If you have been messin' with my spot you have seen numerous posts involving Team Afficial and the 'Zillion Dollar Boss' Geolani Grandz. Geolani was nice enough to take time out of his busy schedule to do an interview with BBB, peep what the Zillion Dollar Boss has to say folks! Team Afficial what's good?!?
For those who have been living under a rock please tell the BBB viewers who you are, what you do and who your reppin.
I am an artist as well as CEO of one of the hottest all around movements in the game right now called Team AFFicial.
People on the outside looking in sometimes seem to believe the entertainment industry is nothing but fun and good times, but obviously there's a lot of hardships, discuss some of the obstacles you had to overcome to get you and your team to where it's at today.
Obstacles are going to be placed in front of you with whatever you do, not just music. When i first started Team Afficial I put everybody and anybody down. So i had people i never met and people i did not know if i could trust down with my movement. Not everybody is built like you want them to be, alot of shady dudes had to be cut from what we were trying to build because they were just using the stamp to boast and get on mixtapes and using what we built for a co-sign.
At first it was cool to have everybody rep what we created, but as time went on I realized that if we wanted to be taken serious, we would have to weed out the dead weight. It was a learning experience but we all go through it. At the end of the day I wish all them dudes the best of luck with whatever path they choose in life, no hard feelings.
When did you decide that you wanted to start up Team Afficial and become a rapper?
I use to run with my brother Main One who was signed to Select Records (1995) and I learned al ot from being around him. I also grew up with Styles P, Dj Shok (Ruff Ryder producer), & P Killa Tracks (Ruff Ryders producer), so I been around music all my life and saw what each of them went through. I also managed D Block producer Liveson for almost three years where
I was able to meet and polly with a lot of people and get alot of connects. I always rapped but never took it serious. I use to be in a group with my dude Kastro (who does spanish rap now) and we use to record and perform but it more like we was doing it for fun and bitches (laughs).
When he decided to move to Puerto Rico, I started to experiment with doing the solo thing. It took me maybe two years to really get my sound, but when I did people let me know, and it was time to take the game serious. With struggling and trying to get noticed with my team (Montega, Naim Brixx, Ransom Rellic, & Symantyx), on April 22nd (my birthday) of 2005, me and Montega was fed up with this whole rap shit. We were talking, and I was telling him that a lot of people are contacting me to manage them (artists, deejays, and producers). We came up with the plan to just make a movement and put everybody down and push push push the name "Team AFFicial". Shout out to all the Team Afficial deejays, they are doing their thing heavy right now.
In your career so far what has been the greatest moment and what has been the worst moment?
I think the greatest moment was being nominated as "Best Underground Artist On A Mixtape" at the 2008 Justo Awards & also accepting "Rookie of The Year" award for my deejay Dub Floyd. The worst moment was the death of one of my friend and Team Afficial member Dj Wits last year.
Do you think hip hop is dead and if so who killed it?
I don't think hip hop is dead at all, i just think with new artist you have new music. You choose what you listen to and choose what you don't want to listen to. There are many talented artist that get overlooked. I think the labels are shook and they are scared to roll the dice and put money up like they use to. Ringtones and digital deals play a big part in the recession, but like anything new it takes time to figure it out. It will all pan out when it gets rolling.
Where do you think Team Afficial will be in 5 years?
I honestly cannot say right now. Everybody has a vision of what they want, but the reality of it is, you have over a million other people doing the same thing. I am hoping with the buzz that has been made and what we continue to do will put us in a position where we can do whatever we want to do. Get a big distribution deal or a heavy investor behind us, with that I can guarantee success. I put that on everything I love.
How did it feel when you found out you were nominated for a Justo Award?
Like I said it was definitely a feel good situation. There are a million artists doing their thing and for them to pick me as one of the nominees and noticing good music and grind, it was definitely humbling.
The digital era has crept upon the industry making album sales drop dramatically and forcing record labels to completely rethink their way of doing things, what measurements have you taken to make the digital era of music your friend instead of your enemy?
My dude St. Laz put me up on to the net game. I took what he showed me and ran with it, we were two of the few artist that got our net game on heavy before the recession. You can say we have a foot in, i don't think labels have any idea how the net works. Their are ways to do business with sites and blogs and digital labels, but I charge for that info (laughs). The net grind is like the street grind but instead of you reaching a hundred people in a couple hours in the streets, you can reach 10,000 people with one email blast in five minutes. If you balance your street grind with the net grind it will be only a matter of time that you will be noticed.
If you could describe your most critically acclaimed project yet, 'Zillion Dollar Boss' in a few words how would you go about it?
Hard work ethic, my life lyrics, anthems, serious features, and top notch production = street certified album.
I have to ask everyone I interview this question because its a very serious issue at hand, who do you want to win the presidential election and why? How do you feel about the current state of economy and how the Bush administration has handled things the passed two terms in office?
I will keep it real, I don't follow the election like I should, but of course i am going for Obama. I think he will change things for the better, meaning the lower class and middle class will be able to live without struggling so much. George Bush is the devil, every decision he has made has harmed our people more than helped. I don't even want to get into the whole 9-11 and War situation.
What can the Geolani Grandz and Team Afficial fans expect from you and your crew within the coming months?
Catch me performing at The Million Dj March August 30th 2008. Big Skeem just dropped his street album "Certified'', look out for Lady Lyric's EP "Picture That" & street album "She's A Boss", Montega "Sunscreen Needed" (The Freestyle Chronicles), Hood Fella "Astonishing Depression" (street album). We also got a new Team Afficial Compilation in the works. Oh yea I cannot forget the Boss Gang project "AFFicially Mobbin" (Geolani Grandz & Wiz Hoffa) .... Boss Gang Bitch!!! Bob Kennedy "I Am Kennedy", and the rest of the team following suit .............
Any closing words for the BBB viewers?
Hard work and grind pays off, once you off the bench stay off the bench! Shout out to BBB for the interview, the whole Team Afficial Family, Team Afficial Deejays, Team Afficial Artists, Team Afficial Producers, every deejay ... site .... blog ... that supports what we do. My dude Sermon, Mr X, Rapmullet.com .......... & everybody else that repects my business, music, and grind.
Get on that Team Afficial wave people! Checkout Geolani's sites below!!! Team Afficial [Young Jeezy]Let's Get It![/Young Jeezy]
BBB@BFochs.com
lets get it!!! keep it up homie
ReplyDeletegood shyt b and geo, keep it going
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