Dana WasHere: For the people
that are not familiar with you
or the “All Hip-Hop All the
Time” brand, can we have a little
background? When did you guys
start and what was the intention
behind starting the league?
OD: I moved to Las Vegas from
Southern California in 2007.
Once in Vegas, I wanted to get
involved in the hip-hop scene,
so I started AHAT in 2008. It
started out as a Youtube channel
dedicated to hip-hop. The
intention was to show ciphers,
rap battles, b-boy battles, DJ
battles and music videos.
As I was putting videos out,
I noticed that the rap battles
were getting the most views,
so I decided to focus on the
battles. In October of 2010,
I reached out to my longtime
homie R&B about starting an
AHAT California division. After
we established that division, we
later added divisions in Texas
and Utah.
Dana WasHere: West Coast
brands have really done a great
job of fostering the talent in
that region and giving them
opportunities against notable
names. What is the plan as far as
expansion goes?
OD: We are always looking for
ways to improve our brand by
introducing new talent, new
venues, new collaborations;
and other methods. As far as
expansion goes, we are currently
working on projects in some
new markets.
We are possibly looking to
add another division by the
end of the year and we’re
definitely working on getting
into a market on the East. Our
main focus is maintaining
and improving the quality of
our product; expansion is a
secondary concern.
Dana WasHere: That’s what’s up.
I hope I get the opportunity to
check you out on the East Coast.
OD: We are also doing “AHAT
Hoops”, which is the first ever
1-on-1 basketball league in the
battle culture. We have been
doing it for more than two years
now, but have put the videos
on our side channels. Now that
we’ve seen some interest in these
games, we are going to release
games every now and then on
the AHAT main channel.
The only AHAT Hoops game
to be released on the AHAT
main channel so far is the game
between Aspect One (KOTD
Fresh Coast president) and
I: http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=7pBr5xkJmY0. One
big basketball game I’m trying
to set up is me versus Daylyt.
Daylyt commented in the AHAT
Facebook group that I wouldn’t
even score three points in a game
against him. Well, I’m trying to
see if he can back up his talk.
We also have AHAT Radio,
which is the first-ever 24/7
internet radio station dedicated
to the battle culture. We play the
ahat
league spotlight
best music from battle emcees.
We currently average about
3,500 listeners per day. AHAT
Radio can be heard on http://
www.ahat.tv/radio; or search for
it in iTunes, Tunein, Radionomy
or MediaU. Those are also some
of the ways we are trying to
expand the AHAT brand.
Dana WasHere: If there were five
battles and battlers from the league
that really represent your essence
and brand, what would they be?
OD: I would say that Interstate
Fatz definitely reflects the AHAT
brand. He is a native of Las Vegas
who reps his city to the fullest.
Although he is currently locked
up, his battles with Nov, M
Ciddy and Trigaaah demonstrate
his aggressive style and powerful
punches in his bars.
Another battle that really
represents the AHAT brand
is the rematch battle between
Artisan and King Lo:
http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=HQ0dDHxGnWA.
There was almost a serious
altercation in this battle and
there were definitely guns in the
room.
We weren’t as strict with security
back then and although both
sides had animosity toward one
other things were kept under
control due to respect: respect
for the league, respect for me,
respect for the other battler and
respect for Las Vegas.
It is no accident that we are
the most respected hip-hop
movement ever to come out of
Las Vegas and it’s no accident
that we are one of the most
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