PizonIsHipHop.com

We’ve received word that “Dreams Come True” was played on Orlando’s Power 95.3 — another mainstream radio station!  Let’s make sure the song stays in rotation.  Go to their website and put in a request using this form.  Don’t forget to enter in The Fam as the artist name, and use the column on the LEFT only!*

* unless you’re unrequesting Lil Wayne.  Then you’d use the RIGHT column.  But you didn’t hear that from us.

Here’s the unedited transcript of our interview with Diamond Kutz, scheduled to drop in August.

What is your group’s name?
Pizon: We go by The Fam.  The group consists of myself, Timid, and EJ.

How long have you been together, or doing y’alls own thing?
Pizon: Timid recorded his first tape in 1994.  I got in the game around 1999/2000, and EJ shortly after that.
EJ: We’ve been working together since we all met up, but our first group project as The Fam was in 2003.

What goals are you trying to achieve with your musical talents?
Timid: Change and travel the world, open minds and mentalities, and shed bright lights on fallacies.
Pizon: I just want some head.

Who would you say in the musical world are you more alike?
Pizon: What are the choices?
EJ: I don’t really like direct comparisons, but I’d have to say as a group The Fam would resemble Kanye West most.  We have the mainstream appeal like any commercial artists, but a lot of the time we give it to you in a way that you can relate to it.  Without tooting our own horn too much, I’d definitely say we have the top shelf lyrical ability mixed with Kanye’s unique way to make the listeners laugh or cry, depending on what mood he’s trying to convey.

Some people say that rappers are like boxers:  they don’t know when to get out of the ring.  What is your response to this?
Timid: Boxers only need to get out of the ring with it’s detrimental to them or when they no longer have the ability they had.  Rappers aren’t the same.  Rap is a mental game for the most part.  If you can still deliver lyrically and musically, who’s to say you need to retire?  No one tells The Rolling Stones to retire; they still pack stadiums and people revere them for their longevity.  Rappers get the “You need to retire” angle because there’s no respect for a good career and body of work, since people have shifted this into a hustle for money and they want a piece.  They take it like someone else is taking their chance at getting money.  It’s a cop out for not putting in work, and feeling you deserve something because you say so, not because you put in the effort.  I don’t think anyone older or younger has my spot.  They aren’t good enough.

Who are your musical role models?
EJ: Can’t really say there’s just a set I stick to.  I listen to different artists for different reasons.  I like Joe Budden’s way of storytelling and punchlines, Jay-Z’s flow, Nas’s intelligence, Fab’s double syllable rhyming, Royce Da 5′9″s wordplay… I could go on for days.  I learn from artists by paying attention to them and picking out the pieces I like to focus on.

Who do you wish to work with in the music industry?
Pizon: It’s always been my goal to do a song with DJ Premier.  Aside from that, I’m already working with everyone I want to.  That’s what this Fam album is.

What inspired you to join the music business?
EJ: I started out managing local groups.  Getting them shows, handling their business, and the like.  Music was just something I enjoyed doing.  I got into Hip Hop when I first heard LL Cool J’s Bigger And Deffer album.  I’d have to say that inspired me to start writing my own rhymes.  After about two years of just writing, trying to improve on rhyme schemes and such, I decided to pick up a mic.  I’ve been going strong ever since.

How do your families handle your career choices?
EJ: Recently I relocated from Texas — where I was born and raised — to New York, in an effort to really further my career in the music industry.  Although it’s been tough on my family, they know it was the best choice for me to make and I have their support one hundred percent.
Pizon: My family has always been supportive, especially once they started seeing this was something I excelled at.

Do you do mixtapes?
Pizon: I’d rather see people doing more albums and less mixtapes, but they can be a good vehicle to help build a buzz.  I just don’t like when rappers use them as an excuse to be lazy.

Who produced the track that we are featuring on the Diamond Kutz page?
EJ: “Dreams Come True” was produced by Xplosive Productions.  The song also features Jacob on the hook.

Are there currently any beefs between you and any other artists, and if so how do you handle it?
EJ: I wouldn’t say there’s any current beef, but I’ve had my share of it.  When it comes, it comes, and I deal with it accordingly.  I prefer it to stay on wax, just because I’m an old school character like that and I like to prove I’m better on the mic.  If it comes down to some personal problems and we have to take it to the streets, I invite that as well, although that isn’t the route I’d choose to take.

What advice would you give to up and coming artists trying to get into the industry?
Timid: Don’t.  Go home.  You probably suck and will make things worse than they are.  Be a fan.

People are saying Hip Hop is dead.  Do you agree?
Pizon: Go buy our shit and then see if you still want to ask that question.

How much time do you invest in your music?
EJ: As much time as possible, really.  We perform or record almost every weekend, if we’re not doing photo shoots or radio shows.  It’s always something to do with furthering our place in the industry.  We try to stay busy as much as possible.
Pizon: If you aren’t investing all of your time and energy into this, you’re doing it wrong.  Listen to Timid.  Go home.

Can you give our viewers some information on some of your upcoming shows?
EJ: All our upcoming events can be found on our respective websites, and The Fam’s page at www.thefammusic.com.

What would you say your music is about?
EJ: It really just depends on what we’re thinking about or feeling when we listen to the beats.  Our wide range of topics is what I like most about our group.  We can go from doing a fun party, yet a little misogynistic, track like “Homegirls” to recording a love song like “Dreams Come True.”  Some people call it a contradiction when you put two songs on the album like that, but I call it being human.  If you never have mixed feelings about a topic, there’s something wrong with you as a person.  We do a good job of being able to come at you from all angles.

Do you have any other artists that are affiliated with you or your company, that you are currently working with?
Pizon: All of the featured guests and producers on the record.  Read the credits and study the names.

Do you have any musical projects that you are currently working on?
Pizon: The Fam album Family Business is on its way, featuring Mr. Porter (Kon Artis of D12), Domingo on the beats, and more.  Request the “Dreams Come True” single everywhere now.  If the DJ doesn’t have it, slap that bitch with a loaded trout.

Do you feel it is your job as an artist to be a role model to the young people who listen to your music?
Timid: Being in the public eye has its responsibilities, sure.  But not everyone believes that nor will follow that, obviously.  Nor do I believe it’s the artist’s or whomever’s fault that his role has been one chosen to follow.  Artists should be aware of it and act accordingly, like adult content in adult mediums, but don’t go on public airwaves and speak like all ages aren’t listening.  That’s just humanitarian responsibility.  That being said, parents are still the biggest influence and should put that time and effort in to guide their kids to know the difference between a good role model and a bad one.  Buy my album.

I’ve been told my job is easy.  Lock yourself in a studio for 48 hours and then come talk to me.

With The Fam single “Dreams Come True” continuing to gain momentum, we needed to finish the album.  The idea to wait until the album was completely done before dropping the single was pitched to me, but I insisted on releasing it at the beginning of July because it’s a summer song.  It takes time to work a record, especially when you’re not playing with major label money.  I felt we were close enough to finishing the album to move forward on the single.  Waiting until August would have been a mistake.  Of course, that decision put the pressure on us to get the album wrapped quickly.  (That’s when magic happens, because one of the last songs we did will become another smash single, and it shall remain in the vault for now.)  Anyway, the plan was for EJ to come through the studio on Saturday and work with me all day, then on Sunday we’d have Timid come and finish his parts.  That’d complete the recording of the LP.  Unfortunately, Timid woke up on Sunday morning with a sore throat, so he couldn’t make it.  Instead of calling it a weekend, EJ and I stayed in the studio and kept working.  We ended up getting 5 songs done in the past two days.  You can hear two of them now.

After we finished our vocals for the Fam album, we started working on songs for EJ’s upcoming solo debut.  The first is a love song called “Forever Yours” that’s dedicated to his fiancee.  He told me he wanted to do a track on the level of an “Angel Wings” or a “Four Letters” (or even “View From Afar” from Timid’s last album).  By the time the second verse was recorded, we were fatiguing but I told him we should get the whole song finished before crashing out.  The last verse wasn’t even fully written yet.  Having just downed four Coronas and it being four o’clock in the morning, I remember telling him to say, “You seen how I proposed at the show, right?  Now we staring at the ocean for the whole night.”  He said, “But we haven’t stared at the ocean for the whole night.”  I was asking him, “So?” before finally offering, “Just to show you I don’t go through the motions like most guys.”  He replied, “Now you’re onto something!” and before we knew it the song was done.

The next EJ song is a collabo called “True Fans.”  He came in with the hook ready to go, but it didn’t have verses yet.  As I recall, we ended up falling asleep shortly after recording the hook.  On Sunday, we woke up and decided to finish this one off.  He put the first verse down and made a Taco Bell run.  By the time he was back, I had the whole second verse in my head.  I jumped behind the mic and laid it down.  He was like, “I don’t know how you do that, without forgetting the lyrics.”  For the record, I’m definitely NOT on the “I don’t write my lyrics down” bandwagon, but the simple fact is that I often don’t for the sole reason that my memory is impeccable.  I could probably recite this whole post back to you word for word without re-reading it.  Did I mention there’s no weed at my sessions?  Getting back to the song, it’s just a fun joint.  I finally got to make that “Stan” reference I’d been dying to make since signing with Rawkus.  EJ was saying that we’d have to parody Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn for the video to this track.  When you hear my verse, you’ll know why.

So, here they are.  I don’t encourage artists to leak tracks that haven’t been fully mixed and mastered, but E couldn’t wait to get some new music out there.  Plus, these are strong cuts so I share his excitement.  Although the Fam album Family Business is up next, “Forever Yours” and “True Fans” (featuring Pizon) from EJ’s forthcoming solo are now online to sample.  Hear some of what we did over the past few days exclusively at EJ’s Myspace page.

Now that the weekend is over, I’ll be spending my week resuming promo on the “Dreams Come True” single:  coordinating with the publicist, answering emails, recording drops, doing interviews, servicing more DJs with the joint, studying chart movement, getting CDs duplicated, and sending out more product to record pools.  This business is very rewarding, and I’m in love with what I do.  But let’s not call it easy.

Time flies, doesn’t it?

I’m in a nostalgic mood this week.  Between pushing the single and putting the finishing touches on the album, I’ve been thinking back to more humble beginnings.  As exciting as the major airplay that’s coming my way now is, there was a time not long ago when a little college burn was a huge deal.  The first time my music was played on the radio was in 2003.  It was in Tallahassee, Florida at WFSU.  The Underground Railroad.  Florida State University.  DJ Dirty Digits played the song “Hip Hop 2 Me” (which I produced as well as rapped on) while Timid was there as an in-studio guest.  I was listening online from home in New York.  At the time, it was the greatest moment of my life.  I actually felt like I’d made it because my music was being played on an FM radio station.  Nevermind the fact that it was college radio and probably didn’t have much of a listening audience.  I really didn’t care.  There was no feeling like it in the world.

In the years to come, I’d garner much more radio experience.  My music started getting played on stations overseas, and I started appearing on various radio shows as a special guest myself.  I even appeared on that very show in Tallahassee while I was down there for an event.  One trip, I was a guest on both the underground and mainstream Hip Hop shows in the city, going from FSU to Clear Channel’s The Beat, on which host Thrill da Playa (of “Tootsie Roll” fame) introduced Timid and I as his “celebrity guests.”  Whenever I’d go out of town for an event, I’d always try to get on the local radio show and was usually successful.  Still, my own state of New York had eluded me.

It’s been said that to make it in New York, you have to make it everywhere else first.  That New York will only get behind you once the rest of the country already has.  To an extent, that theory is true because as recently as 2005, I was having trouble getting on New York radio.  Once I knocked that door down, the flood gates opened and I started making regular appearances on every underground radio show in town.  It got to the point where one of the NY DJs said, “I can’t go anywhere without hearing the name Pizon.”  I became an integral part of the scene, but I didn’t get there until other states had showed love.  (You’re seeing more of the same story now as I’m breaking further into the mainstream, with DC’s biggest station playing ”Dreams Come True” before Hot 97.)

This was one of my first New York radio appearances.  It took place in March 2005, on 88.1 FM WCWP’s Tha Lockdown show with DJ MJ, who has continued to support me since.  I would later become a staple on her show, but I remember having butterflies in my stomach this night.  Despite already hosting my own online radio show at this point, I was nervous to be interviewed on the radio in New York.  Now, I almost look at commercial airtime as an entitlement, but I’ll never forget the time when some local shine was major.

FLASHBACK - Pizon on Tha Lockdown, March 26, 2005:

The official lead single for The Fam’s Family Business album “Dreams Come True” was serviced to 10,000+ radio and club DJs this weekend.  Ahead of the curve was the #1 station in DC – 95.5 FM WPGC – who aired the song last weekend, prior to its widespread release.  Although the college radio station 88.1 FM WCWP in New York has been playing the song since it was leaked months ago (and Internet radio has been giving it spins), this was the track’s debut on mainstream radio.  DJ Rico and DJ Heat deserve an endless amount of props for breaking the record to a commercial audience.  Now that the single has been officially released, expect it to be heard in even more places.  The anthem of the 2008 summer has been delivered.  This is a monumental moment in the careers of Pizon, EJ, and Timid.

What does this mean?

For one, it means The Fam album is coming very soon (though no release date has been set).  It also means most DJs should have the single, so start requesting it everywhere.  If you’re a DJ and you need any of the 3 versions (clean, instrumental, or acapella), contact info@wondertwinz.com.  Physical product is also available.

Listen to The Fam - “Dreams Come True” (featuring Jacob):

http://answers.polldaddy.com/poll/738314/

In case you missed this, here’s the video recap of the Moomia Lounge show.  To see footage from this show without commentary, click on the FamTV link above and check out “Moomia Lounge - Uncut” from the On Demand section.

They’re not cookies.

When Timid’s CDs came back from the factory, he invited EJ and I to each take one from the shipment.  As we were leaving his spot, E reached into one of the boxes and asked, “Can I take a few more for the road?”  Timid snapped back:  “No!  They’re not cookies!”

In 2008, do we treat music like junk food?

Yesterday, I came across a site that had my I Am Hip Hop album for sale.  Now, there are countless places that sell my album.  Most of them are authorized.  Both of my labels, Rawkus Records and La Scala Entertainment, have distributors that send my music to stores.  After the store takes its cut, the distributor takes its cut, and the label takes its cut (in Rawkus’ case, since I own La Scala), I get whatever’s left over.  In the music industry, the artist always gets paid last.  The system is set up so that the retail level is invisible to the artist.  Point blank, I don’t know what most of the physical stores and websites that sell my album look like.  This one, however, seemed very strange.  It listed the featured artists in the song titles (the official titles are not registered that way), even misspelling some of them.  It listed the two last songs as “bonus cuts” (they are listed that way on the back of the CD case only).  It was based in Russia, and was selling the album for $2.98.  At first I thought it could have been “Russian dollars” but I quickly realized that theory was wrong — they were actually selling the album for that price.  Yes, folks:  This Russian website was selling bootleg copies of my album.

Ah, the great bootleg debate.

To be real, I know bootlegging is an inevitable part of the business.  This isn’t the first time I’ve discovered someone bootlegging my album, but it is the first time I found someone selling bootlegs of my album.  I’m flattered.  I’m also losing sales over it.  There are people who “do the right thing” and support artists by buying the CD even though they could steal it, but let’s be honest:  if most people can find something free or really cheap, they’re not going to pay full price for it.  This relates to the junk food discussion because I believe the fact that people don’t buy music anymore has a direct impact on people treating music like it’s disposable.  If you bought my album at retail price, you’d sit down with it and appreciate it as a valuable work of art instead of giving it the Winamp skip-thru treatment.

Timid decided to jump on ICQ and square off with the Russian bootleggers.

Timid: have a technical issue with *name of site removed*
fast-forward: yep, what is it ?
Timid: this album right here interests me: *links to Pizon - I Am Hip Hop*
fast-forward: yes, and ?
Timid: This is our label’s release, quit bootlegging our shit!
fast-forward: i am sorry, but we do not host any music, and we do not provide any downloads
Timid: you are selling it
fast-forward: please read carefully legal section
Timid: it doesn’t matter if you host it, you are selling it
fast-forward: we sell software
Timid: no that’s it selling music right there
Timid: and we dont have an agreement with your store
Timid: and you are selling it for like $3, man where’s our cut
fast-forward: you don’t seem to understand
Timid: then explain it to me wise one
fast-forward: we don’t sell any music, just because we DON’T HAVE any
Timid: so what does that page say then
fast-forward: we have a huge music index, that’s right
Timid: says that you are selling it
fast-forward: [-]   How to download mp3 ?
This page is indexed on basis of *name of site removed* content. *name of site removed* website does not provide any mp3 downloads or sales, and does not host any mp3 files. In order to download any file from this release you must be registered and you should use activated version of *name of site removed* software. Once you download any mp3 file (i.e. spend certain activation traffic) you will be able to re-download it for free anytime. All history of downloads might be accessed in “My downloads” section.
Timid: man i know bootlegging, my skills are legendary. don’t run that jibba jabba on me. you know what you are doing.
Timid: remove it from your site or pay me
fast-forward: just curious. how much you’d like to be paid as for now ?
Timid: our fair share, it cost more than $2.98 to create the music
fast-forward: so, how would you like that fact that we have never ever sold neither your music nor any others, listed on our site?
Timid: tell me, how many sales do you guys make a month on average, and the traffic of your site
fast-forward: or do you suggest that we would pay you just because we have HTML page with your release tracklist ?
Timid: i’m not stupid, you wouldn’t have these albums here if you weren’t getting money off of them
Timid: no you pay us when it’s sold
fast-forward: unfortunately, this conversation seems to be meaningless
Timid: then take our release off your site
Timid: simple
fast-forward: do you mean “take off HTML page” ?
Timid: yup
fast-forward: nice
Timid: your affiliates are making money, there is a monetary model going on here and you aren’t giving us a cut of sales of our shit
Timid: so remove that or fuck you pay me
fast-forward: cause we don’t sell music.
Timid: oh yea then what does this mean to affiliates “We offer: * basic 35% of all your customers’ payments (up to 50% for top masters). * Minimum payout is $80. • accessible payout methods (WebMoney, Fethard, Wire, ePassporte, etc.) * Payouts are done bi-monthly.”
Timid: why would i sign up as an affiliate if i won’t make money
Timid: you could have been somebody
Timid: we could have cut a deal for our Russian brethren but you wanted to play dumb
Timid: and Hip Hop suffers. Russian bboys aren’t going to be happy about this.
fast-forward: this seems to be nearly impossible, and i am completely sure you DO know why
Timid: no i dont
fast-forward: ah really ?
Timid: we are the label and copyright holders of the music
Timid: we can sell it wherever we want and with whichever outlet we want
Timid: nothing is impossible, we run shit
fast-forward: you’re completely right
fast-forward: but we’re out of music sales
fast-forward: we sell software that we DO own
fast-forward: you see?
Timid: no makes no sense, what does that have to do with the music and the prices
fast-forward: those are just symbols on a simple html page
Timid: listen man, why are you trying to blow smoke up my ass? it’s exit only back there.
Timid: on your home page you have “> 2007/09/27ROCK BOTTOM PRICES !!!Attention everyone! From tonight all our prices have been reduced by almost a HALF! Every track that used to cost 35c is now ONLY 20c! That means more music for your money. Don’t miss this chance to download your favourite tracks for the LOWEST prices!”
Timid: we checked your site out before contacting you, we wanted to give you a proper chance. we are straight up like when jessica alba bends over, just be straight with us. no homo.
Timid: so again REMOVE our release from your page
fast-forward: in progress
Timid: we could have helped the Russian bboys
Timid: they are starving for Hip Hop
fast-forward: yes you could. and more of that - i like music. great music
Timid: we respect the bboys around the world, Hip Hop around the world, we do it for them
fast-forward: you do not need to tell me. i know.
fast-forward: have you ever thought for real, that this page can do ANY harm to bboys, music, you, or anybody else ?
fast-forward: do you really believe ?
Timid: ok let’s go, i have no reason to lie
Timid it does a discredit to us
fast-forward: why? can you just explain me ?
Timid: we can’t bring the music to the bboys if we aren’t getting something in return to keep us going
fast-forward: you see, you should have gigs and bootlegs to bring your mission further
Timid: now let me ask you, when was the last time you brought us or anyone out to russia for gigs?
fast-forward: come on. i cannot be responsible for some arses that prevent you to do this
Timid: you are providing free access or selling our music and not giving us a cut but you aren’t doing anything to help us
fast-forward: *shows removed link*
fast-forward: it’s history now

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Fam have collaborated with Mr. Porter for a song called ”Get Off My Ass” on the group’s upcoming Family Business album.  The platinum recording artist handled production duties for the song and contributed vocals to the chorus.  Fans may recognize Mr. Porter as Kon Artis of D12.  He also produced such hits as “P.I.M.P.” by 50 Cent and “Stunt 101″ by G-Unit, as well as Eminem’s entire first album.  Though this is The Fam’s first group album, members Pizon (of the Rawkus 50) and Timid have solo albums under their belts, and EJ recently released his debut mixtape.  Of the opportunity, EJ of The Fam asserted: “Anytime we get the chance to connect with an individual of [Mr. Porter's] caliber, it’s always going to lead to the creation of some truly great and inspirational music.”

The song can currently be heard in its entirety for free by dialing up The Fam’s voicemail at 212-845-9935.  This system can also be used to leave messages for The Fam, receive responses and calls back, get voice and text updates, and hear what other fans are saying.  The Family Business album is scheduled for release later this year.