It's finally here. the interview with Miles Brandon. I know that it got put on hold for a while, so please forgive the delay, but you know schedules don't always work out the way we would like. Anyway, as I mentioned before, Miles is coming out of my hometown, Oakland, CA. He just dropped a mixtape, The Life and Times of Miles Brandon. You can download that for FREE at http://www.zshare.net/download/559379579ddf81d0/ . He has also promised to drop a new mixtape every two weeks. Dropping on this Friday will be Life and Love of Miles Brandon, so make sure you look out for that (another free download). As I mentioned before, he really takes this music seriously and he's getting better with every song. For everything else, check him out on facebook or at www.myspace.com/milesbrandon. I'll continue to keep yall updated with stuff, as well. Enjoy the interview and video below and leave your comments about the interview, the mixtape, and anything else pertaining to this (or of course e-mail as well straightouttahiphop@gmail.com). Peace.

HL: When do you start rapping?

MB: I started rapping when I was a freshman in high school, about early 2002. I was 13 at the time and the school I was attending had a rap battle. So me being me, I entered it and I lost. I was horrible at the time and not to mention I stole my verse that I used in the battle from the wake up show. It serves me right because I forgot the whole thing and only remembered bits and pieces from it and I sounded real stupid. I remember one line to this day, I said, "You look like the chocolate rabbit that likes to drop the soap." What!? So random and weak. But you got to start some where, so from that day forward I vowed to myself never to loose another battle again and to become the best I can be at my craft.

 

 

HL: You’ve come a long way. You went from stealing freestyles to dropping a mixtape. Now that the mixtape is out, what is the next step for you?

MB: Man, my next step would be to start performing more and promoting my mixtape and just continue to bring my people good music. If there’s one thing I learned, it’s that you can never stop working in this industry, so whether it be making music, producing beats or networking I would say that my next step would be to put more work in.

 

 

HL: Speaking of producing, you’re a producer, too. Which came first, rapping or producing and which to you enjoy more?

MB: Man, I started rapping first. I actually didn’t start producing up until like late 2006. Well, sometimes producing can become more of a chore, but I would have to say that I enjoy rapping more because producing is kind of easy for me and rapping is more of a beautiful struggle to come up with different words to express a feeling.

 

HL: And music isn’t your only hustle. I hear you’re starting a clothing line, too. What can we expect from that?

MB: Yeah. I’m starting a clothing line. I can’t really speak on it too much now. But we will be launching it in June. It’s going to be a lot of high quality stuff. In the summer we are releasing two shirts; a crewneck and camo shorts. It’s going be real crazy. That’s all I can say now.

 

HL: Sounds good. Of course I’m going to want a sneak peak at that. Let’s get back to the music, though. What are your goals for this mixtape?

MB: My goals for my mixtape, The Life and Times of Miles Brandon, are to give people a greater insight in to my music and me as a person. Another goal would be to gain more fans and people who enjoy good music and gain their trust and their iPod space (laughs).

 

 

HL: What inspires you to rap and perform?

MB: Life inspires me to make music a lot of times. I find that I can express feelings and emotions clearer and more vividly through my music. I would also say pain and people telling me that my dreams will never be reached due to them being too colossal. And people inspire me to perform. When I perform, I know that I will be reaching some one. Whether they love or hate my music, I still effected there mood and how they feel and that’s nothing but inspiration.

 

 

HL: If that’s what inspires you to perform, then what artists influence you?

MB: Artist that influence me? Man, that’s a hard one because great art is influenced by great art. I would say anybody that’s doing something different. One rapper that never stops amazing me is, of course, Jay-Z. He make me step my bars up big time (laughs). Also, I like to listen to a lot of jazz and other genres of music really influence me.

 

 

HL: He has definitely had longevity in the game and influenced a lot of people. Now we have a new generation of artists trying to break through. Of all the up & coming artists that are entering the game right now, who would you want to work with most?

MB: Man, out of all of the new talent in the game, I would have to pick Kid Cudi, Drake, Charles Hamilton, Colin Munroe and Wale. These dudes really got some creative ideas.

 

 

HL: Good choices. You actually resemble Charles Hamilton to me in a way. Not your looks, but your music and how you carry yourself. You’re style is the same. And speaking of that, how would you classify your style of rap?

MB: My style of rap would be, first and foremost, from the heart and I would say real quality music and real likeable. I don’t know. This is a hard one, no homo (laughs), but I would say just real versatile I from rap to rock. I really can’t call my music anything else than Hip Hop.

 

 

HL: What are your thoughts on the state of Hip Hop right now?

MB: I think the state of Hip Hop is improving big time because people are starting to want more content and originality. I mean, look at all the new artists that are getting signed to major labels that haven’t really "blown" up yet. Labels are starting to see that there’s value in a quality artist. But on the other hand, it’s so hard to be heard now because the game is so over populated with too many rappers who are doing the same things as everybody else. So man the only way people are gonna see you is if you stick out like a sore thumb and that’s what I’m doing.

 

 

HL: What are you doing to stick out? Or in other words, what is it that separates you from everybody else?

MB: I would say the way I carry myself on songs and my content. I keep it a hundred percent real. In my song, “My Name,” I talk about riding the bus (laughs).

 

 

HL: I know people can definitely relate to riding the bus. I know I sure can. What does Miles Brandon hope to get from the rap game?

MB: I hope to get respect at the end of the day. That’s all that matters. If you have talent and present yourself in a respectable way, that’s all people can throw back at you. And once you obtain that, then comes money, girls and all that flashy stuff (laughs).

 

 

HL: If you were introducing somebody to Hip Hop for the first time and you could only give them one album, what album is it?

MB: Wow, good question. I would give them Jay- Z's Reasonable Doubt. That album is classic and timeless. And it, to me, touches at the true essence of Hip Hop and that pure emotion through words and music.

 

 

HL: I’m not going to name any names because I really don’t want to get involved with what I think is a pointless beef, but what are your thoughts? What do you think about beef in Hip Hop right now and what it’s doing to the rap game?

MB: Man, to be all the way real, I think it’s all BS. Some big marketing scheme to help sell albums because nobody is buying albums, unless you’re Weezy F Baby (laughs). But, yeah man, if it’s real, I hope they see the light and any beef is only going to bring you down if you feed into it. And beef is destroying the rap game. People think the only way to get noticed is to start some funk with somebody and all that does is take away from the music, unless its lyrical beef like Jigga and Nas once had, and they were both smart enough to end it and make money together before it got to ugly.

 

HL: Being that you may not be what some would call the "typical" rapper, does that affect you at all in terms of how you approach your music and does it give you any doubts as to how people will receive it? MB:  Well, I feel like I have to put more effort in every area of my music because everything I say has a meaning. And, I mean, when you try to worry about what the people will like, it effects how you make your music. If you don’t like what you do or if you’re not making the music that you like, other people will not like it. So, I just do what comes natural and some people will love and some people will hate it. That’s life.

 

HL: Above all, what is the one thing people should take away about you from this interview? MB:  People should take away that my music is honest. I will never do anything just for the money because at the end, the money doesn’t last, but the music does.