Putting out six mixtapes in a year take a steady diet of riding around and getting it. Shout out to YG Mook for taking time to chat with WOHM via email after returning from a trip to Compton to shoot a video with V1Creative…
OUT HERE!
How is life going?
Life’s great! Living everyday like its my last lol.
Tell us about New West ENT? What’s the movement and how did it get started?
New West Ent. actually started in the closet of my apartment i was living in. I gutted out my whole closet and turned it in to a recording booth! Since then it was basically a wrap! I had the homies starting to slide through everyday and it just became a movement. I was thinking to myself, “Ok, I have a label with no name, we’re all new yung hot artist from the westcoast so why not call it New West?”
You recently had V1Creative with you in Compton. How was that experience?
It was actually a shock to me how much love the homies down there gave to V1 creative Director Kevin Hasenkopf! I could tell just from the lifestyle and the diversity that it was a culture shock and eye opener to him, and that he didnt want to leave the city of Compton, lol! The homie Big Fase 100 and Digg Bigg blessed Kevin with the nick name “Killa Kev”, so when he’s in the hood he’s good when hes with us!
How long have you lived in Portland? Do you visit California often?
I have lived in The City Of Portland since I was a child, but it has been a back and forth thing with me. Actually I also lived over seas in Europe too! I have family in Southern Germany from my mothers side that migrated there from the country of Eritrea,East Africa. My pops was from Oakland, California so when they had me he was in the army and I was born in Fort Ord, Califonia on an Army base in Monterey County. I beleive I heard that Fort Ord doesnt even exist anymore. Thats a trip! I recently touched down to Portland again three years ago, I was living in Los angeles for a cool minute. I can consider Portland a home to me because I met a lot of good friends here through school and going through the struggle with also.
What can we expect to see coming from you in the near future?
Its so unpredictable because so many things that just pop up out of the blue, but I can tell you that the New West Ent. camp is growing rapidly and you can expect a new album from me this summer. And yes, of course I am nominated for an award at the 5th annual West Coast Hip Hop Awards this August in Los Angeles, Califonia, so im keeping my fingers crossed for that! Six mixtapes within a year, I deserve that. lol.