STAY TUNED: BOTTEMLINE

QUEENS, NEW YORK | BOTTEMLINE

INTERVIEW TERRELL “REALIFE” BLACK PHOTOGRAPH @KSHARKTV

VALIDATED: BEING FROM CORONA, QUEENS, NEW YORK, WHAT’S YOUR EARLIEST MEMORY OF HIP HOP CULTURE?

BOTTEMLINE: MY EARLY MEMORIES OF HIP HOP HAS TO BE WATCHING THE RISE OF KOOL G RAP, LL COOL J AND BIG DADDY KANE. IMITATING EVERYTHING THEY WOULD DO FROM THE RHYMES, TO THE CLOTHING, TO THE DANCE MOVES. IT TOOK OVER MY BRAIN. LOL

VALIDATED: AT WHAT POINT DID YOU START RAPPING AND HOW DID YOU GET YOUR START? 

BOTTEMLINE: I STARTED OFF RAPPING WHEN I WAS AS YOUNG AS 12. I WASN'T GOOD  AT ALL BUT I KEPT PRACTICING AND FOCUSED ON GETTING BETTER. UNFORTUNATELY AFTER GETTING INCARCERATED MANY TIMES AT A EARLY AGE THAT HELPED ME TO BE A SHARPER EMCEE BECAUSE ALL I HAD WAS TIME.

VALIDATED: WHICH EMCEES INFLUENCED YOU AND WHAT IF ANYTHING DID YOU “BORROW” FROM THEM?

BOTTEMLINE: THE EMCEES THAT INFLUENCED ME WAS KOOL G-RAP, LL, KANE, BIG L, ETC. KANE AND LL KNEW HOW TO APPEAL TO THE LADIES AS WELL AS THE HUSTLERS ON THE CORNERS. G RAP GAVE ME THE GANGSTA STORYTELLING, BIG L SHOWED ME THE FLOW WIT PUNCHLINES SO I'M GRATEFUL FOR THOSE LEGENDS.

VALIDATED: YOU’RE 1/3 OF THE HIP HOP CREW “BOYZ LIFE”, WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT IT? 

BOTTEMLINE: YES "BOYZLIFE GIRLZWORLD"... I'M THE CO-FOUNDER ALONG WITH MY PARTNER BILLBOARD P AND NEWLY ADDED GODDESS DAYE (QUEEN G). ME AND P BEEN DOING MUSIC TOGETHER FOR YEARS BUT WE ALWAYS FELT LIKE WE NEEDED A SOULFUL VIBE TO ADD TO WHAT WE WERE ESTABLISHING. WE BROUGHT ON GODDESS DAYE AND IT'S BEEN EXACTLY WHAT WE WANNA MIX WITH TO ENTERTAIN FANS AROUND THE WORLD.

VALIDATED: YOU’VE PARTICIPATED IN EVENTS LIKE THE JUNETEENTH FESTIVAL IN HARLEM, APPEARED ON SHOWTIME AT THE APOLLO AND THE HOUSE OF BLUES, WHAT’S YOUR FONDEST MEMORY OF THESE EXPERIENCES?

BOTTEMLINE: GREAT MEMORIES... I WAS ABLE TO ACTUALLY ROCK ON THE RUFF RYDERS FLOAT AND JUST EXPERIENCE SOMETHING GREAT. SHOWTIME AT THE APOLLO WAS PROBABLY MY MOST FAVORITE COMING UP WATCHING THE SHOW AS A KID. NEVER THOUGHT THAT I WOULD ONE DAY BE ON THE VERY STAGE ACTUALLY RAPPING WITHOUT GETTING BOOED. I WAS NERVOUS BUT I KNEW MY MATERIAL WAS FLAWLESS AND HAD A MESSAGE, "FATHER TIME". HOUSE OF BLUES WAS ALSO A DREAM COME TRUE. ITS DEFINITELY SOMETHING I'M PROUD OF COLLECTIVELY.

VALIDATED: YOU’VE GONE ON TOUR WITH FRED DA GODSON (RIP) AND OPENED UP FOR MAJOR ACTS INCLUDING THE DELFONICS, FORCE MDS AND DMX, WHAT DID YOU LEARN ABOUT YOURSELF AS AN ARTIST FROM THESE PERFORMANCES?

BOTTEMLINE: YES, (RIP) FRED DA GODSON. ME AND BILLBOARD P AND BULLZGANG SIN WENT ON TOUR. THAT WAS A DOPE EXPERIENCE, I LEARNED THAT PEOPLE LOVE YOU OUTSIDE OF YA AREA AND PROFESSIONALISM IS EVERYTHING. OPENING UP FOR THE DELFONICS AND FORCE MDS GAVE ME MORE CONFIDENCE ABOUT HAVING UNIVERSAL CONTENT. I KNEW THEN I CAN PERFORM ANYWHERE WITH WHAT I HAD COMFORTABLELY. OPENING FOR DMX AND OBSERVING EVERYTHING JUST MADE ME WANNA BE MYSELF MORE NO MATTER WHO DIDN'T LIKE IT.

VALIDATED:YOU'RE CURRENTLY WORKING ON YOUR DEBUT SOLO ALBUM, IS THERE A RELEASE DATE FOR IT YET?

BOTTEMLINE: YES, I'M WRAPPING THAT UP AS WE SPEAK. I’M PUSHING FOR MARCH BUT I'LL DEFINITELY HAVE THE SINGLE READY BY DECEMBER. AS WELL AS THE BOYZ LIFE COMPILATION AND THE "BAR GUNNERZ" PROJECT SO STAY TUNED...

VALIDATED: YOU RECENTLY DROPPED A COLLABORATIVE PROJECT WITH FELLOW QUEENS EMCEE QU AMAZEN MOST CALLED "95 VIBES", WHAT’S BEEN THE RESPONSE TO THE PROJECT?

BOTTEMLINE: YES, 95 VIBES! THE RESPONSE IS OVERWHELMING. SONG FOR SONG... CONTENT, DELIVERY, WORDPLAY, REPLAY VALUE, BEAT SELECTION, WELL STRUCTURED, AND GREAT FEATURES LIKE STAT THO, KING KOBRA CKRILLZ DINERO, WILL SULLY. THE PRODUCERS VINNY IDOL, SARKASTIK, NUISANCE AND QUET TRAKS. EVERYBODY EQUALLY PUT IN A THOUSAND PERCENT TO GET THE LOVE WE BEEN RECEIVING.

VALIDATED: THE VIDEO FOR THE RECORD “BAR GUNNERZ” FEATURING YOU AND WILL SULLY RECENTLY DROPPED OFF THE “Q THORO PROJECT”, WHAT’S THE VIBE OF THE RECORD?

BOTTEMLINE: YES! ITS PANDEMONIUM!! WILL SULLY PRODUCED THAT BEAT AND HE'S ALSO FEATURED ON THE SONG WITH ME AND THE VIDEO IS DIRECTED BY LEX LUKAS FILMS. PEOPLE LOVE IT, INCLUDING OTHER PRODUCERS AND EMCEES. IT’S NUTS! I'M HAPPY TO BE APART OF THAT.

VALIDATED: WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM THE UPCOMING “Q THORO PROJECT”?

BOTTEMLINE: EXPECT A MUSICAL MOVIE AND SOLID BODY OF WORK. THE Q THORO PROJECT IS A EP IDEA THAT THE FOUNDER JASON J-NENO EVERETT CAME UP WITH TO FURTHER MARKET HIS QTHORO BRAND. HE COLLABED WITH MYSELF AND ANOTHER DOPE EMCEE WILL SULLY WHO ALSO PRODUCED THE WHOLE PROJECT AND HAS PRODUCED FOR OTHER GREATS SUCH AS ROYAL FLUSH AND MIC GERONIMO.

VALIDATED: QUEENS THORO APPAREL, WHAT’S YOUR ROLE IN THE BRAND? 

BOTTEMLINE: I’M A LONG TIME FRIEND OF THE OWNER, SO WE DO ALOT OF CROSS MARKETING AND HELPING TO BUILD AND PROMOTE EACH OTHERS BRANDS TO A WIDER AUDIENCE... CALL ME THE POSTER CHILD/EMCEE OF "QUEENS THORO APPAREL". (BK THORO AND BX THORO AVAILABLE AS WELL)

VALIDATED: WHAT’S YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA CONTACTS? 

BOTTEMLINE: FACEBOOK - JAMMEL GOODWIN (BOTTEMLIN), INSTAGRAM - THEREALBOTTEMLINE AND TWITTER - BOTTEMLINE718