M Pire Magazine February 2014 | Page 78

M Pire Magazine sits down with Rock Mecca to do an exclusive interview. Check it out below: Q: How has growing up in Queens, NY impacted you as a person and your music career?   A: Queens has always been a major hub for Hip-Hop. You can tell by the number of legendary artists that this place produced. For every legend, there are hundreds on the street rapping, as a hobby or just trying to get on so it’s very competitive. You have to be nice because being from Queens means something to rap fans worldwide. As far as living here, it’s a little different than the other boroughs. Queens is more laid back. A little colder maybe. Bronx, Brooklyn and Manhattan are denser in population. Queens is a little more multi-cultural than the other boroughs. Every neighborhood has a different nationality. Q: Who is your all time most favorite rapper and why?   A: I would say Tupac. His body of work is unmatched. A lot of people look down on him as a lyricist but being one myself, I can say what he put down on paper is insane. Quotable for days. As an artist, you watch what he did, the amount of work he did, the passion he put in, the message, the contrast in styles and how it resonates with people to this day. The dude was just great man. He epitomizes what you want to be as an artist. Q: What would you say is the most important component of developing as an artist, such as delivery, style, stage presence, interaction with audience etc.? A: It’s really finding your own style. Everything you mentioned is part of it. When you first start out, you take bits and pieces from artists you admire or people around you, but eventually you have to settle down and find yourself. It comes with time, but eventually you have to find what works for you, in terms of delivery, writing style, flows. That manifests itself on stage too.  That comfort level you have in yourself. That confidence. Nothing is more annoying than seeing a rapper just obviously taking another’s style. Worse yet if the rapper is a veteran and he just hops on a new rappers style.