MEETTHADEALER EXCLUSIVES

You have a really generic name when it comes to rapping. What’s the story on getting the name HAM?



My full name is Michael Antonio Hamilton. They used to call my dad Ham-Bone, because that’s his last name too. They initially used to call me Hammer. It was like a hood joke. They just shortened it up and called it Ham. We already got an MC Hammer, so they just called me Ham. 



When did you realize you wanted to be a rapper and do you remember your first rhyme?



I’d say when I was about nine years old, I got a cassette tape of Scarface’s The Diary, and I was listening to that, like man, this is what I want to do. I want to be a rapper, when everyone saying they wanted to be firemen and what not. I used to tell everyone I wanted to be a rapper. 

My first rhyme was a song called “Wild Side.” The chorus was just, “wild side, wild side, you gotta take it easy on the wild side.” I was 11 years old at my uncle’s house. He was a DJ, and I told him I wanted to make a song. It was over Michael Jackson’s “Rock With You.” I had that on the hook. 



There’s a quote I found. You had said, “even though I’m a hustler from the hood my music is different. I’m not doing things how other rappers from Orlando might do it.” Can you explain how your music is different from the other hustlers in the game? 



Everybody is talking about bricks, cars and robbing, you know what I’m saying? It’s just basically the same sounds. Like I was telling Seneca, my music is like the street-est backpack type music. It’s gonna reflect that I’m a hustler. I put in work out here. This is real music, real good music. I want it to be authentic. Anytime someone listens to me, I want them to know that it’s not all the same subjects, not about street stuff all the time. They’re gonna get real life situations too. 



What made you go into the life of being a hustler and looking back, do you feel you made a good decision?



It’s things out here that I learned that I couldn’t learn in school. It’s some things I would change. I just had my reasons for doing what I did. My Mom had four kids and I was the oldest. There were things that I wanted and needed sometimes that I couldn’t have because I was the oldest. I had to do everything myself. 



Talk a little bit about your recent release, Arm & Ham 1.5. (more…)

-Background Info: Name. Age. Hometown. School or Work? Your role in the music industry. What are you about?

I’m 22 & I’m from Newark, NJ. I graduated from Malcolm X Shabazz in 2007 my role in music is the art of hip hop & I’m solely about speaking what I’ve been threw & what’s around me.

-Explain the title of your latest project “In The Land Of Korruption.”

A while back I’ve created the term “Korruption” which is the act of someone controlling something that isn’t originally theirs, can be anything. As time went by my peers caught on to term & lead me to title the mixtape “In The Land Of Korruption” basically saying that where I’m from is “Korrupted”. In the video “Welcome 2 Da Jungle” it shows a girl entering “Da Jungle”(where I was raised) & it looked as though I was gonna harm her because me & my team were wearing ski mask, but at the end of the video she was “korrupted” & in a result was wearing a mask as well. That was the visual of how it can look to be “Korrupted” in the land of korruption.

-How long did it take you to put “In The Land Of Korruption” together? Any setbacks?

It actually only took me 1 month to put together “In The Land Of Korruption” with the exception of 6 songs, “Leo Life” “Leo I Am” “True Lies” “Text Me In Da A.M” “Living Room” & “Welcome 2 Da Jungle”. Originally Leo Life, Leo I Am, True Lies, & Text Me In Da A.M were suppose to appear on an all original mixtape of mines titled “August Rush” expected on August 20th, 2011(my birthday) but I had my son on August 10th, 2011 so all my focus was on making sure he was healthy. I recorded & released “Living Room” on father’s day to help promote my mixtape “iLive Dat Jungle Life” which was released on May 20th, 2011. As for “Welcome 2 Da Jungle” I recorded that a week after the release of my video “Arguments”. I truthfully wrote that song cause it was suggested to me by my label mate Nimi Hendrix of Secret Society.

-Can you sing at all? If so, why don’t you sing more?

Strange you asked that cause I actually can sing but my voice isn’t strong enough in my opinion to actually sing on a song. I’d be good for back up vocals but as far as being a main voice, not likely to happen

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What’s the story behind choosing the name Cals?
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“I been going by the name Cals since I was 14. My cousin gave me the name. My real name is Kyle, and somehow they just came up with Cals. It just stuck with me.” 



You have a new single with YG, Bobby Brackins and Ethan Avery called “Something About Your Body.” How’d you link up with YG and Bobby?
-“

I linked up with them through radio stuff. Just doing promo for them. After a while, it was like, “lets do a record.” We got in the studio, and I actually did a couple of records with each of them.”



Another artist you worked with was N.O.R.E. on “Drinking & Smoking.” What was it like working with a legend like Noreaga?


-“N.O.R.E. is one of my best friends. I have a few tracks with him. I went on tour with him earlier this year to Europe. At the end of this month, I’m going with him out to Russia. So, I’m around him all the time, man. It’s great being around a seasoned veteran that knows his way around the game. He’s taught me a lot from learning how to perform to learning how to do interviews.”
 

With your songs, a lot of them have a really nice mainstream appeal to them. Songs that would top charts and what not. What made you go this route with your music?
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“Well, my music started with more street and gangsta rap. After a while of doing that, I just got tired with it. I could do that all day, but I wasn’t really getting anywhere with it. I started being more realistic with it and made music that’s for everybody. I make a lot of feel good music.”



A lot of artists can have a hit that does well and end up falling off. Is this something you fear and how, in your mind, do you plan to make sure it doesn’t happen?
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I think with a lot of artists they don’t have that drive, like they don’t want it that much. Artists come up with a hit single, it blows and they don’t know what to do. They fall off. With me, I’ve been paralyzed before, I couldn’t move, all I had was music to get me through that. When I got out of that, I just stuck with my music. I don’t make one hit and try to put it out. I make album after album, mixtape after mixtape and just stack my music up. I got a lot of crazy hits that are top quality music.”



At this point, what’s been the best moment of your career?


-“I’ve had a few moments. When the radio stations out in Cali played my music. When I shot my first video with N.O.R.E., that was the first video I had shot with a big artist. And you know, being on tour and going on the road to different countries, like Italy and Paris. It’s so great, I loved every second of it.” 



To finish up, what are you currently working on?
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”I just dropped Still Standing three months ago, which was my first solo album. Since then, I finished up my second album, Paper Trail Gang. That’s me and I have my two in-house producers as well as my artists Ethan Avery and D-Truth. It’s my album but I have them on it a lot. I got features from YG, Mann, Bobby Brackins, N.O.R.E., French Montana and Grafh. I got every type of song on there. Love songs, gangsta songs, everything. We’ll probably going to drop it beginning of the year.”

Vita made an appearance at S.O.B.’s in Manhattan yesterday. It appears that she’s picking her career back up, and looking to make a comeback. Good look on the footage Mazi O. Thoughts?

@realTRADEMARKK

Click here for a Throwback Video of Vita

Chillin’ Wit Sean from Meet Tha Dealer on Vimeo.

Punch caught up with Big Sean earlier this year and got a pool session in with the Detroit MC, and spoke on the crime in Detroit amongst other things. Don’t forget Finally Famous on sale June 28. Trademarkk approved.

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MeetThaDealer had the chance to chop it up with Catfish Billy aka Yealwolf at the recent annual Roots Picnic in Philly about growing as a songwriter, tattoos, drinking and touring along with a few other topics. Apologies for the low volume, you may want to get the headphones out for this one but it should be worth your while. Can’t wait for Yela’s debut album,Radioactive, which is reportedly close to finished.

- Middz

I will like to dedicate this post to Lebron “King” James. I mean he did take his talents to South Beach rather than the “Big Apple” so I believe this blog is over a year in the making. I will also update this post throughout the day so ENJOY! For more slander of the biggest flop of the 2011 season click here.

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