Royalty Magazine: Tell us the importance of the relationship between the artist & producer? Does it even matter? Why or why not?
Xing N Fox: It should matter. But sometimes the music does the talking. Still at times we feel if the artist would put their ego down for a second or two and listen to some criticism of their performance they might get a better finished product.
Royalty Magazine: If you had a chance to produce a beat that would appear in the next BET Cypha, what artists would you want spitting to your beat and why? What type of beat would it be?
Xing N Fox: Get us a slot and we’ll show ya!!!! LOL!!!!
Royalty Magazine: Lol. Tell us more about your Def Rugs venture. Def Rugs is original as well as a dope concept. Where did the idea come from and how did you get started doing it? What is your mission and who are the key players involved in this project?
Xing N Fox: I (Fox) am 3rd generation in the family flooring business, Fox Floors. I've been around carpet my whole life. I always wanted to put my own stamp and direction on the biz, and also look to do something else with all this carpet we have here. One day, Kim Sermon asked me if i could make a Def Squad logo rug. I never made any logo rugs before, so instead of trying to make a Def Squad logo, which is a hard logo to cut into a rug, I made an EPMD rug, and we brought it out to Long Island to give it to Erick as a gift. We dropped it on the floor in his studio, it lit up the room, and the second E came downstairs and saw that rug... Def Rugs was born. He gave me the spark I needed to really teach myself how to make these rugs, which are all cut by hand. So everyday for the next few months I made logo rugs for some of my favorite mc's and groups. It was like both my worlds collided, Old school hip hop and flooring. It was a blessing and a dream come true to hook up with Erick, and to partner up with one of my favorite mc's of all time in a new business venture. We have lots of legendary mc rugs on the way.
Royalty Magazine: Who are some of the artists that are featured on Def Rugs? Do you have limited edition rugs? Which one(s) are your most popular? Do you plan to feature more than just hiphop artists in the future?
Xing N Fox: I've made over 100 to date. Some of the artists who have my rugs in their home so far are, DMC, Chubb Rock, Doodlebug, Showbiz & AG, Dj Premiere, DJ JS-1, Evil Dee, Redman, Ready Roc, Tame One, DMX, Ras Kass, Tek, Naughty By Nature, Lords of the Underground, Dres, Lost Boyz, Onyx, Awesome 2, OC, Crazy Legs, & Hakim Green. They are all handmade and limited edition. We are currently getting licensing with certain artists to make them available and have them mass produced. Some of the most popular have been Gangstarr, Run Dmc, & Nas. We'll see where it goes, we definitely plan on venturing into other genres, but for now were gonna stick with hip hop legends.
Royalty Magazine: What has been your fan response since the launch of Def Rugs? How do you feel your movement adds longevity to the world of hiphop? Are Def Rugs available in stores as well as online? If so, how can people cop them and/or check them out?
Xing N Fox: The response has been great and people are realizing that we're not just making logo rugs with legendary mc's, we're also making records with them! What we're bringing to the longevity is adding another element of creativity, making something totally new and fresh from what we have to work with. Also were placing these iconic logos on peoples floors and walls in ways never done before. So the next generation may see some of these rugs and then discover the music behind the logo. Right now we have them available at www.DefRugs.com and on display at Facebook.com/DefRugs, or you can see them all at my store in NJ.
Royalty Magazine: Any advice to upcoming artists, producers and/or entrepreneurs looking to get in the music business? What would you say to someone who has a vision but has no major label backing or support?