Music Exclusive Interview: PROF
By Isaac Davis Jr., MBA
Da Derty South is alive and kickin hard these days. Jacksonville, Florida (904) has a new Rap Legend who goes by the name of Prof. Check out this ultra cool interview with Prof who gives JC Internet Radio the 411 on living and rapping in DUVAL County.
Interview with JCInternetRadio
Isaac: Elaborate on who you are and your upbringing.
Prof: **** (laughin), I’m from the country nah mean born and bread in back road country a city called Galax in Southern Virginia. G-Town aint have but bout 5, 6 thousand people. It was the kinda spot where you could ride thru the whole thing in bout 10 minutes I mean we had a Wal-Mart and a tiny ass movie theater and that’s it. So they wasn’t nothing left to do ‘cept dope and gun play. The 50 aint have nothin to do up there neither so they used to pull us over **** 5,6 times a week pat downs search the ride the **** kinda became routine but I aint gonna front I caught a few charges from those mufa ****az. Big upz to the G-Town PD bitch ass mufa ****az don’t work to hard nah mean holla at me. I’ll loan yall some money or sometin. Since then I moved up to Cincinnati, Ohio where I hooked up with local artists Stephani, Insight, & T-Robb and really got **** on and poppin. We was trappin every day out the spot take a couple stacks a week easy. I had this busted ass mic ya know those old joints wit just the round almost foam tops get em in the store fa like 9 dollas (laughin). We couldn’t get in the studio and it wasn’t the 60 an hour the studio cost it was the 3,4 hundred dollas we was gonna lose fa bein in the studio instead of the trap. I love that city Cincinnati in ma heart but after 2 years I just packed my **** and bounced came down here to DUVAL ya nah mean love the weather love the peoples I mean this ma city. I hooked up wit local up and coming Production Company & artists the 904 Starz and we gettin it on and poppin nah mean. We doin this fa yall the 904 we puttin DuVaL on the map.
Isaac: Was there any one musician that spoke to your heart so profoundly, you were inspired to do your own thing?
Prof: I mean I grew up bumpin Pac out the headphones; DMC, Public Enemy, UGK, Snoop & Dre ,and I rode to it and I lived like it but it wasn’t them that made me decide to pursue this rap ****. That came from the streets the battles the cyphers. A skinny ass white kid gotta put in double the work to get the respect, nah mean, I used to walk up to cyphers and mufa ****as just laugh me off but after Id start spittin aint a mufa ****a in the spot bounce with out givin me dap.
Isaac: What Artist would you say you would most like to do a collab with?
Prof: I been in talks wit Bun B tryin get him on a track, been in talks wit Plies tryin get him on track so keep ya eyes and ears open fa more on that. But I’d really wanna get a joint wit Kymani Marley poppin. Ay Kymani if you readin this holla at a playa nah mean.
Isaac: Which Artist do you connect with most?
Prof: I wouldn’t say I connect with any artists as much as I do with their music. It aint matter who it is any artist any song if it’s got ma head bobbin I’ll ride with it nah mean.
Interview with JCInternetRadio Part 2
Isaac: Out of your entire song collection that you’ve written thus far, which song would you say is most meaningful to you?
Prof: That’s gotta be “In The DuVaL” ft ma boy Duval County’s own QB Smoove. It deal with what really go on in this city day to day nah mean from the corruption in local politics to all these mufa ****in cops killin innocent victims. If nobody gonna do nothing about it, we putting the city on blast. Check the statistics Duval County leads the county in police involved killings but everybody turnin a blind eye. Well this track ****, this album “In The DuVaL” is a wake up call not only to the powers that be in Duval but to America. Police brutality happenin everywhere across the country nah mean. When they stop shootin, we’ll leave our guns at home.
Isaac: Which artists do you enjoy from some of today’s music genres?
Prof: I got T.I.’s “KING” in the ride right now that’s a mufa ****in classic. Ya gotta have it if you repersentin the south. Ay Tip hold ya head up homie much love outcha way from the peoples down here in Duval. Holla at me.
Isaac: Have you (or would you ever consider) writing a song about any of today’s world issues? If so what issue would you speak to and write about?
Prof: Ya already know, OBAMA baby. I aint never had no faith in no politics—democrat, republican, **** all that. I aint believe in the system cuz the system never believed in me nah mean. But this cat Mr.President **** it’s a new day nah mean. He got me syked ya see Chicago the other night that **** was poppin. We all ready fa change and Barrack gonna take us there I believe that.
Isaac: Why should people listen to your music?
Prof: Why should people listen to ma music? Hmm uh cuz it’s Hot (laughin) nah fa real people should listen cuz it’s real, its whats happenin to you or it’s right outside ya window in every neighborhood in the country. They should listen cuz I aint a millionaire I aint just spittin words fa a million dollas I aint 50 I aint Kanye mufa ****az got so rich they lost touch wit the streets. But ****,
I do this fa 5$ a CD fa food money the same hustle the streets on. I am them, they are me and you cant get no realer than that.
Isaac: Your music is smooth, relaxing and chill at times. What inspired you to toss out these awesome flows/lyrics and tracks?
Prof: It goes both ways really I love the relax and chill music cuz I love to relax and chill nah mean. If they a party on the block, I’m that dude wit the Hennessey pourin and the blunts blazin. Hip Hop get such a bad name for all it’s negativity but all we doin bringin the truth to light. This the world’s negativity that they tryin to scrape under the rug nah mean. We puttin the 50 and politicians on blast for whats goes on behind the scenes in the streets that they aint want their supporters to know about. But even in a world gone to **** they’re still hope, they’z still life, so **** we might was well enjoy it nah mean.
Isaac: How far into the creation of a song do you share any of it with anyone? Who would your play it for? Would it be a chorus, a verse and a chorus, or a complete song?
Prof: Throughout the album they’re a whole lotta collabs hooks, verses, we do it all nah mean. These cats on the album ma fam cats I broke bread with so I got up most respect fa all yall good lookin much love.
Isaac: Do you have to be a tortured soul to be a rapper/singer/songwriter?
Prof: We all go thru the same ****. This world a ****ed up place and aint nothing bout life easy, but it’s what we got. We all see it thru different eyes different situations and how you interpret that is what makes a great songwriter.
Isaac: Are your songs strictly autobiographical or are they embroidered autobiography
Prof: I wanna say they world-biographical cuz this life aint just me. This life is you or ya neighbor or ya neighbors best friend and it goes on and on. My album is the truth of the streets that we all see and if you aint see it you turnin a blind eye.
Isaac: How long does it take you to process you emotions into songs?
Prof: It really just depends on that, the emotion. Sometimes I go in the booth no pad no pen and come out wit a a full track in 15-20 minutes. Other times might take days to say exactly what I wanna say exactly how I wanna say it nah mean.
Isaac: The best piece of advice you actually followed?
Prof: Fa real, I aint never been much for advice, **** most the time somebody tell me to do somethin I’d go and do the exact opposite. I feel like ya learn for ya own experiences but at the same time ya dig ya own grave. And when the chains clink and that cage closes you all alone so it is what it is.
Isaac: Any shoutouts you’d like to give?
Prof: Yea lemme give a shout out to ma boy Mike hold it down up there playa, ma boy Chevy, 904 Starz, Ez Geezus, Stephani, Chevy J, last but certainly not least T-Rizz good lookin out this last year I appreciate it fa real, and everybody else that showed me love along the way much love ya nah mean.
Isaac: Last but certainly not least, what are you working on, now?
Prof: We just gettin the word out nah mean the debut album “In The DUVAL” drops and will be available all over the internet in the U.S. and Canada. Performances are set fa all the local hot spots, we gettin this money. This album fa Duval, it may be Grit and Grind but that’s what this city is, that’s what hip hop is. We bringin the truth to the people whether they wanna hear it or not, it’s our time to shine nah mean. The album drops November 20th “In The DUVAL” Go out and cop that **** give ya some real HEAT to warm up ya winter. Ay and good look to JC Radio fa the interview thanks fa havin me. For more info on Prof or about copping the album go to www.myspace.com/prof904.
Prof
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