SPOTLIGHT:BREED

Breed
The Boy Hollywood

CHAMP: Without further ado we got the boy Breed on the phone what’s poppin’ with you?

Breed: Just getting out the studio and heading back home you know what I mean to some piece and tranquility. It got a little hectic today in the studio but it’s all good.

CHAMP: I wanna actually get the origin of the name Breed, why you chose that name, and what’s the meaning behind it?

Breed: Well um, I was actually given that name from my cousin who’s a producer. This is way back. My flow at that time was a little bit unorthodox so he was like wow yo you ill you ill and that was the slang at that time and then he was like yo you a ill breed and it just clicked. So I actually was running with Ill Breed for a while. As a matter of fact my first record that I had out was actually on that D & D project compilation.

CHAMP: From Arista records

Breed: Yeeaah exactly and the first track that I had on that album was called Act Up produced by the Beatminerz. That’s where I was first listed as Ill Breed on my first commercial record. I just went in with it and then later on I dropped the Ill and just kept it Breed.

CHAMP: Like you mentioned before you were on the D&D project and you use to be on D & D before it folded. Now how did you hook up with D & D and how did the whole falling out affect you career-wise?

Breed: Well I hooked up with them through my manager at that time Steve Oakland, who was very good friends with Preemo (Dr Premier) from GangStarr and so at the time I had given him my project and demo album ready to shop to labels at that time and Preemo use to come by the house and I use to see him a lot and Preemo as you all know was kinda like one of the forefathers of recording at D & D. He was probably one of the first clients, so he suggested to the manager that I definitely should come down and that he should submit my stuff to D&D who at that time was starting there on production called D & D production and the rest is history. They liked what they heard and I linked up with them.

CHAMP: Now once that happened you recorded a track for Jive records and then with that it actually launched you where you were given the opportunity to tour overseas. How was the whole transition being from Bk and now you’re overseas doing your thing performing and doing shows?

Breed: Oh man it was incredible I mean being from the birthplace of hiphop they show us a tremendous amount of love and it’s really authentic out there. There’s no politics involved and they don’t care if you don’t have a fifty thousand dollar chain on  or a twenty thousand dollar watch. They care less about the exterior part of an artist. You have to be true to your art form and forget all that. A lot of artist in New York in particular are into more of the showy part of it all rather than the art form. Overseas they really grasp the artist from within.

CHAMP: They’re more concerned with the art rather than the face and more into the deeper meaning within I guess

Breed: Exactly, and that’s the way it was especially with KRS One especially when he first came out and now, he was never a showy rapper. I’ve had the pleasure of being around him a lot of times and I’ve never seen him with these diamonds and not to say that there’s anything wrong with it, but a lot of people use that to camouflage their talent. They’re really talentless and to kinda stand out they have to have other means to stand out, but people like Krs One, you seen him on the old album covers it was nothing like that and his talent spoke for himself. That was it and I come from that generation and that era where talent means everything to me and everything else is secondary.

CHAMP: You were mentioning the era, which of course is the 90’s and from what I gathered your main goal and ambition is to actually get the 90’s feel back to the game which is missing nowadays.

Breed: Yeah and I’ve been told it’s a very unique thing I’m doing now especially when you get the rest of the album you can’t base it on the one single that I have out now, but listening to the whole album really touched both oracles and the feeling that you get from the 90’s and it’s real authentic hip hop and at the same time keeping up with what’s going on right now. It’s kind of like two sides of the coin, which is not even something that I do intentionally it’s just what I am and it comes out and people are starting to really show their love and support for me so it’s a beautiful thing.

CHAMP: We’re in an era where the game is moving around the place. It’s from the east now it’s chillin in the south and even nowadays its chillin in Florida. To bring the East Coast music back, how difficult do you think it’s going to be for you to do that or help, or contribute o bringing the east coast rap music back when a lot of focus is down south these days?

Breed: You mentioned a key point, which was contribute.  I would never be egotistical to say that I’m gonna be the only artist but I’m trying to get the domino effect going. I’m trying to get other artist like myself on the east coast to kind of like build this unified force where we all can do it. One group which I love is what G-Unit  is doing nowadays and I love Fat Joe and Red Café and people like that who are still giving us that authentic east coast New York rap. Sheek and The Lox too. There’s artist out there, the only thing is we have to stick together and that’s the only thing that we have against us because they stick together and we don’t. That has always been a problem for New York in particular…always. The west coast they stick together probably more before than now. The south, they’ve always stuck together, overseas, and where you’re at I know of just a few Canadian artists, but for the most part you’ve always dealt with one another, but New York is he bottom of the totem pole and it’s a shame but if we all come together we can have the power that we had before.

CHAMP: Going back to yourself you’re on Selym Records?

Breed: Selym (Sell Em) Records. It’s my last name spelt backwards. My government last name is Myles and when I was flipping it backwards it was a company name that I was incorporating and I flipped it and it said Selym and I said oh this is too good to be true. It’s almost like “sell them records” you know what I mean so I said this is perfect. So I an with that and I doubt if I hear anybody else out there with that record company name.

CHAMP: You got your own record company and are there any other artists on that label or is it just you doing your thing right now and getting your way up there first?

Breed: A lot of people approach me but it takes so much especially for an independent artist like myself and just mind you this is also by choice. I can get out there and get a deal but I wouldn’t say that at this point that it’ll be the best of deals, but I can definitely get out there and I know enough people to get out there but this is by choice. I’m looking at the future and I wanna be a Sean Combs, I wanna be a Shawn Carter, so I wanna own my situation and wanna own myself so that’s why this was chosen. It’s a rougher course to take but I’m a fighter and I go through it , but once I go through it’ll be all worth it.

CHAMP: Even Skyzoo was hear last night and he was saying the same thing and he’s trying to do the same thing what you’re doing and it’s funny because you guys are both from Bk.

Breed: Exactly, and I don’t have any artist on the artist right now because it take a lot of focus to achieve that and at this point the focus is on me right now.

CHAMP:And you got the track out called “Take A Picture”. What was the message behind that, that you’re trying to get people to grasp on when listening to that track?

Breed: Well it’s a two way message. One as you can hear is a tribute to the females all around. When us dudes see a beautiful women, sometimes we wanna capture that metaphorically and realistically…you look so good you make me wanna take a picture so that was the thing behind that and women are appreciated because they know they have that power and they know that they make us want to do that and men appreciate it just because they know what I’m speaking is the truth. Who can deny that? If you into women you can’t deny it, if you’re a real male. Produced by Beatoven and he produced all my tracks. I don’t use anybody else as far as producing and not to say that I never wont but right now he’s it.

CHAMP: And he’s name was Beat Chosen?

Breed: The Beatoven

CHAMP: Oh ok like Beethoven

Breed: Yeah. One day we was at the studio and he was on some keyboards on the piano and the beat was just sick and I said forget calling yourself Beethoven you like the Beatoven and it was it from there. Incredible incredible producer.You’ll be hearing from him a lot in the coming months and years.

CHAMP:Definitely gotta look out for him. You prepping for another tour in Europe once again

Breed: Yeah once again. I got some promoters out there setting up some shows for July and August so I’m supposed to touch down in London. The last time we did primarily France and Germany and Austria and Switzerland the last time around but this time were supposed to be at London, England and even I think Romania so it’s suppose to be a nice lil ride.

CHAMP: When can we expect you in Toronto?

Breed: In Toronto, man when I’m invited!When I’m invited man I’m there. As a matter of fact I’ve never been to Canada and it’s a shame because it seems like I’m the last person on earth that has never been to Canada and everybody I’ve ever spoken to has been there and has said it’s a beautiful beautiful place and I definitely whether it be business or recreational I will be out there guaranteed this summer some time at some point, but I would love to do some shows out there.

CHAMP: Now you also got a fashion company which I didn’t get a real grasp around but are you working with a fashion company or is it a joint venture?

Breed: Yeah I’m tryina actually it’s not really finalized so I don’t wanna speak too much on it but I’m tryina collaborate and I’m in talks with clothing company called Fresh Jive and they make some clothing and we even did a test in some Breed clothing and some new era hats, and some tees, so we’re tryina lock that down and hopefully that’ll pan out sometime soon. We’ve been around the block for a minute and we just waiting for all the fruits of our labor and we’ve ran with different clicks of people, some known some unknown, like Kool G Rap we ran with him for a while and things didn’t work out with that situation too well, but I also have a brother that raps Glory Wars and he actually stayed with the situation where I left but they actually released an album called The Click of Respect album which I was supposed to be on but it just wasn’t the right situation at the time and I had to step away from it.

CHAMP: I was about to say Kool G gave you the invite to come on the album and  you declined.

Breed: Yeah, his wife is actually family and we were on the shoot for the My Life video and that’s where we first met and we started kicking it with him and hanging out at the crib and everything and he like what he heard and wanted us to be part of the situation so not everything works out but there’s no beef no nothing and he’s still on my list of some of the greatest rappers in the game.

CHAMP: You gotta be working on something right now. I know you’re in the studio and what else can we expect from you project-wise, career-wise, and business-wise?

Breed: Well I’m the type of dude that put my hand in anything that makes sense and that’s what I do and I actually manage my daughters career. I got a 7 and 13 year old daughter but my 7 year old daughter is in the acting business you know so I actually manage her career. She’s been in some commercials and films and I’m starting a management company as far as that’s concerned as far as managing talent and I actually do that myself. I’m part of the acting thing and tryina get my feet wet and I’ve done some commercials so far and music videos and stuff like that and I also try to do a little bit of the real estate right now so I got my hands in everything. I’m working on a mixtape that’s what I’m in the studio now doing called The Biddin War Vol.1 and there’s also gonna be The Bidding War the album and you can check out some sneak peaks at myspace.com/selymrecords and get some sneak peaks of The Bidding War mixtape.