Bullet is an extremely talented artist that we recommend fans tune into. We are really glad to have put this interview together for the fans. Make sure you check out the array of fine hip hop releases. Don’t Sleep!
Q. First off where are you from?
Originally I was born in the Midwest, Des Moines, Iowa and was raised in Bellevue & Kirkland, Washington which is about 5 minutes East of Seattle. For Canadians it is about 3 hours south of Vancouver, BC.
Q. What inspired you to become a hip hop artist?
Ever since I was a kid I loved music and that didn’t always mean rap. In the beginning I was about 8 years old when I bought my first 45. It was “Cool It Now” from New Edition. I remember pretending to do concerts in front of my mom singing when I was real young. Before I was 13 I had a collection of at least 50 tapes. I didn’t do anything without listening to music but it wasn’t about wanting to do music, I was just having fun and being a fan. I was more into baseball and Martial Arts but as I got older my tape collection grew and then transformed to CD’s. Once rappers from Washington State (Sir Mix A Lot, Kid Sensation, Criminal Nation, E-Dawg & Funk Daddy) & Iowa (Kory D) started establishing themselves my desire to make a record increased. In the end it took until I was 22 years old before I pursued that dream but it has always been my love for music that created Bullet the artist.
Q. Where does the name Bullet come from, and, or what’s the science behind it?
When I was young I was always quick. In baseball I would steal all the time, in football I was a receiver because of my speed. In high school I ran track until being kicked out of school. When I went through a bad stage in my life I spent a lot of time running from police. The story is simple if I was running and it doesn’t matter why I was running, people couldn’t catch me. The only person that ever managed to catch me was me, and I learned that through years of traveling. You can never run away from yourself but when you’re not happy as a person you will still attempt it. That’s why you got people addicted to drugs, alcohol, sex, food etc… Their not happy so there trying to out run themselves.
Q. How would you describe yourself?
Psychological. Most people do not have the tools to mentally prepare themselves for the day, let alone the challenges of life. My biggest obstacle is myself, so I keep making strides towards understanding my strength and weaknesses. For example a great coach does not need the best players, he just has to understand how to get the players to use the talent they have. I was never the best rapper, I taught myself to rap and just never stopped practicing. What I lacked in talent I made up for with hard work and hustle. Today I am running circles around people in the business world because I’m mentally prepared. For example you have artists and then you have businessmen. The reason that I have been able to accomplish what I have is because my business is right. One of the things I have always thought was funny was the artist’s out there who think we need them, while assuming they don’t need us. I have had several who at one time were under my label who acted like little kids, they are the reason I have no desire to run my own label anymore. My point is for whatever reason they refuse to comply with the requests of the label or elect to leave. In the end they always want to come back, or they move on and in almost every case they’ve done less without us than they did with us. They thought leaving would hurt the label but in every case it just made us stronger while they hurt themselves. As people they lack the maturity, which makes them selfish people. The end result leaves a team with a player that is playing for stats and not for the greater good of the team. As a person I’ve spent years trying to better myself as a person so I wouldn’t beat myself and as a coach I’ve learned having super talented rappers didn’t make us a winning team but A group of people working toward one goal can.
Q. How would you describe your music? What Style do you drop?
I’ve been blessed to release albums for several years and I’ve grown from a young man into man during the process. My growth as an artist comes from experience, which is a reflection of me as me as a person. Today my music is a lot more mature, you have a more universal form of rap blended with a lot of R&B. As a fan, I love melody and in the last year I’ve had several fans tell me that my music is more melodic than it is rap. I would say I am definitely a West Coast Rapper I’m just not into subjects about being a gangsta, smoking weed, and fucking women. To me that element of rap needs to be retired. I’ll never get to a point where I wouldn’t cuss on record but I am more selective about when to do it. It’s not a conscience thing persay, it is more about expanding vocabulary and being more creative. Rappers today seem redundant and recycled. Hip-Hop lacks creative song concepts and old school story telling greats like Slick Rick.
Q. What would you like to show the world through your music?
I want people to know who I really am. The fact that I am here today making music is a blessing. I would like to see the young people find hope and dreams within themselves. I make music because I love doing it, and I want people to listen because they love to hear it but it would be great to reach or touch a few people along the way.
Q. Is there any personal quote or lyric you have or live by?
Dedication & Desire is probably still the quote I live by personally.
Q. Tell us about Sick Lake Records. What makes the label so hot!
I think the thing that makes them so dangerous is that they are the sleeper. Nobody really knows what to expect. In the Northwest most people aren’t familiar with them yet and in Utah adding me to the roster and bringing my entire catalog with it people there don’t know what to expect but know it will be big. Before Bullet they ran Utah in the underground rap scene, but by adding me they are now being introduced to not only the Northwest or western United States they are also making steps into international markets. Right now everything is about selling the records we have and releasing the music we’ve made. In November 2005 we will start making music as Bullet & Sick Lake Records being a team. Right now we are working together on advertising, press, and distribution. I’m working to make them a bigger force in my markets and there working to make me a bigger force in there’s. From there joint projects have a platform to stand on.
Q. What makes Small Town Livin’ Big City Game: Special Edition such a tight release? Why do fans need to purchase this album!
The music. Like all of my releases I went back and resurrected the first 4 original Bullet albums by adding new songs, removing songs and adding a new cover. In order Can I Go? Was the first, We Getz Perved was the second, Smalltown Livin Big City Game was the third, and North Coast Rain was the last. The first 3 were released in 2004 and North Coast Rain was released this year. As a person the Smalltown Livin record was my transition album so contained more of the West Coast street vibe but also boasted the newer commercial aspect of my new records. It’s the perfect album to start with. If you like the more raw street songs on the record then check out my earlier records like We Getz Perved, and if you like the more Universal songs then check out When The Rain Falls and North Coast Rain.
Q. Tell us about some of the other recent releases fans can check out.
When The Rain Falls is my most popular album so I would have to say this would be a great place to start. This year we are releasing several new projects including Bullet Presents – Texas T, Bullet – Before The Reign, Bullet Presents Khevlar, Bullet Presents On One, Sick Lake Clique – The Invasion and North Coast Rain 2005.
Q. Why should people listen to your music?
It’s more addicting than drugs without the side effects (If your somebody who loves good music). We sell every drug to cater to the addiction of each individual addict (We cater to fans of Rap, Hip-Hop, R&B, Latin Rap, West Coast, Lyricism, even a little Horror Core). If your not happy with the product will you give you another drug to shut you up (Return the CD and will give another release to try). If you decide you don’t like being an addict treatment is free (If the music makes you do bad things then stop buying it).
Q. Tell us about some of your latest collaboration efforts. What other artists do you like working with?
I have worked with a lot of different artists and producers. Honestly I like working with singers much more than rappers, so I’d have to lean toward Dante Thomas, Arjay, Jazz, and Tiffany Wilson for now. Producer wise, Big Ice & Oral Bee from Oslo, Norway and Seattle Legend Funk Daddy are my favorites by far. Their good people and easy to work with, that’s why they’ve produced my best songs. With them it is about making good music without the politics.
Q. Tell us about some of your label mates. Who else should your fans tune into?
Sick Lake Records is home to King Cevil, Mista Locc, Mz. Malicious and Bullet, that is the frontline. Then you have all of my Bullet Presents artists like Juice, Texas T, Khevlar, On One, Yuns, J-Trey, and Kay Kay all of which are under Eastside Muzik Distribution. Then you have specific albums under Eastside Muzik Distribution that aren’t affiliated with Sick Lake Records or Bullet Presents. For example, Horny Boys, 3rd Eye, D. Boyd, Expression, Smoke/FTS, Ready Starr, J-Rod & Big Wilson and a few others. Last but not least you have the next list of artists under Bullet Presents that will be available next year including No One Else & Adjacent as well as new albums from some of the current Bullet present artists. In a nutshell that is about it but I probably forgot something. If I did my bad…
Q. Where can fans read, and find out more information on you, and your music?
www.BulletMuzik.com, which is my website but also has a forum, and information on the rest of the label as well as my distribution company Eastside Muzik Inc. We have a fan club, and have huge photo galleries for the artists as well as the fans. This is really the place to be if you want to educate yourself on our movement.
www.Cdbaby.com/group/bulletmuzik, which is my direct link to cdbaby.com a site where you can purchase all of our CD’s including our affiliates releases.
www.rapbay.com, currently sells all of our releases, as well as our vinyl. In the next few weeks they will start selling all of the other titles we distribute through Eastside Muzik Inc. You will also be able to purchase bullet merchandise shortly, which will include t-shirts, posters and autographed 8 x 10 pictures.
Q. Have any shout outs or any other comments you would like to make?
Yep we got 2 new company vans fully wrapped, a 6 man sales team including Bullet Management himself, over 15 different albums we plan on pushing, a banner ad campaign, a magazine ad campaign, distribution (USA & Japan), my first international release in Japan with G-House Records and Cisco/Japan titled “International Reign”, my first France collaboration with French rapper Moni (pronounced Money), up coming interviews in Germany, Malaysia, Japan, Australia and as you see this is my first one in Canada. We are trying to finish more but time is becoming a major commodity that I don’t have enough of. Our new site www.BulletMuzik.com will go live in the next week or so with all the updates. You can go there to read about all of the other things we got going on.
Big ups to HipHopHotSpot.com and rap fans throughout Canada and worldwide. If you’re in the western United States we will be in a city near you real soon, you can’t miss us. Be sure to check out all of the new albums on Sick Lake Records, Bullet Presents and Eastside Muzik Distribution.
Extra special thanks to god, Reigna J. has been a blessing and is forever my queen. I wish I could’ve understood the importance of family along time ago.
