” right? whats up with that?

SAW: ILL Mannerd is stil ILL Mannerd and were still gonna have music coming out

SAW: right now the focus of ILL Mannerd is Amaculan producing albums for me and Jay Barz

REIGN: Nice!

REIGN: im stoked to hear mac’s new beats!

SAW: you and me both

REIGN: i remeber you used to live off of selling burnd versions of your albums on if i could say ne of the dopest tacoma music hustles” ive ever really seen! hows this going now?

SAW: I still do it.. i still go to a gas station or 711 from time to time to get the music out nowadays i get out to different cities more often alotta the smaller towns appreciate local underground alot more

SAW: i dont have to do it the old way as much because i normally sell at shows… but i still do it

REIGN: good… dont ever get rid of that hustle!

REIGN: so whats up with the whole juggalo thing? whats going on with that?

SAW: as far as?

REIGN: how it started.. if your still rollin with them.. whats your roll in it.. etc..

SAW: Ever since I first started grindin my music hand to hand back in 2002 I would run into alotta Juggalos and get alotta love from that crowd and at that time I didn’t even know what it was but Juggalos have always really dug my music since way back thats my main audience so i jus dove deeper into it I got my own thing goin on within the Juggalo world called The Carnevil and Juggalos in that call themselves Carnies

REIGN: hahaha… nice… i see where it fits… its pretty clever…

REIGN: well whats your plans for the future right now?

SAW: well I got at least 3 different mixtapes im gonna have online for free download thru out this year and i’ll be traveling alot more

SAW: jus wanna create a strong enough following that when I do come out with an album it won’t be so local or regional and in this day n age you gotta really stand out and get your name out there to stand out from the billion people that make hip hop

REIGN: nice…i feel it…

REIGN: well before we dip, you got a link to any FREE DOWNLOADS people cant get?

SAW: Yah you can download both Kal EL mixtapes on Datpiff.com jus search Sawchosiz and it’ll pop up also if you type in Extremely fast rapper on youtube I come up I jus found out about that

REIGN: hahaha… word! well thanks for the time pimpin! wish u luck and keep grindin! peace….

SAW: 4 shizzler

SAW: Im coming out with the Fuck DJ reign shirts too put that in there lol

REIGN: hahaha hell yeah! shoot me one of them bitches! late…

SAW: peace…

FREE SAWCHOSIZ MIXTAPESclick to download