NEEK THE EXOTIC

QUEENS, NEW YORK | NEEK THE EXOTIC

INTERVIEW: TERRELL "REALIFE" BLACK

VALIDATED: YOU GREW UP IN QUEENS, NEW YORK, WHAT'S YOUR EARLIEST MEMORY OF HIP-HOP CULTURE?

NEEK THE EXOTIC: MY EARLIEST MEMORY IS LISTENING TO MELLE MEL AND KOOL MOE DEE AND KOOL MOE DEE MADE ME WANT TO DO THIS.

VALIDATED: AS A FAN OF HIP-HOP, WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE DECADE IN HIP-HOP; 80'S, 90'S OR 00'S? WHY?

NEEK THE EXOTIC: MY FAVORITE DECADE IS THE 90S, FIRST OFF BECAUSE THAT WAS MY FIRST BREAK BUT THE MUSIC IN GENERAL WAS TO ME SO MUCH BETTER. NO MATTER HOW MANY MCS, EVERYBODY SOUNDED DIFFERENT AND WAS DOPE. WE HAD MUCH MORE TRENDSETTERS THEN.

VALIDATED: YOU'RE FROM AN ERA OF "KICKING DOPE LYRICS"; WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON A LOT OF THE 90'S RAPPERS COMING BACK TO THE FOREFRONT IN HIP-HOP?

NEEK THE EXOTIC: MY THOUGHTS ARE IF YOU'RE FROM THE 90'S YOU SHOULD BE MORE SEASONED, SO COMING BACK TO THE FOREFRONT IS NEEDED. TO BE REAL ALOT OF US NEVER LEFT, IT'S JUST SO MUCH SUCKA S*** GOING ON AND SO MUCH POLITICS BUT WE STILL HERE AND STRONGER THAN EVER.

VALIDATED: YOU RECENTLY DROPPED "HELL UP IN QUEENS". WHICH ARTIST AND PRODUCERS DID YOU WORK WITH ON THE PROJECT?

NEEK THE EXOTIC: ON THE "HELL UP IN QUEENS" ALBUM I WORKED WITH Q-TIP, WHO PRODUCED THE FIRST SINGLE. ALSO LARGE PRO, KWAME, WHO PRODUCED "O.G. SEASON", RULER DIVINE PRODUCED "RED MAMBA FLOW", KUT-ONE AND KAPITAL WHO PRODUCED MOST OF THE ALBUM. AS FAR AS FEATURES I HAD FREDRO STARR FROM ONYX AND BUMPY KNUCKLES, ALSO NEW ARTISTS MERC THE BIG BODY BENZ, STOXX, YOUNG LXRD AND FAME FEDDI.

VALIDATED: YOUR FIRST SINGLE, "HELL UP IN QUEENS" PRODUCED BY Q-TIP, WHAT'S THE MOTIVATION BEHIND THE RECORD?

NEEK THE EXOTIC: JUST SO MUCH ON MY MIND AND SO MUCH GOING ON IN THE WORLD. SO THAT WAS A GOOD NAME FOR THE ALBUM AND AT THIS TIME MY ENERGY WAS CRAZY, SO IT FIT.

VALIDATED: WHAT'S YOUR REACTION TO THE RESPONSE TO THE RECORD?

NEEK THE EXOTIC: I'M GRATEFUL AND THANKFUL I'M ABLE TO STILL ROCK AT SUCH A HIGH LEVEL. IT FEELS LIKE I'M JUST GETTING STARTED. I RECEIVED A LOT OF GREAT FEEDBACK AND SUPPORT.

VALIDATED: YOUR RECORD "STILL FAKIN' THE FUNK" FEATURING FREDRO STARR, REVISITS THE CLASSIC 1992 "FAKING THE FUNK" RECORD BY MAIN SOURCE FEATURING YOU. YOU'VE HAD A FEW PROJECTS SINCE THEN. WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TO REVISIT THE RECORD ON THE "HELL UP IN QUEENS" PROJECT?

NEEK THE EXOTIC: THE MOTIVATION IS PEOPLE ARE STILL FAKIN' THE FUNK, SOMETIMES IT'S PEOPLE FROM YOUR OWN CAMP. SO I HAD TO REVISIT IT AND WITH FREDRO'S ENERGY ITS UNMATCHED.

VALIDATED: WHAT DO YOU FEEL ARE SOME OF THE PROS AND CONS OF THE SOCIAL MEDIA IN HIP-HOP CULTURE?

NEEK THE EXOTIC: THE PROS ARE GREAT PROMOTION, WE ALL NEED THAT. THE CONS ARE A LOT OF BULLS*** THAT AIN'T ABOUT MUSIC OR ANYTHING ELSE THAT'S UPLIFTING. PEOPLE SEEM TO GET CAUGHT UP IN THE BULLS*** AND OVER LOOK WHAT'S REAL.

VALIDATED: WHAT ROLE DID YOU PLAY IN INTRODUCING THE HIP-HOP GROUP ONYX TO THE WORLD?

NEEK THE EXOTIC: ONYX ARE MY BROTHERS AND CHYSKILLZ IS ONE OF MY BEST FRIENDS I GREW UP WITH. ONYX RAPPED, HE PRODUCED, I INTRODUCED THEM AND THEY MADE HISTORY. CHYLOW ALWAYS SAYS IF IT WASN'T FOR NEEK S*** WOULD HAVE BEEN ANOTHER STORY.

VALIDATED: AS A HIP-HOP ARTIST, WHAT DO YOU FEEL YOUR RESPONSIBILITY IS TO THE HIP-HOP CULTURE?

NEEK THE EXOTIC: TO KEEP BEING PRODUCTIVE, WORK HARD, STAY FOCUSED AND DETERMINED, ALWAYS BE GRATEFUL AND TO KEEP SPITTING THAT REAL S*** TOO FOR THE PEOPLE SO THEY WILL CONTINUE TO RELATE AND BE BETTER.

VALIDATED: WHATS NEXT FOR NEEK THE EXOTIC?

NEEK THE EXOTIC: NEW PROJECTS IN THE BEGINNING OF THE NEW YEAR. THE FIRST ONE END OF JANUARY/FEBRUARY AND KEEP IT GOING AND KEEP THE NEW YOUNG TALENT AROUND ME SO EVERYBODY EATS.

VALIDATED: WHERE CAN THE READERS SUPPORT YOU AND YOUR MUSIC ONLINE AND SOCIAL MEDIA?

NEEK THE EXOTIC: @NEEKTHEEXOTIC ON TWITTER, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM AND YOUTUBE. YOU CAN BUY MY NEW ALBUM ON ITUNES AND ALSO RED LINE MUSIC DISTRIBUTION FOR VINYL.