Recently, I had the privilege of speaking with Harlem bred rapper Tito Green about his new project, the hip-hop scene in Harlem, and about why the avid sneakerhead isn’t too excited about where the sneaker culture is headed. His single, Life Goes On, along with the video, is out now with his first project since 2011 soon to follow.
So can you start off by talking about what is the hip hop scene is like in Harlem right now?
The hip hop scene in Harlem right now, it’s a lot of people coming up, lot of new rappers out of Harlem, a lot of young new rappers out of Harlem especially after Rocky and ASAP, that re-opened the doors because really for every generation somebody kicked the door in it was like, my brother and Dipset, and now its ASAP Mob – shout-out to them – they definitely got the labels checking for Harlem right now.
Can you talk about your association with Dipset?
I mean, Zeek (Freeky Zeeky) is my brother, so its more than an association….
Ok – so what was the inspiration behind your single “Life Goes On”?
Really that was just how I felt that night. I heard the beat, the beat was crazy, and depending on how the beat is is how I feel towards the song and……how I felt at that particular time – that’s what you’ll get; I don’t really go in the studio trying to do anything I just do what comes naturally.
What is your writing process like? Do you typically write in the studio or can you be anywhere and lyrics come to you?
I can be anywhere and things come to me. I could be on the highway driving, sometimes I have to pull over and write sh.. down, but I definitely like to go to the studio with my sh.. already ready. Cause that sh.. is expensive, and it’s just a waste of money to be in there writing.
So do you need to hear the beat first, or you don’t really have to?
Nah – most of the time I just write the songs. Sometimes I hear the beat and I’ll write to the beat, but a lot of the stuff I have written is just sh.. that I write and can say I have something for that beat or whatever.
So what can listeners expect from the new project? Like features, new producers?
Right now the production is in-house, I have my own producer, and me and him have just really been vibing out; I haven’t really even looked for beats from anybody, which isn’t really good; I’ve kind of been disregarding it because I’m so comfortable where I’m at, and as far as features, this first project that I am putting out Pricey Visions Volume 1, its gonna just be me by myself – there might be someone from Dipset on it; but I might hold that – I don’t really wanna say who, either Jim, Cam or Juelz on one of them joints, I might do that but I am gonna put out Volume 2 like a month later, and that one will have a whole bunch of features on it; really the first one might just be me by myself because I have been away for so long I feel like I gotta just give them me right now, but Volume 2 will definitely have features on it…
How long has it been since your last project?
2011. Its been a minute.
So do you have a release date for the first project?
I am thinking early June.
So I did hear that you were a sneakerhead, so what are your favorite sneakers right now?
To be honest my favorite sneaker out right now is the Kobe 9 Elite, but I don’t really….the way the sneaker game is right now nig… are just buying anything; and I am not really with that. Like for instance, they keep putting out these different color Retro Jordans. Now me personally I probably got every pair of Jordans. I have at least 15 pairs of them; so all the sh.. that is coming out right now I already have; the new colors I don’t really like them anyway so…
So you mean like for example the 4’s that came out last year, with the teal and the grey, you don’t…
Yeah I don’t really fu.. with it too much, it has to be something I really like – I am at the point where I can’t wear all this sh.., I probably have 300 pairs of sneakers that I have never worn; so I am still trying to….like its not making sense to me anymore; I used to be one of those dudes that…I was buying everything just because I liked sneakers, but my collection got so massive to the point where I put sneakers on and they break apart because they are 10 years old; you know I been doing this sh.. since before it was popular. Before, nig… were looking at me like I was crazy; so…it is what it is…
Is there anything else you want our readers to know about you? Or the projects?
Know that its coming, I’m coming for your favorite rappers spot, that I am coming back out and you will be seeing a lot from me; a lot of things going on behind closed doors that I can’t really talk about but definitely a lot of things coming up and I’m just gearing up to be all in your face…
Who are you listening to right now? Are there any rappers you are impressed with/that you like their work?
I mean, not for nothing, you know what I really been listening to a lot? I been listening to a lot of Migos…
Oh ok!
A LOT of Migos, I’ve been OD’ing, like I aint gon front when they sh.. first came out, Cause you know, i’m from New Iberia Louisiana I got some country ass roots but I grew up in NY, so I am into lyricists…so at first when the Migos came I kind of thought it was gimmicky cause, like for instance, Hanna Montana,I just didn’t get it at first, I didn’t really give it a chance and I didn’t get it, but once one of my homies sat down and was like “yo bruh, you gotta listen to this sh.. , like LISTEN to it – you live this same life..you will like it” and he was 100% right (Laughs) they just have a real creative way of talking about trappin…
I can appreciate that, I really appreciate when people come from different areas and can listen and appreciate without judgement a different kind of music…cause when they first came out, a lot of people clowned Migos, but I was the same way, I didn’t really get it, once I listened to it and paid attention, its pretty good so…
Yeah I would definitely like to work with the Migos, I fu.. with them heavy. I see eye to eye with them dudes…
Thank you so much for your time…
Thank you..
(Twitter – @titogreen730)
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