Obese From ItsAnotherOne.com Chops It Up With BFochs!

BFochs: What's good Obese? What's goin' down my man, what's crackin' in New Jersey?

Obese: Ah you know, I'm always on my grind Fochs. Just waitin' to see who's beefin' with who today. Either way, I'm sure 50's behind it.

BFochs: That's what it is, the grind doesn't ever end. 50 Cent=Sir Beefs A Lot. I'm pretty confident the e-streets and internets know who you are, but just in case they aren't in the know why don't you give them a little introduction.

Obese: Word. I'm just a 26 year old dude originally from Tampa, Florida now livin' in Jersey. I've been rappin' since '96 about the time B.I.G. died was when I picked up the mic, but a lot of heads don't even know Obese the rapper. I guess the cat is out of the bag now. I guess you could call me a rapper/blogger. I always put my music first, but as you know, if you wanna take this bloggin' game serious its a full time job. I'm just all about the music at the end of the day.

BFochs: I dig your passion and desire to positively contribute to the game through blogging and rapping. ItsAnotherOne.com is more than just a blog, it's a movement. When did you decide to step into this ever growing blog game? What are the top three reasons you decided to start pushing the Obese movement on the e-streets?

Obese: Well, everything took off real fast. I pretty much started the blog because I love music, and I noticed the mixtape was slowly dying, and the blog game was takin' over. I started the blog on May 7th. I had 213 visitors that day, and that was after mad advertising and lots of love from my fam. Word spreads like wild fire, and I think my dedication to what it is I do at It's Another One shows by all the work I put in. As far as my Top 3 reasons for pushing the movement...1. I was always the guy to go to for music, and I got sick of my peoples askin' me for new music all the time. I wanted to create an outlet for everyone I knew who wanted the latest music to be able to get it whenever they wanted. 2. I think there are a lot of people that aren't getting their just due right now, and whatever I can do to help push people to that higher level, I wanna do. 3. I love Hip-Hop. Point blank period.

BFochs: Word does indeed travel fast, especially on the web. Those are 3 solid reasons to get your blog swag up. You mentioned that certain people aren't getting their just due. Name me 5 people off the top of your head who are slept on to the point where it should be a crime.

Obese: Well, I think Charles Hamilton should be even bigger than he already is. People know him on the net, but they need to get to know him outside of this box. I'm a huge supporter of Asher Roth, who once again get's mad love on the net, and at pretty much every keg party I go to. XV who I think is incredibly talented needs to be heard. I am pushing his music hard. Curren$y is another one. And last but mos definitely not least, I'd have to say St. Laz. My dude puts in more work than anybody I've ever seen. Get ready for that St. Laz & Obese track by the way. It's a problem!

BFochs: You spoke of the St.Laz/Obese collabo, let's talk about your endeavors in the rap game. You noted that you stepped in when Biggie passed, was he the main motivation in your decision to start rapping or were their other motives that influenced you to start?

Obese: Well I grew up listening to all types of music. My parents brought me up on Classic Rock & Modern Rock. I'm a huge fan of Blues and other musical genres too. I think sticking to one style of music doesn't expand your mind as does listening to a combination of other styles. I learned how to keep a beat when I was mad young. You would be surprised how many people I know that can't tap there foot in rhythm with a song. So I've been around music all my life. When I first started listening to rap, it was all West Coast. I was all over NWA, Eazy, Dre, Snoop. Then Bone Thugs-n-Harmony came out around 94-95, about the same time I met my best friend. I was hooked. Bone brought in a fresh sound, one that I had never heard before. My best friend decided one day he was gonna rap into some old ass headphones he plugged into his mic jack on his 100 Dollar Aiwa stereo, throw on the echo, and see what he could do over a CD single instrumental. He was the one responsible for gettin' me started. Ever since then, I've stepped my studio equipment game up, and now I do everything from home. Man, I'd love to hear some shit we recorded 13 years ago. I know it's on tape somewhere. If I ever become famous, bet it will leak. Haha! Oh and I am a huge Biggie fan. He has definitely influenced me. Notorious Thugs is probably my favorite song because it took Biggie out of his element and he killed it. Plus Bone was on the record so it was crazy!

BFochs: You might want to get your old material digitally mastered and officially release it on your site, I would definitely check it out. Biggie was a big influence on a lot of people in the game I think, dude was a legendary cat, his contributions to hip hop will never be forgotten. That Bone/Biggie collabo is epic, it stays in rotation in the BFochs playlist. If you could link up with any MC for a project who would it be and why?

Obese: Kanye West. I didn't even have to think about it. Kanye to me isn't just a "rapper" or a "producer," he is a musical genius. A lot of people are worried his new Album "808's & Heartbreaks" is gonna be horrible because of the new sound. I think people are afraid of what they don't know. When I first heard "Love Lockdown" I was like "WTF are you doin' Yeezy?" Now I can't stop listening to it. I just think people need to start taking more chances in music and stop putting out the same old shit.

BFochs: Kanye west is a true visionary, that dude is so far over our heads with his creativity that at first glimpse we can't even fathom what he is doing, but in the end it always makes sense to some degree. The site name brings me to this next question. There's a lot of things I think we could use 'another one' of, what are 5 things that you think the game needs another one of? What are 5 things we don't ever need to see 'another one' of?

Obese: 5 things we need? We need another style of Hip-Hop to come wash away most of the garbage. We need old rappers to retire because this is a young man's game. We need to move everything to digital, because it's a waste of money to print CD's these days. We need to stop thinking violence and thuggery are things that should be glorified on wax. I agree with freedom of speech, and if you grew up around it, then say what you saw, but a lot of dudes out here today are fakin' the funk. We need to open our ears and give new artists a chance. And not just for the game, but for our country's sake; we need Obama to be our next President of the United States. 5 Things we don't need...The same old music coming out on the daily. Every rapper in the game spittin' over the same beat. One reason I love Curren$y is because he picks some of the illest beats from back in the day to spit over. I guess I'm a little sick of the vocoder, but I think it can stay until Kanye is done with it haha. We don't need to be lookin' for another Big, Pac, Jay, we need to be lookin' for an individual who brings something we've never heard before, and to be the voice of Hip-Hop. And last but not least, we need to bring it to another level. Take that however you want, but we need to take it to that next level.

BFochs: I'm hittin' what your pitchin' on the 5 things we do and do not need. You brought up some solid points man, if only record labels would take your words and get it poppin' haha. You and I see first hand everyday the surge of the digital era with music, when do you think the business is going to make a full transition to digital? To me it seems like it should have been done awhile ago, but labels are still running around like chickens with their heads cut off not knowing what to do, what is your take on this matter in general?

Obese: I think we live in a digital world. It sounds corny, but I feel naked without my cell phone. I kinda wish I could go one day without it, but I literally can't. I use my mp3 player daily, I use my computer daily. I think we are slowly making that transition right now, but your right, it does seem like it should have been done a while ago. I can't tell you the last time I went into a record store. I buy CD's still, but I mostly buy them digitally. If we got rid of CD's, told people where and how exactly to go about getting music, and then told them they didn't have to leave their house, I think these artists who complain about bootlegging would be swimmin' in money. Our generation knows how to use iTunes and everything else, but the older generation doesn't even know how to turn on a computer. So I think when we start having kids and they grow up, everything will be digital at that point, because everyone will know exactly how to get it. I just don't think the whole world is ready yet.

BFochs: I think the old heads would be accepting of the digital age if their was some type of outline made on how everything goes down, I too don't think the world is ready, but they better get ready, because it's goin down hardbody. What is your take on the labels not showing blogs the love we should get? I mean, we do give them FREE promo, but they insist on getting us shut down, I understand there are lines we can't cross, but the hate is unnecessary when some of us are trying to help them out. What are your thoughts on the label/blogger relationship fiasco?

Obese: Well I think it's getting a little better. I was shut down as you know back in June. I'm not gonna go into details, but it was by a label. I get e-mails now to take things down, instead of just shutting me down. Like it or not, I think they are starting to realize we're here to stay. I mean the NMC is an entity in itself. Eskay gets around 40,000-50,000 visits a day. That is incredible. If the labels would look at us as the "good guys" who are doing this for the love of music, instead of the "bad guys" who are only doing this to make money off of it then I think they would realize how much control we really have over their audience.

BFochs: I feel you on the 'good guy/bad guy' thing, we support them to the fullest, and we get the short end of the stick, hopefully things will get sorted out. You mentioned you are from Tampa, FL but now that you live in Jersey, who do you support more in sports/music/etc?

Obese: Ah well, I guess I'm not "originally" from Tampa. I lived in PA/NJ till I was 9, but I consider Tampa where I'm from because that's where I grew up. That's where I pretty much became the person I was today. I moved back to Jersey when I was 20 when my parents got divorced. As far as sports, I'm a die hard Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan, I stuck with them through their struggles back in the mid 90's, and I stuck with 'em when I moved to Jersey. I was born a Yankees fan. I had no choice in my house. It was Yankees or nothin'. I'm a lowly Knicks fan *sigh* and I'm a fan of Notre Dame football and Uconn Basketball. I'm all over the place, I know, but I always stick with my teams. No bandwagoning here. Music, like I said, I listen to it all. I grew up with 2 Pistols, so I support the FLA movement and I have boys down there that still make music. Shouts to BMU, but you can find me with a beer and blunt listening to Led Zeppelin or you can find me bumpin' that B.I.G. I have a very open mind when it comes to music.

BFochs: That's what it is man, I respect that, it's like your screwing yourself over if you don't branch out to various genres of music, because it all leads to the same place essentially. I don't even have to ask who you are supporting in the election, Obama is the truth in the voting booth. What is your take on the financial fuckery we got poppin' off in the U.S.? If you were in charge of this fiasco what would you do?

Obese: Well the financial fuckery hasn't effected me personally. Why? Because I'm broke as fuck! Haha. I think we all are struggling right now. I think McCain's plan to buy all the bad housing mortgages is retarded and I really am scared at what will happen to our country if he does win. I think that we throw out billions like there nothing to bail out companies who in some cases don't deserved to be bailed out. I think that the Republican party and anyone in general that thinks our country is thriving and is fine with the way things are should be put in a mental institution. And I'm sick of paying almost 4 dollars a gallon to go to the damn grocery store, where I can't even buy everything I need to, because like I just said, I just paid 4 dollars a gallon to get there. We just need change. That's what Obama has been promoting since he started this campaign, and he still stands by it. I really do consider this the most important election ever. Make sure you go out and vote, also checkout Canivote.org to see if your registered and see if you still can if you aren't This is our future people! Do something about it!

BFochs: I can't put enough emphasis on the fact that this election=more important than any other election in our lifetime, probably our parents lifetime too. Let's knock out a few hypothetical questions then we can wrap this bad mamma jamma up. First question, if you could have any model/actress/foxy chick be the official ItsAnotherOne.com spokeswoman who would it be and why?

Obese: I'mma have to go with my girl Eva Mendes. I don't know what it is, she just does it for me. Well, I know what it is haha. But yeah, she's my future ex-wife.

BFochs: Future ex-wife hahahaha. Wise choice, she is a saucy chica indeed. Next question, let's say NASA was down with the the ItsAnotherOne.com movement, and they wanted you to go into space to post up an ItsAnotherOne.com flag on the moon, and...do the ItsAnotherOne.com dance for the camera that would be filming this epic event. What would the ItsAnotherOne.com dance look like?

Obese: Probably nothing, because I would never get on that fuckin' spaceship. Obese doesn't fly. Obese is fly. HAHA.

BFochs: I respect your no fly, I am fly doctrine, I too am not a big fan of the high skys unless I'm traveling them by way of the sweet sweet herbage haha. Final question you won't see anyone but BFochs ask...If you were president who would be in your cabinet? Break it down, break it down.

Obese: Alright, lets see... I'd have to put my best friend Dan at Vice President. Gotta have my right hand man you know. I'd appoint Oprah to Secretary of the State. Ole' Girl knows what she's doing, and has her own personal money to do things we can't ha! Speaker of the House would have to be Fat Man Scoop, I mean, when the dude yells you hear it, and Secretary of Defense I'd go with someone who isn't afraid to pull that trigger. Any candidates out there? Holla at me! Haha.

BFochs: That's what's up, I think your administration would get it crackin', any shout outs, last words or comments before we get this session of awesomeness signed, sealed and delivered?

Obese: Yea,h I just wanna say thanks to everyone who supports me. Hit me up ItsAnotherOne.com, myspace.com/itsanother1blog, twitter.com/obese, yeah I'm all over. Shouts to all the real Hip-Hop heads out there holdin' down the bloggin' generation. First off you my dude *pause* for all the imature people out there, Everyone from The NMC, Young Kingz, HIF, Buck Marley, Dave over at HoodPOV, smokeYYY (hold your head fam), and anyone else down with that IAO movement!

BFochs: That's what it is people, history has been made, and me and Obese are gonna continue to grind and get paid, owwwwwwwww, thanks for takin' the time to do this interview mane, best of luck to you in the future in anything you do, take it easy homie.

Obese: Lemme know when we get paid. And be easy...