Str8HipHip

SHH: Tell the people who you and where you from?

Loaded Lux: Yeah, yeah, yeah! It’s ya boy Loaded Lux! You know what’s up when I’m rollin’ up. Whole A.C.E.S Clik... The fastest way to Harlem is A-Train slick!

SHH: How did you get your start in the whole rap game?

Loaded Lux: Man… I had a way with words when I was about nine, but I got serious with it when I was around thirteen. .. You know? They had this boy from my neck of the woods by the name of Ma$e and he was doing his rap thing… So you know I was young and influential, so I took a try and a crack at it and, you know, I liked it… So I stayed with it and stuck it out. It was a hobby at first and you see what it is now.

SHH: Your reputation says your one of the best in New York and probably in the whole country at battling. How do you feel about the way battle rappers aren’t taken that seriously nowadays?

Loaded Lux: For me it’s a sport. I’ve been making music since I was thirteen. So I know about how it is to go into the studio.  I take more precaution when I go into a battle more so then going into records, but don’t get it twisted like my song game ain’t there… It’s definitely there.

SHH: So what’s your formula for making songs then?

Loaded Lux: I go listen to the beat and take what the beat is telling me and take it into the booth. For me music takes me to a certain place in time in my life. For me certain music reminds me of certain things so pretty much I take that with me and convey it to the people on my tracks. Basically I’m being creative and putting my life on these tracks.

SHH: How many joints do you have stashed away for the people?

Loaded Lux: How many records? For real, I have no number. This is my life and my livelihood. I’m not going for no certain goal when it comes to how creative I am. I just record when it comes to me. This is what I love to do.  In its most purest form I love to make music and I love to get the feedback. Like when people say, “I was there with you… I was going through that too.” That’s what I love. I really can’t put a number on the times people have said that so I’m not counting. This is what I do.

SHH: So let’s talk about the huge success you got off of BET’s 106 & Park’s Freestyle Friday… Now traditionally it hasn’t been a venue for serious artists like yourself and hasn’t really bred many marketable talents. Do you feel that your appearance on the show may have changed that and made it into an arena that can break a credible rapper?

Loaded Lux:  Most definitely… I definitely wanted to open the door because the people with the most talent and experience with doing this thing usually don’t get the shot. We’re the ones that usually never find an outlet. You know it’s tough today and it’s like that with the way the world is right now. My thing is that I understood what type of arena it was when I was going into the whole 106 thing as far as the type of competition I was going to face. The thing in my mind was that I wanted to take it to a whole other level and plateau and show em the real, you know what I mean? And I think mainstream needs that. We’ve been so enclosed on the underground level as far as DVDS and being the best… Why not get that type of exposure, ya feel me?  Come on… That’s millions… That’s a national audience right there.

SHH: So how has it changed for you since you did the show? Do more people take you seriously now?

Loaded Lux: Most definitely and it ain’t just the youngin’s it’s the old folks in the hood too. They like, “we seen you on TV… We so proud of you.”  Plus it gives everybody that whole thing where, I’m just a guy from they neck of the woods, just like you are, you know what I mean. They seen me out grindin’ and tryin’ and it makes them feel like they can too. It was definitely a hell of an experience man… Shout out to the whole 106 & park and BET.

SHH: So let’s talk about A.C.E.S. Clik. What’s going on with your crew?

Loaded Lux: Yeah. Yeah! The (A)nything (C)an (E)qual (S)uccess movement… Ay, man! We workin.’ This movement is moving, if you ain’t been checkin’ we got kids on the West coast, L.A., P.A., V.A. (Shout out to my boy Nickelus F). The whole A.C.E.S Clik. Hot Lava, my boy Tose… This thing is in motion, you feel me? My whole motivation for starting this A.C.E.S Clik is to open the doors for artists who have had it slammed shut in they face when they was going to these offices  and these meetings, ya feel me? So I started the whole A.C.E.S Clik for people who I felt was just like myself so we can come together. Usually  the people that’s on the come-up, we understand each other’s struggle, so in understanding that, we definitely have an open ear to each other’s problems. If I can relate to you and your current situation and you can help me and vice-versa, let’s put it together. It don’t matter if you rap, or you a deejay or whatever. If you going through it… I definitely want to grind with my peers when going through this. I can’t go to the dude that’s cutting the check. He don’t understand. You feel me? He already got it… He’s comfortable in his situation.  I need people that’s hungry… That’s starving  and trying to get somewhere. So I need to be around and in the “lion's den” and in the thick of things. So I deal with people that I feel is my “A-Alikes.” So that whole A.C.E.S. Movement… That’s what it’s about… Empowering the people and it’s definitely coming together.  YOU NOW TUNED INTO THE FUTURE OF RAP MUSIC! CHECK!

SHH: You’re saying that your movement is something positive rather than the usual ones that that talk about money, sex, drugs and violence?

Loaded Lux: My foundation and whole reason I created this is because this is my life and I’ve come across talent and they get that door slammed in they face all the time, same as me… This movement is based on getting talented people into the light through hard work. I’m not looking to get with the most “marketable” or the person who knows somebody that knows somebody that can get me a deal. I’m just running with the best of the best that haven’t had their shot yet. This whole thing is watered down… Even Koch isn’t independent anymore…  I just want people to come together and do this.

SHH: As far as your appeal to the people. What separates Loaded Lux from the rest of these artists that are out today in the mainstream? Does Loaded Lux have a personality? 

Loaded Lux: You said it right there, “personality.”  I mean… They did it, but don’t sell it like I tell it, you know what I mean? I’m definitely gonna give you the game when I speak.  How I came through this thing and people gonna walk that walk with me, ya feel me?  This is some real shit right here. .. This is my lively hood, baby. So what I’m giving you when they see  me on that stage or on that interview  is going to be crazy. They gonna see where this personality comes from. I’m definitely going to give them the essence. How I’m pay homage to all the old folks (all my old heads) that rapped to me back on the block. The heads that gave me the game that I speak on my tracks today…. Come on? What kind of guy would I be if I didn’t give the youth the game? Ya feel me? I got to pass that. I got to pass the torch. I can’t be here forever. I can’t… I got to keep giving it to em… Watch how I do this shit though… I’ma whole new breed… They gonna have to tune in, whether they want to or not, ya feel me? It’s no choice… I’m that next shit.

SHH: Sowhat’s your situation right now? You signed? You unsigned?

Loaded Lux: Oh… You best believe they talking.  They talking , yeah…  But it’s back to basics for me.

SHH: So would you go independent or major?

Loaded Lux: The whole thing with me right now is I want to build this thing and create more leverage on how I’m trying to solidify myself in this game right now.  I don’t think they truly know  what type of artist this is and what they dealing with. So when I really, really got they attention… I mean right now they talking and want to set up meeting… I mean, that’s all well and good, but I’m still doing what I got to do… I’m still humble for the rumble, you feel me? That’s where my mindset is.

SHH: So how are you handling the new found fame from being on TV?

Loaded Lux: That shit ain’t new to me. Not to sound arrogant or nothing,’ but I got attention from way backfrom when we was doing the Smack DVDs. I try to stay tight knit and close. I’m trying to keep a tight situation. So if they talking about me in other places, that’s cool and that’s all well and good like I’m grateful for it. Like I say, “I’m humble for the rumble” because I’m ground and I stay close to mine. So if the love is out there it’s a beautiful thing. Right now though I can’t really enjoy it too much because I’m right back in the lab and still working.

SHH: So let’s talk about the close to a year and half out of the public eye and recording… What was the deal with that?

Loaded Lux: I never really took off from recording.

SHH: Ok… Then being from the public’s eye, let’s put it that way.

Loaded Lux: Well yeah…  I was in the lab just strengthening my game plan. At the end of the day,  when the people first see me, it’s on some battling shit and that’s all well and good, but I took the time to get sharper in the lab, on the real. I started with the battling like seriously when I was fourteen and I had my eye on the prize and  recording came second then.  I had sat down with myself and decided to focus more on my track game and become “Loaded” the total package baby…  So during that time away from the DVDs and shit… I wanted to strengthen my song game, I ain’t even gonna lie. Being when I felt I was ready… I came and said it’s time. So I’m here now and moving.

SHH: So what about your well publicized beef with Murder Mook? What’s up with that?

Loaded Lux: Oh Man… We don’t even talk about that anymore…  That’s old new cat daddy… For real like that whole thing  stemmed from incidents in my neighborhood that happened, but  after that it was suppose to be alright and some peoples  that knew him and all that tried to hit me with that, “It ain’t nothing.’” I had an open mind to it at first and I came through the nigga block and I seen  em and it was all good. He said it’s all good let’s make record and all that good shit. So I gave homie the benefit of the doubt… Then I’m thinking he felt a certain way about seeing me on the joint with Serius Jones and my boy boy goin’ at em and he must have thought it was something like, “you with em… So you guilty by association…” I’m like ok… I can dig it. I come from that background  so I understand.  S o he must have took it like that  and I seem them on a DVD and they reckless so I’m like ok. It is what it is… But like I said we don’t even talk about that anymore… It’s a dead situation.

SHH: Cool… So who are you working with now as far as the music goes?

Loaded Lux: I’m just fuckin’ with my camp man. Shout out to my boy Nickelus F like I told you, Hot Lava, Poetry Murda, V-12, shout to Conrizzle too… I can keep going cause the list goes on and on and on. That whole A.C.E.S. Camp man. It keeps going man… I’m only fuckin’ with A.C.E.S man you feel me?

SHH: What’s the big picture for you going into the second half of 2007?

Loaded Lux:  I got this “Full Clip” DVD about to drop. I’m working on it now. You can get all the 106 battles on there. All my previous appearances will be on there too and along with some new videos. It’s also gonna have a disk in there with some new freestyles and records I’ve done. I’m workin’… Other than that, it’s back to basics.

SHH: Ok, any shout outs or words for the people?

Loaded Lux: Yeah, Yeah, Yeah! Shout out to my big sister Jazzy Joyce, Willark,Str8hipho.com and The whole mighty A.C.E.S Clik… The fastest way to Harlem is the A-Train slick. That’s what’s poppin’ with the population.  I smell money, let’s make it!